A PARADISE IN HELL

Over 2008, I travelled on several occasions to the Democratic Republic of the

Congo. In July-August 2008, I visited North-Kivu, and took the road from Goma to

Lubero region in North-Kivu. The road was, and still is arguably one of the most

dangerous roads in the world .

One sees a very beautiful scenery, almost paradisiac mountains with lush forests.

Active volcanos surrounded with magnificent jungles rise all around. In July 2008, while

travelling with a team of the Mission of United Nations in the Congo (MONUC), we

crossed, during a seemingly interminable journey, an area infested with the troops of

the renegade Nkunda(CNDP), the Mai-Mai, Rwandan rebels, the civil militias, the

congolese army (FARDC) and all sorts of armed groups. It was and is a place no one

would like to visit twice.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN PREYED UPON

Along the road, people, mostly Congolese Hutus and Rwandan Hutu refugees,

lived in camps, terrorized, afraid to go back to those paradisiac farms where these

armed groups lurk, ready to kill, ransom, loot, rape women and abduct young boys and

girls. That time, it appeared, from conversations with people selling bananas and other

meager fruits along the road and from camps, that women and children were most

vulnerable, and at the mercy of hoards of CNDP Congolese rebels supported by the

government of Rwanda. Nkunda ‘s CNDP rebels had started to reorganize then and war

was looming. The road from Goma, Kibati, Rugari, Mugunga, Rumangabo, Rutshuru,

Kiwanja, Kanyabayonga, Kaina, Loufu was controlled by armed groups and FARDC.

However, all along there were already camps of congolese displaced Hutus, mixed with

Rwandan Hutu refugees who have been living in DRC without refugee status for close

to 14 years.

MONUC, ALSO TARGETED

I was traveling in a MONUC vehicle with MONUC agents, including high ranking

MONUC officials. In Rutshuru, we fell in an ambush by militias. MONUC officials

traveling with us could not tell what armed group the militia belonged to. The militias that

surrounded the MONUC car, ready to burn it, were particularly virulent against MONUC

personnel. The MONUC high ranking official who followed us in another vehicle, went to

a MONUC base in the area to call for help. The help did not come. It took charming

negation skills from a MONUC lady who was traveling with me to convince the militias

that we meant no harm, and that there was no need to burn our car, or kill us. The lady

also negotiated that they let the other MONUC car following us to pass. They let us go.

1 to 2 miles down the road, between Rutshuru and Kiwanja, we found a terrorized

MONUC Indian military units, who had received the call to come to our rescue. They

had heavy armored vehicles but were paralyzed by fear and had aligned their armored

vehicles, praying.

That day, I understood that MONUC was not going to or will hardly protect the

civilian population. Later we met along the road several groups of people menacingly

pointing to MONUC and shouting that MONUC has outlived its mandate, accusing

them of raping women or selling them into prostitution or looting the congolese minerals

and timber, or just for supporting Rwandan invaders.

RWANDAN REFUGEES: EASY TARGET AND EASY PREY

One may ask the question of the protection of Rwandan Hutu refugees who fear

from persecution and do not want to go back to Rwanda? My simple answer is:

Those who do not want to be repatriated do not receive any protection or

humanitarian help whatsoever. They are hunted down to be repatriated by force.

Hutu refugees have been living in the DRC for 14 years without status,

protection, or any other action from the UN agencies. For UN agencies, fear from

protection is unfounded and all Rwandan Hutu in Eastern DRC must go home

voluntarily or by force. For those who are repatriated, see the report attached.

Mid August-September 2008, Nkunda’s CNDP rebels attacked with the help of

Rwandan government troops (RDF). Already, there were rumors coming from Rwanda

that several young Hutus, especially those from Northwestern Rwanda were kidnapped

and disappeared in the night, during the months of June to August 2008. Parents

thought they were, like most of Hutu men who disappeared, put in jail for “Genocide

ideology”. However, it appeared they were being sent to areas bordering the volcanos

for training, especially in Kinigi, Kigombe, Nkumba and Mutura.

When Nkunda attacked in September 2009, the stated objective was to hunt down

the FDLR. But, it appeared that with the overt cleansing of areas conquered, followed

by the appointment of Tutsi chiefs, raping of Hutu women and massacring of Hutu men,

the objective appeared to be ethnic cleansing. Young Hutu boys were forcibly recruited,

trained for one to two weeks, and sent to the battlefront, where fighting was the

heaviest. Most of those Hutu were killed by FARDC and other congolese armed groups

fighting against the CNDP, especially PARECO, which is composed mostly of Hutus and

Nande. Tutsis within CNDP were mostly recruited from Rwandan Defense Force (RDF)

troops. They held command positions and were mostly responsible for “pacified” areas

conquered by CNDP. It appears that pacification meant: raping of Hutu women and

killing of Hutu men who appeared not cooperative. In the article, from December 3,

2008 edition of New York Times, titled: “Rwanda Stirs Deadly Brew of Troubles in

Congo” by Jeffrey Gentleman, a Rwandan army officer who was sent to fight in the DRC

for the renegade General Nkunda was asked why he went. He answered: “Why? I am a

Tutsi... One hundred percent Tutsi”. Those 100% Tutsis are the ones who were in

charge of Hutu ethnic cleansing and raping of Hutu women.

