Individuals at Risk
Congolese forces to attack LRA rebels, both have history of serious human rights abuses
Today the BBC reported that the Democratic Republic of the Congo's army has agreed to take military action against the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which is hiding out in the eastern forests of the DRC.
The DRC is still reeling from a war that proved to be the deadliest conflict on the planet since World War II, and child soldiers still fill the DRC's army after the war. According to AI reports, 11,000 children still serve in the Congolese army. Rape is still being used as a tool of war in the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC, and AI reports that the Congolese army is responsible for the largest portion of these rapes.
The LRA is notorious for its use of child soldiers, as shown in the well-known documentary, Invisible Children. The LRA's leader, Joseph Koney, is hiding his army in the Congolese jungle because he fears prosecution on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
With the Congolese army pillaging through the jungle in search of the LRA, two forces with violent histories of human rights abuses are converging on a region already ravaged by war.
Currently, Amnesty International is concerned for well-being of lawyers and trial observers in the eastern DRC, who have received many anonymous death threats. They are observing a military trial in which four men are accused of killing a journalist. The military are suspected of being involved in the murder and thus conducting a cover-up. For more information and to take action, check out our Action Alert.
Chelsea Toy - Urgent Action Network
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The arm dealers and hungry natural resoureces hunters are to blame for the majority of the harm inflicted on the innocent congolese.
Then there is this kangaro court now called hague where the smaller players are rounded and taken to while the bigger sinners remain in complete control of inflicting more pain while they exploit the mineral rich nation.
Until there is something done about the distribution of arms and amination in the wrong hands,the hague and law of order that is being preached around by the world just continue to make less sense.Especially to those who cant visit or live in their province for the fear of being raped and or just because of the presence of diamond mines that continue to attract negativities towards them.
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