WORLD BRIDGE BLOG- The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Make it a Fair Fight- Establish Better Early Warning Systems

As the heinous details of the attack on a village in Livungu in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to unfold, it is quite natural for one to ask themselves, “Who is at fault?” “What more could have been done?” “ Why didn’t the peacekeepers prevent this?” Pointing fingers is usually the most immediate and emotional response to a tragedy of this scale, but at the end of the day, only the perpetrators should be blamed. However, there is one question that I heard after the news broke, that I will never forget. “When will there be a fair fight?”
A “fair fight”. This is a concept that usually comes to mind during organized battles or even physical matches for entertainment. But in this instance we’re talking about strong, ruthless, and undisciplined rebel groups who have no clear agenda, no respect for humanitarian law, and obviously no regard for human lives pillaging defenseless groups of people for their personal gratification. So “fairness” in a “fight” with a sole aggressor is an elusive concept to say the least.

But time and time again, in similar situations, we’ve seen communities make their fights “fair” by developing self defense groups. Many of us remember how the Mai Mai and other rebel groups that we see today were initially formulated- young men and women who picked up arms in order to defend their villagers. But ten years later, disarming them became a challenge as they grew in size, scope, and influence. These self defense groups often transform into rebel groups or become increasingly difficult to disarm when conflicts end. You can’t blame communities for defending themselves when the there are no formal security forces capable of defending them. In the case of DRC, it’s a story we’ve heard before. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUSCO, doesn’t have the resources or capacity. The Congolese national army, FARDC, is undisciplined, undertrained, and at times perpetrators. The Congolese landscape is too difficult to navigate. And in the meantime, what happens? When you hear of one month old baby boys and 110 year old great-great-grandmother’s being raped, how can you not demand a fair fight? How can you expect the young people in the village to sit back and allow the dignities of their mothers and children to be stripped without regard? But it also sets a very dangerous precedent to encourage communities to fight to defend themselves. So what do we do?

I would never advocate for supplying arms or any other type of weapons to vulnerable communities, but perhaps it is time for the international community to seek out more creative ways to provide civilians with protection through organizational and systemic support. Relying on existing systems and bodies to do more than they can is not enough. Community empowerment is a concept that is rarely approached from a protection point of view, but as the burdens and demands on security forces continue to grow, we should seek more ways to empower and help communities to defend themselves.

In Haiti, due to the rise in rape in camp, communities have organized and employed the use of whistles and flashlights to help prevent rapes and other violent attacks. The type and scale of violence in the DRC is obviously far more complicated for whistles and flashlights to prove effective, however the value of community leaders and their traditional communication systems can’t be underestimated. In most cases of attacks, like the one that happened in Livungu, community members often know before hand when perpetrators are in the area or close by. Donors should strive to invest in the telecommunications systems - so that communities can raise the alarm when attacked. The next step is to then give peacekeepers the power and ability to respond to these calls for help. If community leaders are equipped with the resources to alert peacekeepers or other forces in the area of impending dangers, perhaps instances like this would not happen as frequently. Of course there are times when security forces themselves are the perpetrators, but we have to start somewhere. By organizing communities and supporting their ideas and systems that they may already have in place, we can at least dissuade perpetrators from attacks for fear that they may be thwarted or decrease the number of victims.

RI has continually highlighted the importance of establishing early warning systems in vulnerable communities. Elaborate and detailed systems for evacuation and response have been designed for areas that are prone to natural disaster, but the same level of attention and community based investment is not dedicated to conflict prone areas. The Lack of early warning systems is not unique to the DRC, but the attention that this incident has received should be an impetus to find better ways of empowering communities , and making it a ‘fairer fight.”