Sep 30

September Newsletter

September 2024 | Issue No. 12 | genocidewatch.com

Genocide Emergency

Democratic Republic of the Congo

There have been up to 6 million conflict-related deaths in the DRC since 1998. The eastern provinces of Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika, and the southern provinces of Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï Central, Kasaï, and Mai-Ndombe had genocidal massacres in 2023. 6.7 million Congolese are internally displaced. 400,000 women are raped each year in DRC, the highest rate of sexual violence in the world.

Mass killing, kidnapping of children, mass rape, and torture by militias and government forces, and ethnic conflict plague the DRC. The corrupt DRC government is unable to bring peace or law and order. Since 2003, the world’s largest UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, has also been unable to stop atrocities despite having up to 21,000 troops in DRC at a cost of over ten billion dollars. Demonstrations in Goma in 2022 demanded that MONUSCO leave the DRC. MONUSCO will leave DRC by the end of 2024.

Local mai mai militias, Hutu genocidists from Rwanda (Interahamwe), and the Congolese army have driven over 100,000 Congolese Tutsis (Banyamulenge) off their land in eastern DRC into refugee camps in Rwanda. The Banyamulenge have been systematically killed in a ‘slow genocide.’ Congolese nationalists try to justify this genocide as revenge for past Tutsi domination, using the same racist ideology that drove the Rwandan genocide.

In February 2024, a Lendu militia, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) massacred dozens of Hema people, a targeted Tutsi minority in Northern Ituri province. Batwa communities residing in or near the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in South Kivu have been persecuted by park guards and Congolese army soldiers.

Congolese Tutsis (the Banyamulenge and Hema) and the Batwa people are targets of slow genocides in the DRC. Women, children, the LGBTQ+ community, people in displaced person camps, and civil society activists and organizations are persecuted.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is at Stage 3: Discrimination, Stage 4: Dehumanization, Stage 5: Organization, Stage 6: Polarization, Stage 8: Persecution, and Stage 9: Extermination.

Genocide Watch recommends:

MONUSCO must not withdraw from eastern DRC, where it is the only non-DRC security force.
MONUSCO should adopt effective strategies to hunt down and defeat genocidal militias.
Rwanda must withdraw all its troops from the DRC and end its support for M23.
The DRC must enforce its laws against hate speech and incitements to genocide.
The DRC should arrest and prosecute leaders who incite genocide and crimes against humanity.

Read the full emergency alert here and the special report here.

Genocide Watch updates

The IRF/Alliance Against Genocide Working Group published an urgent appeal for stronger action in Sudan, addressing gaps in UNSC Resolution 2736.

The Sudan Task Force has published a special report on genocidal rape occurring in Sudan.

The Mapping Team has published four maps of ongoing conflicts:

A map of conflict fatalities in Gaza since October 7, 2023
A map of fatalities in the Sahel due to jihadism between 2009 and 2024
A map of fatalities in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022
A map of fatalities in Sudan between 2023 and 2024

Genocide Watch has also published the following articles:

“Genocide in Nigeria 2024: US Options to Prevent It,” an article by Dr. Gregory Stanton
“The New Nazism,” an article by Dr. Gregory Stanton
A recap of Genocide Watch’s articles on the genocides in Gaza and Israel

See more Genocide Watch updates here.

Country Reports

Genocide Watch has recently published reports on the following countries:

Niger is at Stage 6: Polarization and Stage 8: Persecution

Algeria is at Stage 3: Discrimination and Stage 8: Persecution

Find the full list of country reports here.

ALLIANCE MEMBER UPDATES

Members of the Alliance Against Genocide have been doing valuable work related to genocide prevention. Here are a few of their projects:

The Anne Frank Project hosted “Home: Building Our Collective Story,” its 16th annual social justice festival. The festival is a two-day celebration of stories from multiple disciplines that build community, manage conflict, and explore identity.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights published a report on two massacres in Eastern Rural Deir Ez-Zour Governorate committed by the Syrian regime that killed 57 civilians, including 13 children.
The Indian American Muslim Council published the results of a new survey, “The Detrimental Effects of Hindu Nationalism on
Indian American Muslims.”

NEW ALLIANCE MEMBERS

Genocide Watch has welcomed one new member to the Alliance Against Genocide this month:

End the Uyghur Genocide is an organization dedicated to bringing international attention to the plight of the Uyghur people.

Organizations interested in joining the Alliance Against Genocide should fill out this form and someone from Genocide Watch will be in touch.

Featured Alliance Member

Jewish World Watch

Jewish World Watch aims to provide help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities around the globe and seeks to inspire people of all faiths and cultures to join the ongoing fight against genocide. It works on various issues, including food security, women’s safety and empowerment, health and well-being, and education. JWW primarily does work in the DRC, Burma, Bangladesh, Sudan, and Chad.

In the DRC, Jewish World Watch works with local change-makers to provide vital educational opportunities, rescue children from armed militias and holistically heal women following sexual attacks. JWW has helped to secure the release of boys and girls from armed groups, many of whom are being used as child soldiers and sex slaves. From 2019-2020 JWW funded the release and rehabilitation of 1,436 children former child soldiers and sex slaves. It also founded the Congo Peace School, which provides peace-related education for children unable to afford school fees, taking them off the streets and into classrooms.

Find out more at their website here.