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Congo, Democratic Republic

Last Updated: 17 December 2012

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Casualties

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2011

2,445 (1,045 killed; 1,394 injured; 6 unknown)

Casualties in 2011

22 (2010: 13)

2011 casualties by outcome

12 killed; 10 injured (2010: 6 killed; 7 injured)

2011 casualties by device type

3 antipersonnel mines; 19 ERW

The UN Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported 22 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) and submunition casualties in the DRC for 2011.[1] As in 2010, children made up more than two-thirds of the casualties. There were seven female casualties, of which six were girls. All casualties were reported as being civilians. This represented an increase from the 13 casualties recorded by UNMACC for 2010[2] but still a significant decrease from the 41 casualties recorded in 2009.[3]

Available casualty data significantly underestimates the true number of people killed and injured due to the absence of a national data collection system for mine/ERW casualties and the fact that parts of the country remain inaccessible due to a lack of infrastructure and security constraints.[4]

UNMACC reported 2,445 mine/ERW casualties between 1964 and the end of 2011, with 1,045 people killed, 1,394 injured, and six unknown.[5] Of all casualties, 1,572 were male and about a quarter (583) were female.[6] Children represented 20% (500) of the total casualties. Casualties were identified in all of the DRC’s 11 provinces, though nearly half of the casualties occurred in just two provinces: South Kivu (24%) and Equateur (22%). Landmines made up 67% of casualties for which the explosive item type was known. [7]

Cluster munition remnants caused 207 casualties, which equals 16% of all known casualties for  this explosive item type, in the DRC through the end of 2011.[8]

Victim Assistance

By the end of 2011, UNMACC had recorded 1,394 mine/ERW survivors in DRC.[9]

Victim assistance since 1999

Since 1999 most people with disabilities in the DRC have remained unable to access services. Due to conflict, poverty, and mass displacement, the many needs of persons with disabilities were not met. Access to services ranged from limited to non-existent and was further hampered by long distances, inaccessible terrain and cost. Most services have been provided by NGOs. Conflict increased demands on services at the same time that some NGOs also faced funding difficulties.[10]

Through to 2011, the physical rehabilitation sector was under-resourced and the few functioning centers remained dependent on international support. Social workers within the healthcare system had received some basic training. Opportunities for psychological assistance were limited to ad hoc NGO projects for all people traumatized by conflict. [11]

Some encouraging changes were reported in the accessibility, availability, and quality of victim assistance services in DRC in 2011. However, as in previous years, the size of the country, combined with the lack of transportation, lack of infrastructure, armed violence, and the financial cost of obtaining assistance, all made it difficult for survivors to access the limited number of services, which were available only in major cities.[12]

Assessing victim assistance needs

Increased victim identification and needs assessment campaigns were conducted in 2011 as part of the implementation of the PSNAVH. Close to 500 mine/ERW survivors were identified among 1,000 persons with disabilities surveyed, identifying needs in healthcare, physical rehabilitation and economic inclusion.[13] Needs assessment surveys were conducted in different regions of the DRC by several organizations. The Church of Christ in Congo – Ministry of the Church for Refugees and Emergencies (Eglise du Christ au Congo – Ministère de l’Eglise pour les Réfugiés et les Urgence, ECC-MERU) collected casualty data to update the ICRC database and undertook a needs assessment survey in Katanga province. Other organizations conducting surveys were Humanitas – Ubangi in Equateur province, Action for the Complete Development of Communities (Action pour le Développement Intégral des Communautés, ADIC) in the southern region of South Kivu province, and Handicap International (HI) in the middle and western regions of South Kivu province.[14]

In March–May 2010, national and international NGOs carried out a national needs assessments of mine/ERW survivors in cooperation with the UNMACC to inform the development of the 2011 National Strategic Plan for Assistance for Mine/ERW Victims and other Persons with Disabilities (Plan Stratégique National d’Assistance aux Victimes de mines et autres personnes Handicapées – PSNAVH). These included the Congolese Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions (CCBL) and the National Association of Landmine Survivors and Advocacy for Victims (Association nationale de survivants de mines et de défense des interêts des victimes, ANASDIV).[15]

