Emergency fund to Refugee Human Rights Defenders

While we could not give assistance to refugee Human Rights Defenders, we are focusing on capacity building.

We held three group meetings bringing together refugee leaders in Kinshasa and 7 separate meetings with key refugee leaders, in which we discussed about challenges they are facing. Some refugee HRDs have legal issues, others have social issues and other face all forms of psuchological threats which block them from engaging of the protection of refugee rights effectively, on top of that there are no protection measures put in place in order to help them when they are in need.

Actually we are the first raise issues about refugee projection in this City of Kinshasa where people are totally ignorant about refugees. Various existing human rights mechanisms and interventions always ignore the presence of refugees as one among vulnerable groups which need a particular attention.

We are struggling with funds in order insure that those refugee Human Rights Defenders at risk in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the region may access adequate protection and may continue with their work.

As we also engage partners about the necessity to include refugee human rights defenders in their operations.

Unless you read the storry of Rasta here, you may not fully understand the situation in which refugee human rights defenders in put, our duty is to bring to you this information so that it may help you to make decisions, one thing which is true is that together with you we can make a difference and come closer to rfugee human rights defenders. Find more about Rasta on this link: https://cojeskidrcongo.org/the-most-blacklisted-and-blackmailed-refugee-human-rights-defender-in-the-world-is-rasta-in-uganda/

Refugee Human Rights Defenders in the Great Lakes Region

All active refugee human rights defenders we are in contact with are in serious crisis, in Uganda all vocal refugee leaders are living in fear, they are blacklisted and blackmailed, In Kenya most of active vocal refugees are denied access to relief aid, in Rwanda all vocal refugees are forced to silence, in Burundi vocal refugees leaders are only told to focus on relief aid to fellow refugees and avoid any criticisms to the refugee regime. Those who have commented about the mismanagement of refugee relief aid have been forced to leave the country.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, all vocal refugee human rights defenders are living in dire situation, some are facing serious threats from the rebels and are in hiding, we have tried our best to hide them but we are facing so many challenges because we do not have the necessary funds, some vocal refugee leaders have been killed, others have been deported back to their country by force. We are always affected to observe that we could not manage to protect them, because of the funding which we do not have.

In areas which are under government control most of refugee human rights defenders are totally denied support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees just because they are vocal.