DR Congo: Protesters Shot Dead, Wounded in Goma

(Nairobi) — Police fired on protesters in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 20, 2021, killing three people including a 6-month-old baby, Human Rights Watch said today. At least 12 other people were injured, including 3 children. The police reported that one officer was killed and 5 officers wounded.

Government crackdowns on protests across the Congo have increased over the past year. On December 18, a coalition of citizen movements called for a ville morte in Goma, or general strike, to denounce an upsurge in insecurity in eastern Congo since the government imposed martial law in May. Witnesses said that after some demonstrators took to the streets and blocked public roads on December 20, the police opened fire without warning on the protesters. The police arrested at least 17 demonstrators, who remain in detention.

“An impartial investigation is needed to determine if police unlawfully resorted to lethal force against the protesters in Goma,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “People should be able to protest government policy without being shot.”

Family members of victims suggested that the police may have fired their weapons indiscriminately. The relative of one victim with three children said, “My brother-in-law was not in the protests. He was going to work around 8 a.m. when he was shot by the police while discussing the price of transport with a motorcycle taxi driver.”

Human Rights Watch received accounts that some protesters threw stones at the police, but found no evidence that protesters carried guns.

The Congolese government is obligated under the constitution and international human rights law to respect and uphold the right to protest peacefully. Regional and international partners should press the government to protect the rights to peaceful expression and assembly.

The Congolese authorities should conduct a prompt, impartial, and independent investigation to establish what happened and whether the police use of force was lawful, Human Rights Watch said. An investigation should also be conducted to ascertain how the police officer was killed, and those responsible should be held to account.

Congolese authorities should publicly order the security forces to abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, Human Rights Watch said. The Basic Principles state that security forces shall “apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms.”

Whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials should exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offense and the legitimate objective to be achieved, minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life. The intentional lethal use of firearms “may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.”

The Basic Principles also provide that in cases of death and serious injury, “a detailed report shall be sent promptly to the competent authorities.”

“Congolese authorities should ensure that all police officers found responsible for the unlawful use of force are appropriately disciplined or prosecuted,” Mudge said. “Holding officers to account regardless of rank is critical for ensuring that force is only used as a last resort.”

Source: Human Rights Watch

Zczc

Meningitis outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo declared over

Brazzaville/Kinshasa, 24 December 2021 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo has declared the meningitis outbreak that erupted in the north-eastern Tshopo Province over. A total of 2662 cases and 205 deaths were recorded.

To bring the outbreak under control, the national and provincial health authorities with support from World Health Organization (WHO) mounted a robust response in a challenging context, swiftly setting up local health emergency management teams, bolstering disease surveillance, carrying out vaccination drives and providing medical care including through mobile clinics. The measures helped reduce the case fatality ratio – the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases – from 85% at the start of the outbreak which was declared on 7 September 2021 to less than 10% within weeks.

“Meningitis can cause devastating outbreaks. It strikes fast and is lethal,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Ending this outbreak under difficult circumstances and amid the COVID-19 pandemic is no mean feat by the national authorities. But we must invest more to better detect, prevent and lessen the debilitating impact of this disease.”

Meningitis is a serious infection, typically bacterial in nature, which is easily transmitted by airborne particles from bodily secretions. The disease can lead to death within hours and remains a major public health challenge.

Preliminary retrospective investigations suggested that the outbreak in Tshopo started in early June in two mining areas in Banalia health zone, 227 km north of Kisangani, the provincial capital. The initial alert raised by the Tshopo Province health authorities followed an increase in deaths among people presenting with symptoms including fever, headache, and stiff neck and some with bloody diarrhoea.

Tshopo Province lies in the African meningitis belt that runs across the continent from Senegal to Ethiopia and comprises 26 countries. The African meningitis belt is the most vulnerable globally to recurrent outbreaks.

Meningitis outbreaks have occurred in several provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past. In 2009, an outbreak in Kisangani infected 214 people and caused 15 deaths—a case fatality ratio of 8%.

In September, WHO and partners launched the first ever global strategy to defeat meningitis by 2030. The plan aims to eliminate epidemics of bacterial meningitis—the deadliest form of the disease—and to reduce deaths by 70% and halve the number of cases. It is estimated that the strategy could save more than 200 000 lives globally every year and significantly reduce disability caused by the disease. The key steps to achieve the 2030 goals include improving prevention and epidemic response measures, diagnosis and treatment, disease surveillance, access to care and support for meningitis after-effects as well as advocacy to boost awareness of the disease.

Source: World Health Organization