DRC: Living in Fear March 2014 | Page 8

m23 destroy more than just

goma in their attacks

Men have wept. Young girls have been raped. And babies have been forced to cry themselves to sleep under the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s lullabye of gunshots and violence. The gleaming red of human blood has become a color that far too many eyes have been scarred with, and the loss of loved ones has become inevitable. Families, friends, and happiness have all been destroyed, and replaced with an empty grieving that will take decades to mend. It’s almost as if a gash has been sliced through the gut of the country, and only once all the dirt has been removed can the wound be healed. However, the dirt that infects that wound is abundant and dangerous, and the ridding of it will take quite some time. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and the rebels will have their way with the country until someone brave enough tries to stop them. Only then can the people of the DRC develop some sense of hope. But as for now, an ominous cloud of doom continues to hang over the country, and the sunny days seem further away than ever. (Nora, September 24, 2013).

In life, a “home” is somewhere that is both dependable and comfortable to everyone that has one, and yet each home is unique to whoever lives in it in a way that no outsider can ever understand. Home is something that every human should have at some point in his/her life, and yet, unfortunately that is not the case. For the people of the DRC, “home” is something they simply cannot rely on, as the attacks of the rebels continue to tear apart and relocate families regularly. (Gesthuizen, Thomas, March 13, 2013). These rebels, known as the M23 group, show no mercy as they proceed to wreak havoc across the country, and as of recently, have been reported of executing 44 people and have raped a total of 61 women and girls since their initial uprising in March of 2013. Although it seemed that after three-months of destruction that the M23 had finally laid down their arms when they ceased to engage in attack for the entirety of two months, unfortunately the fighting began again on July 14th, and the people of Goma found themselves caught in the heat of the battle. (DR Congo: M23 Rebels Kill, Rape Civilians).

During their brief occupation of Goma, the M23 proceeded to kill and rape as if the Congolese were at their disposal. Families were torn apart, young girls left with lives scarred by abuse, and men killed trying to defend their loved ones. Since then, the actions of the M23 have only escalated, and the raping of women and girls has become one of their signature tactics towards corrupting families and communities. One such girl opesned up to the Human Rights Watch, explaining that she had only been buying sugar cane with friends when they were approached by M23 soldiers: “I saw a [M23] soldier. I started running, but I tripped on a piece of sugar cane and fell. The soldier caught up with me and said he would kill me because I tried to flee. I stopped then because I was very scared. Then he raped me. I cried out, but he closed my mouth.” This is the kind of disgusting act that tears society apart, and with it, the culture of a region plummets as well. (DR Congo: M23 Rebels Kill, Rape Civilians).

As the M23 continues to go about their

By Jeremy Leary