Dany
My name is Dany Namegabe, I was born on the 6 th of July 1986 in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. My country has been through war since 1996. Although the war officially ended with a peace agreement signed by different parties in 2003, the eastern part of the country has never had a real taste of peace with thousands of civilians killed and women raped as a result of the fighting between the regular army and different remaining armed groups and militia.
In 1996 at the age of ten I saw the horrors of war for the first time, when my family was displaced as a result of war. In 1998 the experience continued with the city of Bukavu being attacked in the second Congo war (1998-2003). In 2004 the experience reached its worst point when my family was directly targeted and threatened with death and rape by rebel soldiers who had occupied the city.
During the time of war many of my friends joined the army as result of poverty. Although tempted, I resisted all solicitations of rebel movements to join the so-called war of liberation which was presented to young people as the way to fight and end injustice and human right abuses perpetrated by different regimes for more than three decades in the country. Today many of my friends who joined the rebellion are rich, some have died, and others cannot be accepted back in our community because of what they did to their neighbors.
In 2004 while studying computer science at university, I started working for a local human rights organization, the Congolese Organization for Peace and Reconciliation, as a computer technician. I could not resist the call to fight for change to end the atrocities witnessed in my country , as someone who had lived the same story, and so I joined the cause. Human rights work for me is the only way of improving the situation in my country and letting the world know what is happening.
In 2008 I was arrested several times for denouncing impunity and the failure of the government to arrest the perpetrators and put an end to sexual violence, killings and other atrocities committed in the country. I’ve also received threats for denouncing corruption within the government that leaves the soldiers and policemen without a salary and encourages them to perpetrate abuses.
The fellowship at the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York is giving me a new start in my work, giving me back hope that my country has not been forgotten. It’s for me a chance to get a better understanding of human rights and human rights work. The knowledge I get here will help me have a greater impact and influence on policy change in my country. When I go back, sharing what I learn with other local human right defenders will improve their skills and their security while working in an environment which is hostile to human rights work.
Last Updated: 16 November 2009 |