Democratic Republic of the Congo: Voluntary disarmament of rebel militia in Bunia, Ituri district (July 2006)

The United Nations (UN) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as MONUC, estimates that over the course of the civil war, armed groups in the country amassed 74,000 firearms (UN 12 July 2006). Despite a comprehensive peace agreement signed in 2002, members of several armed factions have yet to disarm, and their ongoing activities continue to undermine attempts to stabilize the country (ibid. 28 July 2006). The district of Ituri, in the northeast, continues to be "lawless," with rival militias engaged in ongoing clashes in that district (The Seattle Times 28 July 2006).

The DRC has a National Commission for Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration (Commission nationale de désarmement, démobilisation et de réinsertion, CONADER) (UN 6 July 2006). CONADER is mandated with bringing together members of armed groups and taking them through the demobilization process for reintegration into either civilian life or service with the Congolese armed forces (Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo, FARDC) (Le Potentiel 16 Aug. 2006). CONADER falls under the Congolese Ministry of Defence (ibid.) and works in cooperation with FARDC, MONUC, and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (UN 6 July 2006). According to MONUC, "[I]n January 2006, the DRC and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) signed a $17 million agreement to support demobilization and reintegration programmes" (UN 12 July 2006).

The initial disarmament phase in DRC took place in 2005, but according to a representative of CONADER, cited in an article published by the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), not all militia gave up their arms (6 July 2006). A summer 2006 demobilization program in Ituri aimed to secure that region ahead of 30 July 2006 general elections (UN 26 July 2006; ibid. 6 July 2006; ibid. 15 June 2006). "[O]f 16,300 militia that had been identified in Ituri, at least 4,000 had defied an earlier disarmament deadline – 30 April [2006]- issued by MONUC" (UN 15 June 2006). A subsequent 30 June 2006 deadline was set (UN 6 July 2006; ibid. 15 Jun 2006). When over 2,500 male and female fighters gave up their arms only days before the deadline, it was extended to 15 July 2006 (ibid.).

Disarmament centres in Ituri opened again on 19 June 2006 in Aveba, 70 km south of Bunia, and Kpandroma, 120 km northeast of Bunia (UN 15 June 2006; see also Reuters 3 July 2006). An article published by IRIN indicates that 15 disarmament points were set up across Ituri, where militia members could surrender their munitions and register, to be taken to Bunia, the district capital, where they would begin the reintegration process (UN 6 July 2006; see also ibid. 29 June 2006).

Militia members disarming voluntarily were reportedly given food, medicine and roughly USD 400 to assist them with reintegration (BBC 27 July 2006). Additionally, they received a document identifying them as demobilized (UN 15 June 2006). The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) cites unspecified critics as saying that the process was "painfully slow and open to abuse" (27 July 2007). According to an August 2006 article in the Kinshasa-based newspaper, Le Potentiel, some demobilized fighters complained that they did not receive their reintegration payments (16 Aug. 2006). An IRIN news article reports that Fernando Castanon, the director of MONUC's Human Rights Division, is concerned with the treatment of demobilizing fighters in eastern DRC (UN 28 July 2006). Castanon is quoted as saying that "[t]hose who are demobilising are often threatened, arbitrarily arrested, illegally detained, treated in a cruel, inhuman and degrading manner, even killed by soldiers of the 81st and the 83rd brigades" (ibid.).

Several news sources indicate that over the course of the two-month disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program which ended on 15 July 2006, between 3,500 and 4,000 ex-combatants were demobilized (Le Potentiel 21 Aug. 2006; UN 26 July 2006). A representative of the FARDC in Ituri, cited by IRIN, indicated that those militia members who had not voluntarily disarmed by the 15 July deadline would be disarmed by force (ibid.). A representative of MONUC, cited by IRIN, suggested that forced disarmament would be necessary to ensure that residents could vote in safety (ibid. 6 July 2006). Le Potentiel reports that in mid-August, an additional 85 former fighters decided to lay down their arms, and were taken aboard MONUC trucks to a centre in Bunia to begin reintegration (21 Aug. 2006).

On 26 June 2006, militia belonging to the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (Mouvement révolutionnaire congolais, MRC) alliance, estimated to be 10,000 strong (The Seattle Times 28 July 2006), signed an agreement that granted general amnesty to those MRC combatants who chose to demobilize (ibid.; AFP 28 Aug. 2006), and granted certain members positions in the FARDC (The Seattle Times 28 July 2006). The Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA) reports that the amnesty would be granted in exchange for a "truce" over the election period, and that in future, the MRC may be integrated into the Congolese armed forces (27 July 2006).

