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Lemera massacre

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Lemera massacre
Part of the Kivu conflict
The Lemera Hospital, where the massacre took place
LocationLemera, Uvira Territory, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
DateOctober 6, 1996
Attack type
Massacre, ethnic cleansing, arson
Deaths37 Per UN Mapping Report
VictimsFuriiru people, FAZ soldiers and medical staffs
PerpetratorsAlliance 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

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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.[10][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][13][17][18][19][20]

Attack

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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.[16] 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

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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][27] 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.[28][29][4][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Attacks against other civilian populations – South Kivu". Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  2. ^ "Attacks against other civilian populations - South Kivu". Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ Rolley, Sonia (2016-10-06). "Reportage Afrique - RDC: le douloureux souvenir du massacre de Lemera" [DRC: the painful memory of the Lemera massacre]. RFI (in French). Paris, France. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  4. ^ a b "Digitalcongo.net | Massacres de Lemera, Kishishe, Makobola… : Mukwege ravive les souvenirs devant les étudiants de l'ISP Bukavu". www.digitalcongo.net. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  5. ^ "Sud-Kivu – Massacre de Lemera : Denis Mukwege plaide pour la construction d'une sépulture " digne " en mémoire des victimes". www.mediacongo.net. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  6. ^ "Bukavu : Dr Mukwege déplore les massacres de Maboya au Nord-Kivu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  7. ^ 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]. www.mediacongo.net (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  8. ^ "Massacres de Lemera : 26 ans après, Denis Mukwege veut un mémorial digne pour les victimes". Opinion Info (in French). October 6, 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  9. ^ Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges (May 19–20, 2004). "The Politics of Citizenship in the DRC" (PDF). University of Edinburgh: Centre of African Studies. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  10. ^ a b Ending the Indifference!: Sexual Violence During the 1993–2003 Armed Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Burlington, Vermont: Rights & Democracy. 2011. pp. 24–27. ISBN 9782923539461.
  11. ^ Kisangani, Emizet F. (November 18, 2016). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 66. ISBN 9781442273160.
  12. ^ Arnold, Guy (September 15, 2009). The A to Z of Civil Wars in Africa. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 413–422. ISBN 9780810868854.
  13. ^ a b Ngolet, F. (December 14, 2010). Crisis in the Congo: The Rise and Fall of Laurent Kabila. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230116252.
  14. ^ Murphy, J. E. (2015). U.S. Made. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Christian Faith Publishing. ISBN 9781681970141.
  15. ^ Epstein, Helen (2017). Another Fine Mess: America, Uganda, and the War on Terror. New York City: Columbia Global Reports. ISBN 9780997722925.
  16. ^ a b "Zaire: Hidden from scrutiny: human rights abuses in eastern Zaire" (PDF). Amnesty International. 19 December 1996. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  17. ^ Deibert, Michael (September 12, 2013). The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair. London, United Kingdom: Zed Books. ISBN 9781780323480.
  18. ^ Rever, Judi (February 18, 2020). In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Random House of Canada. ISBN 9780345812100.
  19. ^ "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". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  20. ^ Montague, Dena (2002). "Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo". SAIS Review (1989–2003). 22 (1): 103–118. ISSN 1946-4444. JSTOR 26996391.
  21. ^ a b "Sud-Kivu : 26 ans après les massacres de Lemera, Dénis Mukwege n'a pas oublié et exige justice". libregrandlac.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  22. ^ "Massacre de Lemera, 24 ans déjà : Des dizaines de malades abattus dans un hôpital, certains par un coup de pistolet dans la bouche". Actualite.cd (in French). 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  23. ^ administrateur. "Massacre de Lemera : Qu'est ce qui s'est passé le 06 octobre 1996 ? – PROVINCES 26 RDC.net::: site d'information" (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  24. ^ Mukwege, Dr Denis (2019-10-06). ""Massacre de Lemera, le 6 octobre 1996, je me souviens..."". hopitaldepanzi (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  25. ^ 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". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  26. ^ "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]. Actualite.cd (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  27. ^ LEMERA Mémorial des massacres de KIDOTE, retrieved 2023-05-17
  28. ^ Rédaction. "RDC : Massacre de Lemera : rescapé, le Dr Denis Mukwege demande que les auteurs soient jugés". Debout RDC. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  29. ^ "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/". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-05-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  30. ^ Massacre de Lemera – 6 octobre 1996 – Le Docteur Mukwege se souvient, retrieved 2023-05-17

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