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The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has devastated the country’s economic, social, and governmental structures. With a population of about 55 million people who represent more than 200 different ethnic groups, the country has witnessed rising inter-ethnic tensions, pervasive conflicts over natural resources, the flow of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi, and periodic political upheaval. In 1997, rebels led by Laurent-Desiré Kabila ousted dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Then in 1998, a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda overthrew Kabila’s regime. Laurent-Desiré Kabila himself was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, replaced him as head of state. For almost a decade, the DRC has been enmeshed in one of Africa’s most internationalized wars, directly involving six other countries. Amidst such upheaval, gross human rights abuses are disturbingly commonplace.
The ongoing war has decimated the DRC’s formal economy, leaving the population with few options for making a living or feeding families. The collapse of the healthcare system has hastened the spread of HIV and AIDS. Sexual violence and brutality is pervasive in the conflict-ridden eastern part of the country. All of the armed forces operating in the DRC actively recruit and forcibly conscript children as soldiers. Without a working justice system, human rights violators operate with impunity. Human rights activists who denounce these conditions live within a climate of extreme physical insecurity.
The Fund has identified the areas of justice, corruption, and women’s and children's rights as its priorities in the country. The Fund’s grant-making programs focus on North Kivu, South Kivu, and Maniema provinces, areas particularly affected by the violence.
The Fund aims to provide sustainable support for human rights organizations. To that end, we maintain a long-term focus on specific countries and regions where we believe strategic grant-making can make a difference in advancing human rights protections over time. The Fund has had a grants program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2005.
