This archive report was first published on 10 January 2020.
On January 10, 2020, the United Nations human rights office released a report detailing the escalating violence in mineral-rich Ituri province, where Hema herders have long been in conflict with Lendu farmers over grazing rights and political representation.
The report, which investigated attacks since September 2018, found that Lendu armed groups have increasingly become more organised in carrying out attacks against the Hema and members of other ethnic groups, such as the Alur.
According to the report, the violence has resulted in at least 701 deaths and 168 injuries, with 142 people suffering acts of sexual violence. Most victims are from the Hema community, but the UN investigators also documented acts of reprisals by some members of the Hema communities, including the burning of villages.
The UN human rights office called on Congolese authorities to address the root causes of the conflict, which has been ongoing since December 2017. The report also noted that certain elements constituting genocide may be present, a rare designation under international law.
As a comparison, in November 2019, the International Criminal Court sentenced former Congolese military leader Bosco Ntaganda to 30 years in prison for atrocities including murder, rape, and conscripting child soldiers, committed while he was military chief of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia in eastern Congo in 2002-2003.