However, throughout 2011 the DRC lacked a mechanism for assessing survivors’ needs. Data collected by the Ministry of Health’s National Community-Based Rehabilitation Program (Programme National de Réadaptation à Base Communautaire, PNRBC) did not include information about the cause of disability. Most NGOs collecting data for UNMACC lacked training for accurate data collection and did not always refer survivors to existing services. Available data was not shared regularly with relevant victim assistance stakeholders.[16]

Victim assistance coordination in 2011[17]

Government coordinating body/focal point

Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and National Solidarity (Ministry of Social Affairs)

Coordinating mechanism

Working Group on Victim Assistance, established in 2011

Plan

PSNAVH

The Working Group on Victim Assistance (Groupe de Travail sue l’Assistance aux Victimes, GTAV), chaired by the Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs, was created in mid-2011.[18] UNMACC is the Secretary of this Working Group and, as such, continued to have an active role in facilitating victim assistance coordination.[19] NGOs and survivor organizations participate to the Working Group on Victim Assistance.[20] In June 2011, DRC reported that the victim assistance coordination body was an Interministerial Coordinating Committee.[21] However, as of March 2012, except for the Ministry of Social Affairs, ministries concerned with victim assistance had not participated in meetings of the Working Group on Victim Assistance.[22]

Eight regular Working Group on Victim Assistance coordination meetings were held in 2011. These meetings focused on the development of Terms of References for the Working Group itself and on updating the victim assistance activities of local and international NGOs. Two additional meetings were held to present the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as it relates to the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as to provide an update on the CRPD ratification process.[23]

The PSNAVH was approved by the government in February 2011. It was based on the Cartagena Action Plan and informed by the results of the March–May 2010 survivor needs assessment.[24] The action plan includes a proposed budget, though the funding sources are not identified and no national budget was allocated in 2011.[25] The only international funding received in 2011 towards the implementation of the action plan was provided by the Japanese Government. Implementation is monitored by the Working Group on Victim Assistance. The plan identifies six key objectives:

1.      Improve data collection and analysis on mine/ERW victims;

2.      Strengthen the coverage, efficiency and sustainability of medical and physical rehabilitation services;

3.      Develop and implement psychological support, as well as social and economic inclusion programs for mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities;

4.      Strengthen advocacy, laws and policies to address the needs of survivors and other persons with disabilities;

5.      Mobilize the necessary resources to fulfill the plan’s objectives;

6.      Strengthen disability coordination mechanisms at national and local levels.

In 2011, the PSNAVH was used to inform the development of a National Mine Action Strategic Plan for 2012-2016.[26]

DRC provided updates on progress and challenges for victim assistance at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva in May 2012 and at the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Phnom Penh in December 2011.[27] DRC did not include information on victim assistance in Form J of its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for calendar year 2011. Victim assistance was reported only briefly, with no detail or data, in Form H of the DRC’s voluntary Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report for 2011.[28]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

Mine/ERW survivors and their representative organizations, as well as disabled persons’ organizations, were included in the development of the PSNAVH, in efforts made towards its implementation and in meetings of the Working Group on Victim Assistance.[29] In 2011, survivors were included in survivor identification and needs assessments, in physical rehabilitation, and in economic inclusion services and advocacy through NGOs with funding from Japan.[30] One survivor was working in a rehabilitation center.[31]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities in 2011[32]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2011

Ministry of Social Affairs

Government

Identification of victims and needs assessment; physical rehabilitation; economic inclusion

Involved in the capacity building of orthopedic services in university clinics and in two other rehabilitation centers; increased economic inclusion of  beneficiaries

ADIC

National NGO

Needs assessment

Started conducting survivor needs assessment

ANASDIV

National NGO

Social and economic inclusion; and advocacy activities for assistance to mine/ERW and other persons with disabilities

Increased economic assistance for mine/ERW victims in Kinshasa; needs assessment

 

CCBL

National NGO

Victim assistance advocacy on CRPD ratification and a national disability law

Increased advocacy for assistance to survivors; needs assessment

ECC-MERU

National NGO

 Needs assessment

Started conducting survivor needs assessments

Humanitas

National NGO

Needs assessment

Started conducting survivor needs assessments

Synergy for the Struggle against Landmines (Synergie pour la Lute Antimines: SYLAM)

