How can the international community protect civilians in Ituri district and the rest of the Democratic Republic of Congo? An HPG debate
Chair:
Paul Harvey - Research fellow, HPG
Speakers:
Anneke Van Woudenberg - Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch and former Oxfam Country
Director in DRC
James Fennell - former Vice-President for security firm Armour Group and Emergencies Director, Care UK.
Description
The situation in Ituri District, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has led some observers to compare it to Rwanda just before the genocide, and to warn that, if action is not taken, there may be a danger of history repeating itself. There are chilling parallels: mass, ethnically based killings of civilians and a late and possibly inadequate response on the part of the international community.
This meeting debated the key issues of humanitarian protection raised by the current situation in Ituri.