In the Middle of It

The international humanitarian law outlines the framework for regulation of armed conflicts and war. It is mentioned in article 45 of the constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “The public authorities have the duty to ensure the dissemination and the teaching of the Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as all the duly ratified regional and international conventions relating to human rights and to international humanitarian law.”. In addition, human rights are mentioned in several articles, notably in Article 60, “The respect of human rights and fundamental liberties guaranteed by the Constitution is incumbent on the public authorities and all persons”. Though the constitution details these laws and rights as a way to protect its people, in reality are constantly violated in the DRC. By the end of 2021, 5 million citizens of the DRC were internally displaced or forced to flee due to violence (Amnesty International). “According to the UN, over 19.6 million people were in dire need of humanitarian assistance, half of whom were children. More than 26 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity.” (Amnesty International). These most recent violations, along with others from the past have left the people of the DRC feeling vulnerable and lacking in their rights. In comparison to other countries, the DRC might have constitutional similarities concerning the international humanitarian law, however they are still suffering a human rights crisis. 

Works Cited:

Works cited:
International Committee of the Red Cross. (n.d.). https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/africa/democratic-republic-congo 

Amnesty International. (n.d.-b). Democratic Republic of the Congo Archives. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/africa/east-africa-the-horn-and-great-lakes/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/report-democratic-republic-of-the-cong 

The constitution of The Democratic Republic of The Congo