Civil Society in DR Congo has finally come out to demand that President Tshisekedi to put to an end the continued crimes against humanity – including genocide – that Congolese authorities are inflicting against Congolese Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi citizens of DR Congo.
In yesterday’s message, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo – the Archbishop of Kinshasa who also doubles as an influential figure in the Congolese civil society platform – brought it out clearly that the failed diplomacy of Tshisekedi is to blame for the grave socio-political issues dogging the country.
The prelate called out the Congolese authorities to halt hate speech and dangerous ethnic stereotyping which Kinshasa is increasingly fueling amidst the ongoing civil war pitting the Congolese army (FARDC) and their FDLR allies against the M23 movement.
The Congolese Civil Society echoed members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) who last week called out Kinshasa to “stop with immediate effect”, hate speech and crimes that the Tshisekedi regime commits against those it labels “enemies” of DRC – mainly Tutsi, Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese.
Tshisekedi unveiled a militia wing dubbed “Brigade Spéciale de l’UDPS” which is under the aegis of his ruling political party, UDPS. The youthful members of the new militia strutted around with machetes, spears, and hammers among other crude weapons while intimidating and killing Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi citizens of DRC.
That’s in addition to evidence of a blatant genocide campaign targeting Congolese of Tutsi ethnicity that include a $15,000 bounty that Congolese authorities recently announced as the reward to whoever kills high profile Congolese Tutsi in the DR Congo government.
The world must stop watching, and rather act – given the fact that DRC is a member of ICC, the court should therefore weigh-in and indict the senior Congolese authorities for they are not above the law.
Congolese officials need to be held accountable, as justice delayed is justice denied.
Enough is enough!
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