It’s 11:00 pm, and the lights on the sidewalk have just turned on. Sounds are barely coming from the outside world. It is just you and your bed until BOOM! You hear a loud sound come from outside that makes you wake up in an instant. You check outside your window, and you see government military vehicles pulling up and fighting against what seems like a group of people with firearms. What are you going to do? Unfortunately, this is what many people around the world have had to deal with due to rebel groups, such as the people in the Gaza Strip who’ve lost family members and properties due to Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian political organization, and the many people that have died in the city of Goma in the DRC due to M23, a rebel group that has caused many wars in the DRC. 

To begin, when it comes to unjust deaths, rebel groups have caused many unjust deaths in many communities around the world. “Weren’t their lives important? If rebel groups are not under careful scrutiny, the rate of unjust deaths is going to increase due to rebel groups. For instance, according to https://www.cnn.com, “Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the United Nations, after it was captured by rebels following days of fierce fighting with the Congolese army.” If countries started to take better care of cities or places that rebel groups have settled in by sending help to those areas, you would see a drop in the rate of unjust deaths.

In addition, fighting between rebel groups and the government has left many people without homes, a source of income, or even a way to get food. Don’t you know that people in these regions face daily uncertainty about their next meal? As a result of the fighting in DRC, according to https://peacenews.com, “the living conditions in areas under M23 control are far from safe. Many have found their homes destroyed, gardens devastated, and villages devoid of any business activity.” When rebel groups become out of control, many unfortunate things can happen, but one of the most devastating and common impacts that happens to survivors is that they find that they have nothing to go back to, and now they must restart their lives, rebuilding everything they have ever built.

As a result of deaths caused by rebel groups, many people have been left with a deep, painful impact since they lost loved ones in the war. Imagine getting home and finding your parents, siblings, grandparents, or close relatives with building debris on top of them. Such discoveries leave families shattered, dealing with unimaginable grief. According to https://education.cfr.org/, “Of the total death toll in Gaza, which exceeds 40,000 people, conservative estimates reported by Oxfam suggest more than 6,000 women and 11,000 children were killed in the first year of the conflict.” Nobody should lose loved ones in conflicts between rebel groups and governments that don’t involve them.

Government authorities can make a difference in the safety of each resident in the country with only a small talk. A government’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens. While peace treaties are important, they require careful negotiation and commitment from all parties, which requires dedicated effort from government leadership. Furthermore, a peaceful negotiation with a government branch and rebel groups can save many lives from being unjustly murdered in a conflict that shouldn’t involve them.