The ever-worsening human rights crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to the displacement of over one million people since August 2008, according to reports by Amnesty International.

The conflict has its roots in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 when hundreds of thousands of the Tutsi minority were killed by the Hutu majority. In the aftermath of the genocide, hundreds of members of the Hutu militias responsible fled to neighbouring countries to escape punishment, one destination being the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the outbreak of fighting in August 1998, 5.4 million people have died, and 1.5 million have been displaced.  Now the rebel forces of the National Congress for People’s Defence, led by Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda have marched into the eastern DRC.

This violence has helped to deepen ethnic and political divides between the DRC and Rwanda. The DRC government has accused Rwanda of supporting Laurent’s CNDP, while Rwanda has accused the DSRC army of supporting the FDLR, an armed Rwandan Hutu group.

On the 28th October the CNDP marched into the town of Rutshuru, and proceeded to advance on the eastern provincial capital, Goma. This rebel advance has resulted in tens of thousands of civilians fleeing their homes in panic, forced to abandon villages to the north of Goma in order to escape fighting between rebel and government forces. The situation is especially serious in North Kivu province (eastern DRC) where the CNDP forces threaten to overwhelm government troops and the UN peacekeeping force, MONUC.

The 17,000 strong MONUC, despite being the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, is stretched to its limits. It no longer has the capability to fulfil its peacekeeping mandate in this escalating conflict. Alan Doss, the head of the UN Mission in the DRC has requested more peacekeepers, air support and equipment from the Security Council, but it is unknown whether or not the Council will authorise the supply of the reinforcements.

Amnesty International has responded by appealing to the Security Council to urgently reinforce the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, and provide it with the necessary support to protect civilians. Amnesty has also called for the Security Council to increase pressure on the CNDP, FDLR and other armed groups to cease all attacks against civilians. This includes releasing all children associated with rebel groups, and all persons held as sex slaves.

It has also asked the Security Council to exert pressure on the DRC to reform the security sector, so that its armed forces are capable of protecting civilians neutrally and professionally, with those suspected of perpetrating human rights violations barred from the ranks of the national army and police.

It is hoped that some of these problems can be resolved through an emergency summit planned in Nairobi, Kenya, which will be attended by African and European heads of state, as well as UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon. It is believed that such high-level pressure will encourage the governments of the DRC and Rwanda to exert their influence on rebel groups and halt the situation’s rapid deterioration.