Lemera massacre explained

Lemera massacre
Location:Lemera, Uvira Territory, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:October 6, 1996
Partof:the Kivu conflict
Type:Massacre, ethnic cleansing, arson
Fatalities:37 Per UN Mapping Report
Victims:Furiiru people, FAZ soldiers and medical staffs
Perpetrators:Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL)

The Lemera massacre (French: Massacre de Lemera), also known as the Lemera Attack (French: Attaque de Lemera) or Lemera Battle (French: Bataille de Lemera), which occurred on October 6, 1996, was a massacre perpetrated by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL) at Lemera Hospital, a medical facility in the small town of Lemera, about 85 kilometers northwest of Uvira in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 37 individuals were killed, according to the United Nations Mapping Report.[1] [2]

The attack is often recognized as "the first major crime" of the First Congo War.[3] The massacre left the hospital in ruins and caused widespread shock and outrage in the local and international community.[4] [5] [6] On October 6, 2022, Dr. Denis Mukwege appealed for the construction of "dignified" graves for the bodies discarded in mass graves to be exhumed and laid in a memorialized burial.[7] [8]

Background

The long-standing clashes between Banyamulenge and Zairean forces persisted throughout the 1980s but reached a boiling point in 1996 during the First Congo War.[9] The conflict was stoked by successive waves of arbitrary arrests and detentions of Tutsi civilians by Zairian police and soldiers.[10] At that time, Zaire was mired in extreme turmoil and widespread violence, firmly ensnared by the oppressive grip of the entrenched and autocratic dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. The AFDL, an insurgent group rooted in the eastern part of the country, was resolute in its mission to dismantle Mobutu's regime.[11] It emerged as a pivotal rebel faction, uniting with Laurent-Désiré Kabila's broad-based coalition to overthrow Mobutu, whose imperious and kleptocratic rule had plunged the nation into decades of chaos, underdevelopment, and economic stagnation. The AFDL was backed by Rwanda and Uganda, which had their own strategic economic interests in the region and a long history of involvement in the country's affairs and provided military and logistical support.[12] [13] [14] [15]

The AFDL's campaign was charged with widespread human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and assaults on Zairean civilians. AFDL were also charged with targeting local chiefs and community leaders who opposed their military advance, a tactic aimed at weakening their support base and base and consolidating their authority.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Attack

The attack took place in Lemera Hospital. According to Amnesty International, the AFDL forces stormed the hospital, callously looting the hospital's medical supplies and equipments before unleashing a wave of violence against the defenseless patients. The attackers brutally killed those who were too weak or injured to flee, including two nurses, Kadaguza and Simbi, and an assistant nurse. According to the DRC Mapping Report, approximately 37 people were killed in their beds, either by "bullets or bayonets". Most of the victims were FAZ (Forces Armées Zaïroises) soldiers who had been wounded in fighting against AFDL and sought medical assistance at the hospital. The nurses, who had been providing life-saving care to the patients, were also targeted and killed in their quarters. The attack also claimed the lives of Zairean civilians who were in the vicinity of the hospital.[1] [21] [22] [23]

Denis Mukwege was serving as a medical director when AFDL forces attacked the hospital. He took refuge in Nairobi before ultimately returning to the DRC, where he became a powerful advocate for the oppressed and silenced communities.[21] [24] [25]

