The history of political and ethnic conflicts in the region is long and complicated, and numerous refugees had fled for their lives on more than one occasion, making for my most challenging interviews and longest case histories to date. The acts of violence perpetrated against them were also quite gruesome, often motivated not only by political or ethnic issues, but also traditional beliefs and witchcraft. Many of the women had been gang raped on more than one occasion, some children had been forced to watch their parents slaughtered and mutilated, and members of certain tribes were targeted because their body parts were believed to have special properties to enhance effectiveness in battle.
These acts were most often motivated by ethnicity, and unbelievably often committed even by the refugee’s own family members who had turned against them. I had truly never conceived some of the evils that people could commit against each other. The even more tragic aspect of life for many of the refugees was that even after fleeing to the safety of another country, such as Burundi or Tanzania, they often still weren’t safe. I interviewed some survivors of a well known massacre that took place at a camp in Burundi. The attackers had crossed the border from DR Congo. Even within the camps in Tanzania, there were many reports of persecution or insecurity due to gender or ethnicity. One family had lost a child- he had been beaten to death by his classmates for being ‘too clever’ for someone of his tribe.
I have to say, I think the fact that I was so pressed for time during the days was really helpful to me, because I didn’t have a lot of time to internalize what I was hearing. All I could do try to ask the right questions to draw out the story, and then type my fingers off as it came flowing out. I really hope that each one of the families I worked with is received favorably when their cases are adjudicated, not only because they have suffered so much already, but also because the fact is that they would still be in danger if they were forced to go back. Unfortunately, the camps in western Tanzania are set to close by the end of this year, and many of those who did not get a resettlement case may be forced to do just that…
Below are a few links for more info on this very interesting region, and the challenges it has faced.
Wikipedia info on Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
BBC timelines on events in Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072684.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1068991.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1070329.stm
Info on camps/refugee issues
http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=1714
http://www.sheltercentre.org/news/feeds/943
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40389
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