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Yesterday, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels announced the capture of the city of Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Their arrival into the second largest city in eastern Congo follows the fall of the largest, Goma, just three weeks ago.
Events are moving very quickly, and what the people of Bukavu can expect from occupying forces isn’t known for sure just yet.
But if it’s anything like what the people in Goma and other occupied areas have been going through, it’s not good.
The fighting between the M23 armed group and Rwandan forces on one side, and the Congolese military and allied militias on the other has brought miseries and atrocities to the region for the last three years. It’s exposed civilians to mass displacement, indiscriminate shelling and killings, widespread sexual violence, and other violations by all parties to the conflict.
The humanitarian crisis is dire, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the M23 and lacking access to humanitarian aid. Some have been displaced multiple times. In the last ten days, the M23 ordered tens of thousands of people living in displacement camps around Goma to leave.
This is not only cruel but also possibly a war crime.
Closing of camps appears to have become standard operating procedure for the Rwanda-backed M23. As one man who fled the fighting told Human Rights Watch:
“We know when the M23 arrive somewhere, they force everyone out and close the camps. They do that everywhere they go.”
Forcing people to move with no support or assistance in their hometowns makes providing them with humanitarian aid incredibly difficult. Add to that the looting of aid warehouses during the fighting and the closure of the airport in Goma, and it becomes near impossible to get help to the people who need it.
The M23 and Rwandan forces controlling Goma and Bukavu are responsible for the civilians under their control. They shouldn’t be forcing them to move nor denying them access to items essential for their survival, like water, food, shelter, and medicine.
International actors need to go beyond speaking out. The UN, the African Union, and donor governments need to put pressure on the Rwandan government to end its support to the M23, lest it be held liable for its actions.
The EU needs to end its “lack of coherence” on what’s been unfolding in eastern Congo. Brussels has issued one strong statement, but the EU still hasn’t suspended its minerals deal with Rwanda. The EU and members states also haven’t stopped military cooperation and arms sales that further Rwandan military operations in Congo.
There are international levers that can be pulled here to help people facing an increasingly desperate humanitarian disaster.
