Pastor Bulambo Lembelembe Josué from DR Congo receives the 2008 Rafto Prize at the National Venue of Theatre (DNS) on 2 November 2008. On the left, chairman of the 2008 Rafto Prize Committee, Arne Liljedahl Lynngård. Photo: Silje Katrine Robinson/Bergens Tidende

The Rafto Foundation received a letter of concern, see below, from Bulambo Lembelembe Josué on 7 June 2010. He was awarded the 2008 Rafto Prize for his dedicated struggle to end the plight of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His work brings hope for peace, reconciliation and human dignity to people who have suffered from the deadliest conflict since World War II.

1. The Church of Christ in Congo/South-Kivu is very worried about the level of safety in the Province of South-Kivu in particular, and in Congo in general. The safety of the population is not possible because of the violation of human rights, including assassinations and killings, rape and many other tolls on humans who have been created in the image of God.

2. On a national level, the CCC/South-Kivu has regretfully learned about the drunken assassination of Mr. Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, defender of human rights and leader of the NGO "The voice of the voiceless". Our compatriot was probably assassinated in the night between Monday, 31 May and Tuesday, 1 June 2010. His body was found on Wednesday, 2 June 2010 in his car in the area called Mitendi in the West of the capital Kinshasa, on the road to Matadi.

Mr. Fidèle Banza Edadi, member of the same NGO, and driver of Mr. Floribert Chebeya was also found dead in the East part of Kinshasa, his body full of bullets.

3. On a provincial level, there is a general insecurity in all the territories. Those who are responsible of this situation are the FDLR (Democratic Force of Liberation of Rwanda), the FARDC (Armed Force of Democratic Republic of Congo) from the "Amani Leo" operation, and some local armed groups who don't want to be integrated into the FARDC (FRF, Raia Mutomboki, the PCN (National Congolese Party) which is lead by Kyatend Ditman, the Mai-Mai Yakutumba, etc.)

We only want to tell some of the most recent events to illustrate this general insecurity:

- Around 6pm on Wednesday, 20 June 2010 near the city of Bukavu in the Kabare territory, armed men dressed in military uniforms shot dead three people; two small children from the same family (Denise Bengeya and Denis Bengeya) and their driver. Four persons were wounded, among them the mother of the two children. During the attack, a lot a vehicles were plundered by the same armed men.

- In the territory of Kalebe, our units report some suspect movement of heavily armed people, but we don't know their goal. The population is worried about a destabilisation of the province.

- In the territory of Shabunda, safety is threatened by regular attacks from local armed groups (among those Raia Mutomboki and the PCN, lead by Kyatend Ditman). Those attacks are directed towards the civil population and their goods. The FDLR are also still active in the region.

- In the territory of Mwenga, local associations have just published a report in which they mention the burning of 163 houses and 354 other houses destroyed by the FDLR, who are based in four villages of Bashimwenda, in the municipaliry of Basile.

- In the territory of Uvira, ambushes by unidentified armed men against civilian vehicles are common on the Bukavu-Uvira road. The latest case is from 29 May 2010: a person was killed in Ruzizi in an attack against his car while driving from Uvira.

- In the territory of Walungu, in the villages of Kaniola, on 27 May, a dozen people were kidnapped and taken into the forest; probably by the FDLR.

- In the territory of Fizi, security is seriously threatened by confrontations between the Mai-Mai Yakutumba and the FARDC of the Amani Leo operation. These confrontations have lead to a massive movement of the civilian population. On the high plains of Minembwe, the FRF is still in control and has carried out several attacks against the civilian population.

We have to note that the increased level of activity from the local armed groups is due to the wrong approach of the government concerning their integration into the FARDC.

4. Some soldiers from the FARDC are also threatening the civilian population, because they have little or no food or receive little or no wages. We have to note that the military approach has not had the expected effect, and has adversely affected the civilian population.

Considering the high level of activity of armed men, most of them wearing military uniforms, in all the territories of the South-Kivu Province, we fear a destabilisation of the democratic regional institutions. 

That is why the Church of Christ in Congo/South-Kivu urges the MONUC to fulfil its mission in Congo, and also urges the government to fulfil its constitutional obligation to protect the citizens and their property.