Title	Zaire: Lawlessness and insecurity in North and South-Kivu
Publisher	Amnesty International
Publication Date	1 November 1996
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Topics	Arbitrary arrest and detention | Armed attacks on camps | Armed groups / Militias / Paramilitary forces / Resistance movements | Disappeared persons | Extrajudicial executions | Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment | Human rights activists | Opposition | Persecution based on political opinion | Prison or detention conditions | Racial / Ethnic persecution | Refugee camps | Security forces | Security situation
Citation / Document Symbol	AFR 62/014/1996
Reference	Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary movement that works to prevent some of the gravest violations by governments of people's fundamental human rights. The main focus of its campaigning is to: free all prisoners of conscience people detained an
Cite as	Amnesty International, Zaire: Lawlessness and insecurity in North and South-Kivu, 1 November 1996, AFR 62/014/1996, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a9ae18.html [accessed 8 June 2023]
Comments	Zairians live in a state of lawlessness. In North and South-Kivu regions, insecurity due to conflict between armed groups and intervention by members of the Zairian armed forces has resulted in a pattern of extreme human rights abuses. The combination of the breakdown of the Zairian state and insecurity has led to a crisis situation in these two eastern regions of the country. The Zairian authorities have reacted to the crisis by sending large numbers of troops to the troubled regions. These troops, the vast majority of which are poorly paid and undisciplined have rendered the situation out of control in many areas. No durable solution to the conflict has been sought by the government, and the deployment of large numbers of troops has had disastrous consequences for the human rights of many unarmed civilians in North and South-Kivu. This report is relevant to the whole country, but takes the example of North and South-Kivu to illustrate how country-wide disorder, caused by political and economic crisis, can be potentially critical for the respect of human rights when a conflict erupts. Human rights violations committed by members of the armed forces and others are extremely serious and at alarming levels. In this report, cases of violations include extrajudicial execution, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, often of prisoners of conscience. The report also highlights abuses committed by armed groups, often colluding with military and government authorities. Zaire is currently undergoing political transition from a single party to a multi-party political system; elections are scheduled for 1997. The current political climate throughout the country is fragile and tension could erupt into confict in other parts of the country.
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