DRC: Supporting accountability, transparency and non-violence

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Hi Franck, thank you for taking the time to talk to Pambazuka. As spelt out on your website, Droits Humains Sans Frontières (DHSF) works for the protection, defence and promotion of human rights in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). What would you say are the key challenges activists in Congo face in seeking to defend human rights?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: Hi Pambazuka. It has been a great pleasure for me getting this opportunity to talk to Pambazuka News. As you might have heard before, human rights activists in most of the developing countries are facing serious threats, especially when they have to deal with massive violations from government officials and law enforcement agencies, including the police. The DR Congo is also part of these countries where human rights defenders are victims of all forms of torture, despite the tremendous efforts CSOs (civil society organisations) are making on the ground. The recent case of our colleague Floribert Tchebeya found dead in his car last June is still pending in court without a clear result. Up to five journalists have been murdered over the last year under strange circumstances and we've never got their murders prosecuted. I myself have spent three days in jail at the Inspection Provinciale de la Police in Kinshasa for having denounced police abuses of women. I had to seek support from the International Bridges to Justice in Geneva and Frontlines in Ireland and Brussels to be released. I do recognise the modest efforts from the Ministry of Justice to reduce this kind of situation. However, there is still a long way to go and a strong need of investing in support for human rights defenders in the DR Congo and other regions in Africa.

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: With respect to organising on the ground, what are the main means of mobilising people when it comes to activism in the DRC? In which parts of the country do you have your strongest links?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: I believe civil society in the DRC is very strong, despite the threats they are always going through. They are very committed people and ready at any time we need to mobilise for a common cause, as we did to react against the murder of our colleague Floribert Tchebeya and during the last first free and democratic elections in 2006. Most of our activities are focused on human rights defence and education, democracy and governance, and peace and security in the DR Congo and progressively in the Great Lakes region. Our strongest links are in Kinshasa, in eastern Congo and Kasai Oriental province; however, we do have representations all over the country.

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Droits Humains Sans Frontières has a civic education programme which focuses on, among other things, promoting a democratic political culture and encouraging political leadership among Congolese youth. How does this programme work?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: As we already mentioned previously, DHSF is working with young people within universities and other educational centres to build new generations of leaders respective of democratic values and tolerance, and leading strong policies for the better of the country out of ethnic fights and culture of personalities which characterises our political parties. We need to invest in human capacities if we want the country to have good leaders with the sense of accountability, transparency and non-violence.

On the ground we have developed a training curriculum from our previous training organised by the World Movement for Democracy and African Democracy Forum in 2004 in Nairobi, Kenya, on ‘youth democratic leadership and conflict resolution’. After this training, we got a modest follow-up grant that we used for the first training of trainers in 2005. Since then we've been able to develop a platform of young professionals in the DRC and regionally, sharing information, values and online discussion. With the support from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) in Washington D.C., we were able to also hold a training of trainers in 2008 for about 45 young people from different universities and institutions to develop a sense of civic resistance against oppression, peace and conflict resolution skills in their communities. We also encourage young people to take an active role in politics, learn from their leaders and how to hold them accountable. Young people are being used as child soldiers, manipulated to perpetrate violence and all forms troubles in the country, as experienced in the past. They are the future of the country; there is a need to invest more in them right now to prevent conflict and plan the future.

The main issue remains the limited resources for such a huge country as the DRC, as DHSF still depends on members’ contributions and little timely support from external donors. We strongly call for potential partners who might be interested in our work to join us for a more effective intervention.

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Fellow Congolese human rights organisation Héritiers de la Justice recently marked the fifth anniversary of the assassination of its former secretary general, Pascal Kabungulu. This case has been notorious for the impunity afforded to those suspected of involvement in the assassination. What is your own view of the way in which 'impunity' operates with the DRC and the challenges it presents for activists seeking to establish the rule of law?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: I do regret very much the case of our colleague Pascal Kabungulu, as well as several other cases of assassination of human rights defenders in the DRC caused most of the time by the culture of impunity and lack of political will from political leaders who play a strong role in manipulating the judiciary. The cases of five journalists and recently Floribert Tchebeya, president of the Voix des Sans Voix, are still pending and we cannot expect much from the court since the potential perpetrators are the ones commanding the judiciary machine. We believe there is need of investing in strengthening the judicial system protection for the freedom of expression and other fundamental human rights in the country. Ensuring the independence of magistrates vis-à-vis politicians and corruption could play an important role in building credible justice and avoid the impunity. I think the ICC (International Criminal Court) implication in Congo is also playing an important preventive and persuasive role for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. We appeal to all stakeholders to get more involved in denouncing all cases of corruption, political interference in judicial procedures and capacity building for magistrates and advocates on human rights issues.

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Indeed, when it comes to tackling impunity, debate rages in countries like Kenya about the rule of external institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). Where human rights abuses are perpetrated, is justice something to be sought internally, or should Congolese also look outside their country?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: It’s a common problem in most African countries when it comes to judicial independence when political leaders are part of the perpetrators to be prosecuted. I was in Kenya as the coordinator of the African Democracy Forum, hosted by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, during the post-election violence in 2007. I know how political this issue is and I'm quite sure of the capacity of the internal judicial mechanism to address effectively and prosecute the perpetrators who have the game on behalf of strong political leaders who are actually enjoying the power-sharing deal in Kenya. Different commissions of hearings and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process are underway, but they haven't helped much in addressing the root causes of this violence – IDPs (internally displaced persons) are still laying in camps, while there are injustices and an inappropriate redistribution of national resources, making the poor poorer and the rich richer. However, I clearly see similarities in the scenarios happening in Kenya with the ICC. As for the DRC, we actually have about four cases pending at the ICC and the current arrest warrant against Bosco Ntanganda. Because of the large corruption and political interference in the judicial system, more and more Congolese have started looking at the ICC as an alternative solution to address massive human rights abuses in the country, especially in eastern Congo.

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Do you have links with other civil society and activist organisations across the region facing similar struggles?

FRANCK KAMUNGA: As I mentioned previously, I had worked for two years as the coordinator of the African Democracy Forum, an African regional network of more then 400 NGOs (non-governmental organisations) around the continent sharing the same struggle for democracy, human rights and peace in Africa. We do have strong contacts with several other cross-regional organisations around the world working on these important issues, despite the difficulties and challenges they are facing on a daily basis. The World Movement for Democracy in Washington D.C., East African Law Society, Fahamu, Human Rights Council Advocacy Network and International Bridges to Justice in Geneva are some, among others, who share the same values for democracy and social justice.

In Congo, we have several strong organisations such as Voix des Sans Voix, les Amis de Nelson Mandela pour les Droits de l'Homme, Les Anges du Ciel pour les Droits des Enfants, ASADHO (Association for the Defense of Human Rights), Ligue Nationale pour les Elections Libres and Toges Noires.

Once again thank you very much for your invitation to this interview and best wishes for our long-term collaboration in the future.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Franck Kamunga Cibangu is the executive director of Droits Humains Sans Frontières, based in Kinshasa, DRC. He is also a Stanford fellow in democracy, development and the rule of law.
* Interview questions by Alex Free.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.