For the past six years Oxfam has conducted protection assessments in North Kivu, South Kivu and Province Orientale. The current crisis in eastern DRC, including the recent surge in violence, has resulted from years of inaction at the local, national and international levels to resolve the fundamental security concerns consistently voiced by communities in these assessments. People feel abandoned and increasingly frustrated by those whose duty it is to protect them. It is in desperation that communities generally expressed a preference for being exploited by state security services rather than being subjected to continuous attacks by armed groups.
‘Since 1994, troops have been coming: RPF [Rwandan Patriotic Front], RCD [Rally for Congolese Democracy], CNDP, M23. None has brought any improvement.’ Man, Rutshuru
The 2012 assessment shows that men and women still experience insecurity in different ways, but for almost everyone Oxfam spoke to, traditional ways of coping with the challenges are under increasing strain. Based on the findings of our assessment, Oxfam urges the government of the DRC, regional and international governments, and the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) to take the following actions to ensure greater protection for civilians. The government of the DRC should: • Prioritise security sector reforms that will have the most direct impact on people’s safety, including tightening command and control systems, improving soldiers’ social and working conditions, and strengthening mechanisms for accountability of commanders and soldiers; • Deploy (or redeploy) a protective army presence to those areas where troop withdrawals have caused greater insecurity, while closely monitoring these army rotations; • Urgently address the extortion and violations committed by the army (FARDC) and police (PNC); • Explore non-military means of disarming armed groups, including creating economic and social incentives that deter young men from joining or motivate them to leave; • Ensure that state presence (military or civilian) in an area brings the intended benefits to the local population, delivering security and other services that are truly accountable to local people. Regional and international governments should: • Refrain from providing any support whatsoever to any armed group in the DRC and adhere to the sanctions regime imposed by the UN Security Council; 1 • Support civil society organisations to hold the state accountable locally; • Ensure support to aid programmes to improve women’s equal access to justice and basic services.
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