As conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) rages—between the Congolese Army, known as the “Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo” (FARDC), and M23, a rebel military allegedly tied to Rwanda—gender-based violence, including sexual violence and killings, have become daily realities for civilians.
Regional tensions have been running high, as the FARDC and M23 elements adopt new means of warfare increasingly targeting civilians and civilian settlements, including displacement sites, while inducing mass displacement across North and South Kivu. In the last six months alone, over one million people have been displaced while the population of displacement sites in the major city of Goma has more than doubled. International NGOs continue to underline to the international community that “this is not business as usual.”
The increased militarization of Goma and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps scattered around its periphery have led to alarming accounts of rape and assassinations, including at the hands of spontaneous auto defense groups, locally known as Wazalendo, that are multiplying and proliferating.