Photo of the week: fifty years of independence but conflict remains

This week marks 50 years of independence for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet, a fierce conflict continues in the east of the DRC where civilians have been suffering immensely since the 1990s.

Women in particular have been targeted. In the first nine months of 2009 alone, there were almost 8000 reported cases of rape in eastern DRC. These rapes included girls as young as two and women as old as 80.

A woman walks along a road with her belongings and baby on her back near the town of Kibati, near the provinicial capital of Goma.

The DRC is a country that is extremely rich in natural resources and has the potential to bring its civilians out of poverty, many of whom are living on less than $2 a day. Instead, the DRC has continued fighting (often over natural resources) and has become the UN’s most expensive peacekeeping mission to date.

ActionAid has been working in the DRC since 1996, providing relief and assistance to Rwandan refugee populations, especially in the refuge camps set up around Goma. ActionAid has now established a long term program working with many partner organisations. 

While sexual violence against women was made illegal in the DRC in 2006, it has been difficult to enforce this law, especially when the police and the army are often the worst perpetrators. In response to this, ActionAid has been working in close partnership with the police and military. Through training workshops with these groups, ActionAid has promoted the effective dissemination of the new law and helped key people find ways to enforce it.