A similar demobilization agreement was signed with the Cobra Matata militia, which has approximately 500 fighters (The Seattle Times 28 July 2006). As reported in The Seattle Times, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) representative in Bunia registered serious concern with the practice of trading demobilization for high-level positions in the national armed forces (ibid.). At the time of reporting, no specific date had been determined for the MRC and the Cobra Matata militia to lay down their arms (ibid.). According a report by IRIN, by the end of July, the only militia that had not yet surrendered arms to MONUC was the Nationalist and Integrationist Front (Front des nationalistes et intégrationnistes, FNI), led by Peter Karim (UN 26 July 2006). The Seattle Times reported that Karim had "agreed to disarm" in mid-July (28 July 2006) although according to IRIN, negotiations were still ongoing at the end of the month (UN 26 July 2006). While it had closed all other demobilization centres in Ituri by late July 2006, MONUC reportedly kept the Kpandroma centre, located northeast of Bunia, open in anticipation of the FNI's disarmament (ibid.). On 30 October 2006, IRIN reported that Peter Karim was integrated into the national army in October, but that "he still controls at least 3,000 men in Ituri" (ibid. 30 Oct. 2006).

In late August 2006, media sources reported that militia leaders in Ituri were engaged in new recruitment drives (Le Potentiel. 28 Aug. 2006; AFP 28 Aug. 2006). Recruits include previously demobilized youth who set out from Bunia to join different militia (Le Potentiel 28 Aug. 2006), as well as fighters that had demobilized only to rejoin the same militia within a short period of time (ibid. 16 Aug. 2006). An AFP article named Peter Karim and Cobra Matata as militia leaders engaged in new recruitment drives (28 Aug. 2006). No new fighting was reported between the MRC and government forces in Ituri between the signing of the agreement on 26 June 2006 and late August 2006 (ibid. 28 Aug. 2006), although the presence of armed militias in Ituri reportedly continued to endanger the peace and reconciliation process (ibid. 16 Aug. 2006).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP) [in French]. 28 August 2006. "RDC: Des chefs miliciens en Ituri recruteraient à nouveau, selon l'Onu." (Factiva)
_____. 11 May 2006. "RDC: quelque 2,000 miliciens empêchent le retour à la paix en Ituri." (Factiva)

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 27 July 2006. Karen Allen. "DR Congo Militias Disarm Ahead of Polls." (Factiva)

Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA) [Rome]. 27 July 2006. "DRCongo Government Signs Peace Accord with Militia Group." (BBC Monitoring Africa)

Le Potentiel [Kinshasa, in French]. 28 August 2006. "Les groupes armés reprennent le recrutement des jeunes en Ituri." (Factiva)
_____. 21 August 2006. "Ituri – 80 anciens-combattants adhèrent au programme national DDR." (Factiva)
_____. 16 August 2006. Freddy Monsa Lyaka Duku. "Les démobilisés, une bombe à retardement." [Accessed 3 Oct. 2006]

Reuters. 3 July 2006. "Some 2,000 Congo Militia Disarm in Lawless District." (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Web site) [Accessed 8 Sept. 2006]

The Seattle Times. 28 July 2006. Anjan Surandam. "2 Militias in Congo Agree to End Fighting." (Factiva)

United Nations (UN). 30 October 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "DRC: Soldier Kills Two Polling Clerks in Ituri." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2006]
_____. 28 July 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "DRC: Finding an End to Violence." [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. 26 July 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "DRC: Voluntary Militia Disarmament Ends." [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. 12 July 2006. UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). Eoin Young. "Small Arms Remain a Major Threat in DRC." [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. 6 July 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "DRC: Deadline for Militias to Disarm Extended to 15 July." [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=54444> [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. 29 June 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). " DRC: Militiamen Disarm Ahead of Deadline." [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]
_____. 15 June 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "DRC: New Disarmament Deadline, Amnesty Offer for Militiamen." [Accessed 11 Sept. 2006]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: International Crisis Group (ICG), Multi-Country Demobilization and Reintegration Program (MDRP), National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (Commission nationale de désarmement, démobilisation et réinsertion, CONADER), RadioOkapi, Sociétécivile.cd