Southern African Community Condemns Attack on Displaced Civilians

May 6, 2024 Hour: 1:58 pm

On Monday, Radio Okapi reported that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) condemned the bombing of camps for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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In a communiqué, the regional bloc rejected “the terrible attacks” perpetrated by the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) against the Mugunga IDP camp on May 3 in Goma, where at least 16 civilians were killed and 30 others wounded.

The SADC Mission in the DRC (Samidrc) confirmed that the attacks affected innocent people, many of them women and children, the note said.

“Deliberately targeting innocent civilians is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law and principles,” the message remarked.

In #DRCongo, over 215,000 people have been displaced by clashes in eastern North Kivu since early February.

At least 7 health facilities were looted & 7 schools damaged by bombings.

Fighting is disrupting aid delivery, with several roads cut off.

More: https://t.co/FZUOy3jEWP pic.twitter.com/OvwKxatz9c

— OCHA West and Central Africa (@OCHAROWCA)
March 4, 2024

The Community insisted that attacks by M23 rebels have caused massive displacement of the population, blocking supply routes to Goma and worsening the humanitarian situation by further restricting access to essential services and resources.

SADC joined voices from the international community condemning the action, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (Monusco).

Meanwhile, the M23 denied responsibility for the aggression and considered these accusations to be a Machiavellian tactic by the government coalition. On its account on the social network X, formerly Twitter, the rebels’ leadership added that it was a manoeuvre by the Congolese army which, in its debacle, “is targeting the civilian population to discredit the brave soldiers of the people”.

Similarly, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo denied that the Rwandan army was behind the attack and attributed it to militias supported by the Congolese army.

Escalating conflict is driving record levels of gender-based violence, displacement and hunger in eastern DR Congo, threatening to push the country to the brink of catastrophe.

We must step up our support to the Congolese people. https://t.co/AHRTqZLub9 pic.twitter.com/lgUVCVRQqd

— UNHCR Southern Africa (@UNHCRSouthernAF)
May 6, 2024

On the social network X he said that this force would never attack an IDP camp and accused the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Wazalendo militias of such actions, which he assured are carried out under the protection of the DRC Armed Forces.

The day before, displaced people in Mugunga were trying to resume life and rebuild shelters from the rubble, Radio Okapi reported.

The resumption of water supplies through the primary health care promotion programme also helped ease the situation in the enclave, which had not received any supplies since Friday’s attack.