Attention to the Democratic Republic of Congo is Needed Yesterday

As violent conflict continues to surge in the eastern part of the country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) stands at a critical juncture—the United Nations Integrated Peacekeeping Mission (MONUSCO) is set to draw down after 25 years and many questions remain on what the road forward will look like.

Despite the vast scale of need—the DRC is home to 7.2 million people who have been internally displaced and an estimated 25.4 million are in need of humanitarian assistance this year—the conflict garners little media attention, attention that is needed to mitigate suffering and contribute to durable solutions to end decades of violence.  As the peacekeeping mission—which was established in November 1999—draws down, the government of the DRC must step in to provide the protection and logistical support that MONUSCO administered during its time. These efforts should be bolstered by the international community, including humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors, and the various donors that fund them.

Launching the Social Media Campaign

InterAction and its Member organizations are launching a comprehensive social media campaign to raise and sustain attention to the impact of the conflict in eastern DRC on civilians and civilian infrastructure. The campaign comes on the heels of a visit to the country by InterAction’s CEO, Tom Hart, as well of two of our Member CEO’s, Janti Soeripto of Save the Children US and Tjada McKenna of Mercy Corps. I accompanied them during high-level meetings in Kinshasa and tours of displacement camps in the eastern city of Goma.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness among the general public and U.S.-based policymakers of the deterioration of the conflict and the urgent need to support stakeholders across the spectrum in safeguarding civilians, particularly women and girls. The campaign will continue throughout the month of June; June 30 marks the deadline that MONUSCO must submit the next phase of its withdrawal plan to the United Nations Security Council.

As negotiations continue between the Mission and the DRC government, the campaign will also periodically amplify Member recommendations toward practitioners, policymakers, and donors around how to ensure that the protection of civilians remains central to post-MONUSCO transition planning. Posts will be made daily on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and Member publications will regularly be added to the bottom of this page throughout the month. Policy papers targeting protection, gender-based violence, and logistics actors will also periodically be provided.

Next Steps

Following on the momentum built by this social media campaign, InterAction will organize a series of high-level round tables and/or meetings in New York and Washington, D.C., together with members of the DRC Working Group, bringing experts from the DRC—including local civil society leaders, international human rights advocates, and peacebuilding actors—to the table with U.S.-based NGOs, policymakers, and donors. Details about these meetings will be shared through the DRC Working Group as they become available.

—

For more information regarding the social media campaign or InterAction’s DRC Working Group, please reach out to Cecilia Thiam at cthiam@interaction.org.

For media inquiries, please contact Mitch McQuate at mmcquate@interaction.org.