Nearly a million people have been displaced by violence in the DRC so far this year

MADRID 8 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned this Tuesday that there are already close to a million people who have been forced to leave their homes so far this year due to violence in the Democratic Republic. of the Congo (DRC).

Thus, he has lamented a situation “that continues to deteriorate before our eyes” and has asserted that it is an “explosive mix of violence, regional and international interests, exploitative companies and a fragile rule of law.” “All this to the detriment of a people already devastated by decades of conflict,” he declared in a speech before the UN Human Rights Council.

UN sources estimate that 940,000 more people have had to be internally displaced in the country in 2024, putting the total number at more than 6.4 million. Likewise, the number of victims of Human Rights violations and abuses continues to grow, as reported by Turk, who has warned that between June 2023 and May 2024, 85 percent of the violations took place in provinces affected by the conflict and located in the east of the country.

“Armed groups are responsible for 61 percent of these cases, as well as attacks against civilians and the country’s infrastructure, including schools and hospitals,” he stated, according to his office in a statement. “Sexual violence is spreading, with 700 new victims identified,” he said.

“These groups kidnap, hold captive and subject women and girls to sexual slavery. Many have died after being raped,” he declared before urging countries that “exercise influence over these groups to do everything in their power to guarantee the cessation of fighting”. “Any role played by Rwanda in supporting the M23 in North Kivu must cease,” he said.

However, he asserted that human rights violations committed by the Congolese armed forces, including those that take place in the context of military operations, “also give rise to concern.”

FIGHT AGAINST IMPUNITY

“Hate speech and incitement to discrimination and violence are leading to greater conflict and greater tensions, something that should not be tolerated,” said Turk, who stressed the importance of addressing impunity for violent acts committed in the African country.

“It is necessary to confront impunity and restore social cohesion. The ethnic and community disputes at the heart of this conflict have long ceased to be analyzed. Bringing those responsible to justice remains key,” he said. outstanding.

Turk has thus claimed the need to “adopt and implement a transitional justice policy, focused on victims”, as well as “inclusive”, that “helps the country accept its turbulent past.”