Some 30,000 displaced people from the Monkoto camp, 18 kilometers south of the town of Kitshanga, in the territory of Masisi (North Kivu), have emptied their camp since last weekend. They say they are threatened by the M23 rebels, forcing them to leave this camp and return to their original environments. This is what the administrative authorities of Masisi denounce.
While these original environments are under occupation by the same rebels, denounces a human rights NGO. The latter denounces the international violation of humanitarian law.
One of the leaders of the human rights organization called Youth Dynamics, who requested anonymity, says he is worried and concerned for the safety of these people who have returned to their villages.
She says she fears that these people will be taken as “war shields” by the rebels:
“These entities where they are forced to return are entities which are still occupied by the M23 rebels. So, we fear that these populations will be used as a war shield, because the M23 wants to use them and hide in this population to defy the Government’s pursuit. It is a violation of humanitarian rights to which these populations of Bashali have been subjected. We, as Youth Dynamics, call on the Government to put the batteries into action.”
These displaced people came from Mpati, Busumba, Kibarizo, Kirumbu, Kahira, Kitshanga, etc. They have fled, for about a year now, the clashes between the M23 rebels and local militias in their villages.