Aftermath

The massacre caused widespread outrage throughout the country, particularly among the Bafuliiru community, who continue to seek justice, reparations for victims, and institutional reform to this day.[26] Congolese human rights activists and organizations are lobbying for the country to adopt a comprehensive national strategy for transitional justice, a critical step towards guaranteeing lasting peace. Denis Mukwege, a key figure in these advocacy efforts, has been steadfast in his insistence that the recommendations of the United Nations Mapping Report be fully implemented so that the perpetrators should be held accountable for their actions. He has also called for the dignified exhumation of the bodies from the mass graves and the construction of a memorial to honor and remember the victims.[27] [28] [4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Attacks against other civilian populations – South Kivu . 2023-05-15 . en-US.
  2. Web site: Attacks against other civilian populations - South Kivu . 2023-05-17 . en-US.
  3. Web site: Rolley . Sonia . 2016-10-06 . Reportage Afrique - RDC: le douloureux souvenir du massacre de Lemera . DRC: the painful memory of the Lemera massacre . 2023-12-09 . RFI . fr . Paris, France.
  4. Web site: Digitalcongo.net Massacres de Lemera, Kishishe, Makobola… : Mukwege ravive les souvenirs devant les étudiants de l'ISP Bukavu . 2023-05-15 . www.digitalcongo.net.
  5. Web site: Sud-Kivu – Massacre de Lemera : Denis Mukwege plaide pour la construction d'une sépulture " digne " en mémoire des victimes . 2023-05-15 . www.mediacongo.net.
  6. Web site: 2022-10-24 . Bukavu : Dr Mukwege déplore les massacres de Maboya au Nord-Kivu . 2023-05-15 . Radio Okapi . fr.
  7. Web site: Kalu . Chris . October 6, 2022 . Sud-Kivu – Massacre de Lemera: Denis Mukwege plaide pour la construction d'une sépulture " digne " en mémoire des victimes . South Kivu – Lemera massacre: Denis Mukwege pleads for the construction of a "dignified" grave in memory of the victims . 2023-12-09 . www.mediacongo.net . French . Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  8. Web site: October 6, 2022 . Massacres de Lemera : 26 ans après, Denis Mukwege veut un mémorial digne pour les victimes . 2023-12-09 . Opinion Info . fr.
  9. Web site: Nzongola-Ntalaja . Georges . May 19–20, 2004 . The Politics of Citizenship in the DRC . 2023-05-15 . Centre of African Studies . 5–6 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110524044244/http://www.undp.org/oslocentre/docs04/ThepoliticsofcitizenshipintheDRC.pdf . 2011-05-24 . English . University of Edinburgh.
  10. Book: Ending the Indifference!: Sexual Violence During the 1993–2003 Armed Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Rights & Democracy . 2011 . 9782923539461 . Burlington, Vermont . 24–27 . English.
  11. Book: Kisangani, Emizet F. . Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Rowman & Littlefield Publishers . November 18, 2016 . 9781442273160 . Lanham, Maryland . 66 . English.
  12. Book: Arnold, Guy . The A to Z of Civil Wars in Africa . Scarecrow Press . September 15, 2009 . 9780810868854 . Lanham, Maryland . 413–422 . English.
  13. Book: Ngolet, F. . Crisis in the Congo: The Rise and Fall of Laurent Kabila . Palgrave Macmillan . December 14, 2010 . 9780230116252 . London, United Kingdom . English.
  14. Book: Murphy, J. E. . U.S. Made . Christian Faith Publishing . 2015 . 9781681970141 . Meadville, Pennsylvania . English.
  15. Book: Epstein, Helen . Another Fine Mess: America, Uganda, and the War on Terror . Columbia Global Reports . 2017 . 9780997722925 . New York City . English.
  16. Web site: 19 December 1996 . Zaire: Hidden from scrutiny: human rights abuses in eastern Zaire . 2023-04-15 . Amnesty International . 1–4 . English.
  17. Book: Deibert, Michael . The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair . Zed Books . September 12, 2013 . 9781780323480 . London, United Kingdom . English.
  18. Book: Rever, Judi . In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front . Random House of Canada . February 18, 2020 . 9780345812100 . Toronto, Ontario, Canada . English.
  19. Web site: Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of DR Congo – Democratic Republic of the Congo ReliefWeb . 2023-05-15 . reliefweb.int . en.
  20. Montague . Dena . 2002 . Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo . SAIS Review (1989–2003) . 22 . 1 . 103–118 . 26996391 . 1946-4444.
  21. Web site: Sud-Kivu : 26 ans après les massacres de Lemera, Dénis Mukwege n'a pas oublié et exige justice . 2023-05-15 . libregrandlac.com.
  22. Web site: 2020-10-06 . Massacre de Lemera, 24 ans déjà : Des dizaines de malades abattus dans un hôpital, certains par un coup de pistolet dans la bouche . 2023-05-15 . Actualite.cd . fr.
  23. Web site: administrateur . Massacre de Lemera : Qu'est ce qui s'est passé le 06 octobre 1996 ? – PROVINCES 26 RDC.net::: site d'information . 2023-05-15 . fr-FR.
  24. Web site: Mukwege . Dr Denis . 2019-10-06 . "Massacre de Lemera, le 6 octobre 1996, je me souviens..." . 2023-05-15 . hopitaldepanzi . fr.
  25. News: Malik . Nesrine . 2021-11-06 . 'I can't explain how I am still alive': Dr Denis Mukwege on risking his life to save African women . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-12-09 . 0261-3077.
  26. Web site: 2020-10-06 . Massacre de Lemera, 24 ans déjà : Des dizaines de malades abattus dans un hôpital, certains par un coup de pistolet dans la bouche . Lemera massacre, 24 years already: Dozens of patients shot dead in a hospital, some by a pistol shot in the mouth . 2023-12-09 . Actualite.cd . fr . Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  27. Web site: Rédaction . RDC : Massacre de Lemera : rescapé, le Dr Denis Mukwege demande que les auteurs soient jugés . 2023-05-15 . Debout RDC . en-US.
  28. Web site: https://twitter.com/DenisMukwege/status/1577948277345030146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1577948277345030146%7Ctwgr%5E4a49268bede2be136566b9912df2bc438fcc4939%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https://www.deboutrdc.net/2022/rdc-massacre-de-lemera-rescape-le-dr-denis-mukwege-demande-que-les-auteurs-soient-juges/ . 2023-05-15 . Twitter . en.

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