Embedded Files
February 18, 2025
We, the members of the Carleton University Human Rights Society, express our deepest concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis and escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Following our previous statement on September 27, 2024, regarding the ongoing crisis in the DRC, we find it necessary to once again speak out as the situation continues to deteriorate. In recent days, reports have surfaced of more than 150 women and children being raped and burned alive in a prison in Goma, a city in the eastern DRC. This atrocity is part of a broader pattern of violence that has devastated the North and South Kivu regions, where conflict has led to mass killings, sexual violence, displacement, mutilation, and lasting trauma.
The eastern DRC, particularly the area around Lake Kivu, has long been a zone of instability due to disputes over land, resources, and ethnic tensions. These factors have fueled a violent struggle involving various armed groups, including M23 (March 23), a Rwanda-backed Tutsi militia at the center of the conflict. Both the DRC government and the United Nations have accused Rwanda of supporting M23, with possible assistance from Uganda. M23 has committed widespread human rights abuses, including mass killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement, contributing to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
We strongly condemn not only M23 but also the various other military and paramilitary forces responsible for terrorizing civilians. The Congolese military itself has committed severe human rights violations, mirroring the brutality of M23. We hold the United Nations accountable for its failure to protect civilians from the egregious abuses committed by its own peacekeepers. The DRC has one of the highest rates of peacekeeper-fathered children in the world, with many women subjected to sexual exploitation and left without support.
We demand immediate and concrete action. First, a ceasefire must be implemented to end the ongoing violence between the DRC, Rwanda, M23, and any other armed groups involved. The people of the DRC should not continue to suffer because of the reckless actions of militaries and militias. After a ceasefire is established, the governments of the DRC and Rwanda must engage in direct negotiations, overseen by the African Union. We emphasize that Western intervention has historically exacerbated conflicts in Africa, and we firmly believe that African-led solutions are necessary to foster lasting peace and accountability.
Finally, we call on North American, European, and Asian nations, as well as the UN, to acknowledge their roles in perpetuating this crisis. Whether through the exploitation of the DRC’s resources, the arms trade, or political and military support for these governments and paramilitaries, these external actors have contributed to the suffering of millions. We stand in solidarity with the people of the DRC and demand immediate international attention. The cycle of violence, impunity, and foreign exploitation must end.
“Let there be an end to the arrogance of the big powers who miss no
opportunity to put the rights of the people in question.”
(Thomas Sankara, the Burkina Faso Revolution, 1988)
Additional Resources
Congo Mourns Its Dead After Rebels Capture Key City of Goma - The New York Times
DR Congo conflict: What is the fighting in Goma about?
DR Congo: UN peacekeepers suspended over serious misconduct charges | UN News
March 23 Movement | Leader, Funding, Rebels, AFC, & Congo | Britannica
The Congo and violence against women
DR Congo: Killings, Rapes by Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
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