A march was organised on Saturday in the capital to say “stop the genocide” in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congolese diaspora associations initiated the protest, urging Belgium and the European Union to take effective measures to resolve the conflict, which has escalated since last Monday.
One sign read, “For Ukraine, speeches; for the DRC, silence: demand equality.” Protestors gathered at the Place du Trône from noon before beginning their march at 1 p.m. The route included the US Embassy and Rue de la Loi, ending at the Place du Luxembourg with a sit-in until evening.
The Congolese diaspora associations formed a coordination unit called “Telema Tobundela Mboka” (Standing to Save the Nation) last Monday. They condemn the “deafening and unjustified silence of the international community in the face of the ongoing genocide.”
The group seeks to alert Belgian and European authorities about the “dramatic” situation in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels took over the city of Goma on Monday.
“For 30 years, this war has raged in eastern Congo, amidst the plundering of Congolese resources. But now the situation is most critical,” emphasised Brenda Odimba, a member of the diaspora associations’ collective.
In light of Belgium’s recent call for the EU to sanction Rwanda for its military and economic support of M23, Odimba hopes these are not “empty words.” “We will not relent until there are effective sanctions against Rwanda, such as suspending military support and cancelling EU-Rwanda mining resource agreements,” she asserted.
