Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues unabated, as does the Congolese solidarity movement in Brussels. Activists and politicians alike say their efforts to hold Rwanda accountable are bearing fruit.
Bloodshed in the DRC has been relentless for over 30 years, but the crisis recaptured global attention following the takeover of the eastern Congolese city of Goma by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 in late January. M23 claims to be protecting Hutu minorities in the region, but many argue its interest lies in securing raw minerals.
Although the DRC's neighbour Rwanda denies links to the group, the UN has accused it of commanding troops, supplying weapons and providing logistical support since 2012.
Women march in the town of Lubero, North Kivu, eastern DRC on 18 December 2024. Credit: Belga / AFP
In light of hundreds more deaths and mass displacement at the hands of M23 in the DRC, the EU's partnership with Rwanda is under sharp criticism: the bloc signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rwanda in February 2024 despite compelling evidence that its African ally is facilitating illegal smuggling in the DRC.
Local solidarity groups across the world are driving the fight to hold to account Rwanda, the EU and other global actors for meddling with the DRC's sovereignty. The movement is particularly pronounced in Brussels.
"We are quite happy with the level of mobilisation we've managed to achieve, because it's not just public mobilisation, there has been diplomatic mobilisation too, and it is really bearing fruit," Brenda Odimba, cofounder of the Free Congo collective of citizens and non-profits told The Brussels Times. "[Rwandan President] Paul Kagame is feeling the pressure that citizens and politicians in Brussels are putting on his regime."
Maintaining pressure
Odimba is referring to Kagame's suspension of Belgian aid programmes in Rwanda. This was due to Belgium's condemnation of his regime's support of M23.
Belgium has a right to choose a side but should not "politicise" development, Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement on Tuesday.
On top of this, the European Parliament passed a motion calling on the Rwandan government to withdraw its troops from the DRC and cease cooperation with M23. MEPs have also urged EU institutions to freeze all financial support for Rwanda until it allows humanitarian access to crisis zones and breaks all links with the rebel group.
"We're going to continue to mobilise," said Odimba. "On Monday, we will be back in front of the EU to keep up the pressure on agreements and sanctions."
Three women with a DRC flag in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
City of Brussels Mayor condemns 'general indifference'
On the local level, the City of Brussels' municipal council has voted unanimously to sanction Rwanda and call on the country to withdraw from the DRC.
"For over 30 years, this country has been plundered, destroyed and crushed," said City of Brussels Mayor Philippe Close (PS). "Six million dead, seven million displaced, 13 million lives shattered. That's more than the entire population of Belgium. Imagine for a moment an entire country disappearing in the midst of general indifference."
MP Lydia Mutyebele Ngoi (PS). Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
MP Lydia Mutyebele Ngoi (PS) believes these local efforts serve a "strong symbolic role". "It is a way for us to demand that concrete measures be taken at national and European level in the face of the crimes perpetrated against the Congolese people," she told The Brussels Times.
Mutyebele Ngoi says sanctions on Kagame must be "similar to those imposed on Vladimir Putin for the war in Ukraine, or on leaders such as Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Aliaksandr Lukashenko in Belarus. It is unacceptable that Rwanda should continue to benefit from financial and military support while fuelling a murderous conflict in eastern Congo."
'We know we have a lot of power'
Odimba has spent much of her life campaigning on behalf of the DRC and highlights the longstanding factors that have contributed to the ongoing violence.
Rare minerals in the DRC are worth around $300 trillion and Rwanda's extraction of these minerals are tied to Western interests – an estimated 40% of the global supply of the rare metal tantalum, used in mobile phones, comes from eastern Congo.
"All the massacres and the pillaging [in the DRC] are perpetrated for the West and for Western needs," she emphasised.
Credit: The Brussels Times
On Saturday, protestors will gather outside NATO. They will call on the military alliance to recognise M23 as a terrorist organisation, condemn Rwanda's support for the group, end all collaboration with both Rwanda and Uganda, freeze exports of minerals from these countries, recognise that they are engaging in the "balkanisation" of the DRC and provide humanitarian and diplomatic support to Congolese victims.
"We are well organised, we are united and we have a clear agenda of what the Belgian-Congolese diaspora wants to achieve," said Odimba. "We know we have a lot of power. That is what keeps us going."
A national march for the DRC will take place in Brussels on 2 March.
