The eastern regions of North Kivu and Ituri are one of the most unstable in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Authorities are adding to instability through martial law and crackdown. This information is published by Human Rights Watch. Here is an excerpt:

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s military has suppressed peaceful critics in the more than 10 months since the government imposed martial law in the conflict-ridden eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, Human Rights Watch said today. The military and police have curtailed freedom of expression, put down peaceful demonstrations with lethal force, and arbitrarily detained and prosecuted activists, journalists, and political opposition members.

President Felix Tshisekedi’s administration declared martial law in North Kivu and Ituri provinces on May 6, 2021 to “swiftly end the insecurity which is killing our fellow citizens on a daily basis,” a government spokesman said at the time. The military quickly took over civilian authority in both provinces and, in September, Tshisekedi stated that martial law would only be lifted “when the circumstances which motivated it resolve.”

“The military’s reassurances last year that human rights would be respected under martial law have long been forgotten and a wide range of rights have been stifled,” said Thomas Fessy, senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch. “With no clear timeline from the Tshisekedi administration, this backsliding on fundamental rights and democratic space seems to have no end in sight.”

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