Volunteer Group for Peace (GVP).

The organisation aims to promote stability and harmony in local communities in North Kivu where the government has struggled to establish peace. These areas face many challenges including a high number of land disputes, an overflow of refugees and nationless persons and continuing human rights violations.

The GVP research and publicise human rights violations in North Kivu, producing press conferences and reports aimed at the national and international community.

Monitoring human rights violations in North Kivu

North Kivu had just begun to enjoy peace following democratic elections before the Laurent Nkunda rebellion heralded new violence and a deterioration in rights. Massacres and a huge numbers of casualties have shown that it is essential to monitor human rights violations in this area, where rebel, Mai-Mai, FDLR, Interahamwe, and government forces confront each other.

This initiative was launched to monitor the intervention of Rwandan troops in the DR Congo to help the Congo army make the FDLR exit the country. GVP staff visit the locations of conflict and violence, gather information, and write up reports – identifying unlawful killings and human rights violations. These are then distributed amongst national authorities, foreign embassies and international agencies.