Almost two weeks after a UN led raid on the Kisangani transit camp, during which several women were raped, a UN delegation led by UN Secretary General’s special representative to the Great lakes region SAID DJINIT along with other dignitaries visited the camp to reinforce the UN’s position that these refugees have no other option but to return to Rwanda, according to sources among the refugees. As soon as the UN dignitaries finished speaking, some of the refugees had a chance to voice their concerns about what has been going on inside the camp such as forced starvation, denial of medical care, and various other cruelties. There was also an intervention by one of the victims of the rape by Forces under MONUSCO’s DDRRR Officer Major Rodrigue. Of course Major Rodrigue was present in the audience too. Speaking through an interpreter, this female refugee spoke in details about how Major Rodrigues’ men raided the camp, kicked doors in and raped mothers in front of their children and stealing every little valuable things they could get their hands on.
This plea however seemed to land on deaf ears, as the UN representative seemed more inclined in reinforcing the actions of his subordinate by insinuating that a return to Rwanda is the only way out for these refugees who are now caught between a rock and a hard place.
At the present time, sources in the camp are reporting that a climate of fear has set in, especially among young mothers who are being told that soon they will be separated from their husbands as it was the case with the arrest and illegal detention of several former high ranking officers in the camp. The spouses of the aforementioned officers are now pleading for an opportunity to be with their loved ones, as this senseless forced separation is weighing heavily upon them and their children, especially the younger ones.
Now that it is clear that the UN has taken responsibility for all the crimes that have been committed here by acknowledging that what is going on is part of its policy to forcefully repatriate these refugees, one may wonder who the refugee must turn to in this case. It is imperative that the UN investigates all the crimes that were committed against these refugees before shipping them to a country where disappearances are a common occurrence, unless of course that is the UN’s intended goal.
Louise MUKASINE