Following are some of incidents for which I have detaled information. I will focus on

October-December 2009, and mostly in the area of Rutshuru- North Kivu:

Hutu women raped by Tutsi soldiers of the CNDP and Rwandan Defense

Forces (RDF):

- Nyiramabuye Disdain;

- Madame Magic

- Bihoyiki Pauline

- Nyirabyatsi Marie

- Amman Chance

Hutu boys (minors) kidnapped and enrolled within the CNDP by force:

- Bahati

- Ndungutse

- Munganyiki Pierre

- Kabuye Padri

- Bwenge

Hutu women killed and burried in mass graves in Nyongera, near Kiwanja:

- Mariana and her 5 children

- Nyiaramaganya, the wife of Byibeshyo

- Kabano a.k.a Namasifa

- Uwimana a.k.a Mama Maombe

- Bampoyiki Chantal

- Mama Maize, the wife of Jean

On 4 and 5 November 2008:

- 172 Hutu men, women and children disappeared in Kwanzaa;

- 595 Hutu men, women, and children massacred by CNDP in Kiwanja.

From 23-25 November 2008 in Rubare and nearby:

- 64 Hutu women raped by CNDP and RDF soldiers

- 250 Hutu boys (mostly minors) rounded up in Ngwenda and Kinyandonyi. They

were led to Rumangabo for a forced military training within CNDP;

Between 23 November 2008- 15 January 2009:

Several young boys were kidnapped in Kinyandonyi and enrolled within CNDP

300 people were massacred in the villages of Jomba, Bowes and Kisigali.

On 22-23 November 2008 in Nyongera:

Several Hutu women were raped, killed, and burried in mass graves by CNDP and

RDF soldiers in Nyongera;

39 Hutu women were killed and burried in mass graves in Rutshuru;

Late November and early December 2008:

300 Hutu, mostly young boys were killed in Jomba, Bowes, and Kisigare by CNDP

after refusing to enroll within CNDP. The responsible CNDP commanding officers are:

- Colonel Makenga, CNDP commander of Rutshuru sector;

- Colonel Moise;

- Lt Colonel Mulomba, Commander of CNDP brigade;

- Colonel Byamungu: later killed in battle in 2009;

-

Over the month of January 2009, several mass graves were discovered of Hutu

killed during the month on November and December 2008:

On January 15, 2009: a mass grave containing 39 Hutu was found near Kwanzaa.

These Hutus were killed by soldiers commanded by Major Seko of CNDP Military

intelligence and Colonel Moise of the National Police, an ex-ranking officer of CNDP.

On January 15, 2009: a mass grave containing 114 bodies of Hutu was found in

Kamulina, near Mabungo Hutu camp;

In February 2009:

2 Hutu civilians killed by RADC-RDF-CNDP soldiers:

- Tofa, son of Byashara and Nyirabazungu, in Gihiko, the Hutu village of Binza-

Rutshuru;

- Bihenango, son of Seruyombo,in Kabuga, Hutu village of Binza.

- Marc, son of Rwigana and Nyirabishanga

March 25, 2009 in Kashwa, 1 km from Rutshuru Centre:

2 Hutu women killed when they refused to be raped by CNDP police agents;

March 31, 2009 in Katemba, 2 km from Kwanja: 3 Hutu women killed and 1 raped.

FARDC commanding officer: Lt Colonel Colombia, ex-CNDP high ranking officer;

THE ETERNAL TORMENT

When I left Eastern Congo in August 2008, one thing struck me: in those jungles,

one sees a river of blacken lava, the reminder of what happened in January 2002. In

January 2002 the Volcano Nyiragongo erupted with fury and its lava engulfed large

areas of the jungle and the provincial capital Goma, leaving destruction and a large

loss of life. When the lava cooled down, it remained like a large scar, perhaps as a

reminder that one day it may happen again. I flew over the area in a UN helicopter.

From the helicopter, I looked down and saw a frozen black river, haunting the forest as

the tragedy that has haunted the region since 1994.

I saw many pictures as those I am attaching. I receive graphic pictures showing Hutu

women raped, then shot in private parts, burned afterwards or their limbs chopped off. I

receive pictures of young boys massacred. Those are graphic pictures that I choose not

keep. I also receive pictures like these below.

Pictures of Hutu kids who just saw their mothers raped and killed, their father killed

and their house burned or small Hutu boys forced into Tutsi armed groups and killing

their relatives, or women raped then killed or forced to take up weapons.

Felicien Kanyamibwa, PhD. April 5, 2009.