National NGO

Social and economic inclusion; services for mine/ERW victims in the eastern part of North Kivu

Ongoing

HI

International NGO

Physical rehabilitation; needs assessment and advocacy

Ongoing; Started a new VA project in North Kivu which included needs assessment, physical rehabilitation and economic inclusion services

ICRC

International organization

Physical rehabilitation and prosthetics, including training staff; transport and accommodation costs for beneficiaries, and a supporting a referral network

Ended cooperation with the Kalembe Lembe Orthopedics Center in Kinshasa and significantly reduced the number of prosthesis produced compared to 2010; Ongoing support to rehabilitation centers; increased access to services; increased quality of services through training of prosthetics and physiotherapy personnel

In 2011, the number of victim assistance projects and accessibility of services increased with funding support from Japan which supported projects led by local and international NGOs. These included projects to build the capacity of rehabilitation centers and to provide economic inclusion opportunities such as small business initiatives and farming livestock, as well as advocacy for the ratification of the CRPD.[33]

The long distances to travel to services and the financial cost of attaining them remained the greatest obstacles to accessing physical rehabilitation in 2011. The PSNAVH estimated that just 20% of the population in need of physical rehabilitation services was able to access them.[34] In the entire country there were only six rehabilitation centers operating effectively. Even these lacked sufficient materials to produce enough prosthetics to meet existing needs. Trained orthopedic technicians were needed, especially in mine-affected areas.[35] In 2011 the ICRC strengthened the capacities of the rehabilitation centers of the University Clinics in Bukavu, Mubji Mayi, and Kinshasa by providing training, materials and components.[36] However, in March 2011, the ICRC stopped working with the Kalembe Lembe Rehabilitation Center in Kinshasa as it was not possible to reach an agreement for renewing the cooperation agreement. The number of prostheses produced with ICRC support in 2011 decreased by almost half from 2010. The decrease in production equally affected mine survivors, who continued to receive 13% of all prosthetic devices produced with the assistance of the ICRC.[37]

Little or no psychological support or social inclusion initiatives were available to survivors. Health center staff in mine-affected areas required additional training to provide appropriate psychosocial support to survivors or their family members, but no training was available in the country.[38] In 2011, the ICRC continued to support 35 counseling centers in North Kivu and South Kivu where psychosocial workers help victims of physical violence connected to armed conflicts. Most people receiving these services were victims of rape and sexual violence and some 40% were affected by other conflict-related trauma.[39]

Despite legislation enabling children with disabilities to study with other pupils, inclusive education was available only in some 12 schools in the capital, Kinshasa. HI reported that “the whole system needs to change”, but no significant progress was reported since 2009.[40]

New domestic legislation to implement the Mine Ban Treaty was enacted in July 2011.[41] The law contains provisions on victim assistance.[42] The new legislation made discrimination against persons with disabilities prohibited by law. However, the legislation was not effectively enforced and persons with disabilities often found it difficult to obtain employment, education, or government services. Legislation did not mandate access to buildings or government services for persons with disabilities.[43] A law on social and humanitarian action was introduced to the Parliament in 2011 and was adopted by the National Assembly. It was pending adoption by the Senate in June 2012.[44]

In 2011, the Council of Ministers accepted draft legislation authorizing the ratification of the CRPD, which was sent to the National Assembly to be considered for adoption.[45]

As of 1 June 2012, DRC had not signed the CRPD.

 



[1] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, Victim Assistance Officer, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; Analysis of casualty data provided by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2011.

[2] Ibid.

[3] See previous editions of the Monitor, www.the-monitor.org.

[4] Ministry of Social Affairs, “Plan Strategique National d’Assistance aux Victimes des Mines / REG et autres Personnes en Situation de Handicap: Novembre 2010 – Octobre 2011,” (“National Strategic Plan for Assistance for mine/ERW Victims and other Persons with Disabilities: November 2010 – October 2011,” PSNAVH), Kinshasa, 24 February 2011, p. 20.

[5] Analysis of casualty data provided by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2011.

[6] The sex of 290 casualties was unknown.

[7] Analysis of casualty data provided by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2011.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] See previous country reports and country profiles in the Monitor, www.the-monitor.org; and HI, Voices from the Ground: Landmine and Explosive Remnants of War Survivors Speak Out on Victim Assistance, Brussels, September 2009, pp. 91-92.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011; response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012.

[13] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012.

[14] “Mapping of Mine Action VA Project in DRC,” UNMACC, 24 March 2011.

[15] Interview with Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 17 April 2011.

[16] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011, p. 20; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012.

[17] Statement of DRC, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 22 June 2011; Statement of DRC, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011; interview with Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 17 April 2011; response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by André Tabaro, Coordinator, Association Nationale des Survivants des Mines et de Défense des Intérêts des Victimes (ANASDIV), Kinshasa, 14 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, Coordinator, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012; Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 10 April 2012; Convention on Cluster Munitions voluntary Article 7 Report, Form J, 10 April 2012; and Statement by Francky Miantuala for the CCBL, Convention on Cluster Munitions intersessional meetings, Geneva, 16 April 2012.

[18] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012.

[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by André Tabaro, ANASDIV, Kinshasa, 14 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012.

[20] Including the ANASDIV, the Association Congolaise pour le Développement et la Libération de la Maman Handicapée (ACOLDEMHA), the CCBL and Parousia.

[21] Statement of DRC, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 22 June 2011.

[22] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012.

[23] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012.

[24] Statement of DRC, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 22 June 2011; and interview with Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 17 April 2011.

[25] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011; and Convention on Cluster Munitions voluntary Article 7 Report, Form J, (for calendar year 2011) 10 April 2012.

[26] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Sophie Texier, Programme Director, Handicap International Belgium, Kinshasa, 29 June 2012.

[27] Statement of DRC, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 23 May 2012; and statement of DRC, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.

[28] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 10 April 2012; and Convention on Cluster Munitions voluntary Article 7 Report, Form J, 10 April 2012.

[29] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012.

[30] Statement by Francky Miantuala for the CCBL, Convention on Cluster Munitions intersessional meetings, Geneva, 16 April 2012; and “Mapping of Mine Action VA Project in DRC,” UNMACC, 24 March 2011.

[31] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012.

[32] “Mapping of Mine Action VA Project in DRC,” UNMACC, 24 March 2011; Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011; ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by André Tabaro, ANASDIV, Kinshasa, 14 May 2012; US Department of State, “2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Washington, DC, 24 May 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Sophie Texier, HI. Belgium, Kinshasa, 29 June 2012.

[33] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012.

[34] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011, p. 20.

[35] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011.

[36] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012.

[37] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012, p. 31; and ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2010,” Geneva, June 2011, p. 27. ICRC supported centers produced 670 prostheses in 2010 and 356 prostheses in 2011.

[38] Ministry of Social Affairs, “PSNAVH,” Kinshasa, 24 February 2011, pp. 21–22.

[39] ICRC, “DR Congo: conflict-related dangers still a daily reality for thousands of people,” Operational Update No 11/01, 24 November 2011, www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2011/congo-kinshasa-update-2011-11-24.htm. Some 1,400 people in total received psychological assistance through the counseling centers in 2011.

[40] HI, “Congo: Our actions help change the way people see disability in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” 17 April 2012, www.handicapinternational.be/en/news/congo-“our-actions-help-change-the-way-people-see-disability-in-the-democratic-republic-of-cong; and HI, “Democratic Republic of Congo,” eng.handicapinternationalblog.be/Democratic-Republic-of-Congo_a548.html.

[41] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012, p. 31; Law No. 11/007 implementing the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on their Destruction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[42] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jean Marie Kiadi Ntoto, UNMACC, Kinshasa, 12 April 2012; ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012, p. 31.

[43] US Department of State, “2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Washington, DC, 24 May 2012.

[44] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Louis Ibonge Numbi, Victim Assistance Focal Point, Ministry of Social Affairs, Kinshasa, 25 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by André Tabaro, ANASDIV, Kinshasa, 14 May 2012.

[45] Response to Monitor questionnaire by André Tabaro, ANASDIV, Kinshasa, 14 May 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Francky Miantuala, CCBL, Kinshasa, 20 March 2012.