The US Congressman André Carson has introduced a resolution condemning the long lasting violence perpetuated against the Congolese Tutsi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

On February 1, Carson stated that human rights organizations and advocacy groups documented concerning acts of violence performed by members of DRC’s armed forces and militia groups against ethnic minorities that meet more criteria for genocide under Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

 

He said: “Targets are primarily Rwandophone communities, or those whose mother tongue is Kinyarwanda. Armed groups and often abusive (Congolese) security forces continue to carry out massacres, abductions, rape and sexual violence, recruitment of children, and other attacks on civilians.

 

“Individuals fleeing violence from the DRC make up one of Indiana’s largest refugee populations. The US has strategic interest in this region, but we also have a moral obligation to stand up to human rights abuses whenever and wherever they occur. I remain concerned that the situation in the DRC has not received the international attention it merits for such grave acts of violence. I invite all my colleagues to join me in this resolution and hold perpetrators accountable.”

 

 

The co-founder and executive director of Indiana-based Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention, Amber Maze, said that the voices of the targeted people in the DRC go unheard both in the US and on the international stage.  

 

Violence targeting Congolese Tutsi communities has been going on for many years but the international community turned a blind eye.

 

The resurgence of the M23 rebellion in eastern DRC since late 2021, after nearly a decade of silence following their defeat in 2013 has been given worldwide attention. But for many, the big question remains; why is the M23 really fighting?

 

The rebel group is fighting for the rights of its persecuted and disowned community to be recognized as legitimate citizens with full rights as any other Congolese nationals.

 

The rebels are fighting to protect the lives of Congolese Tutsi and Rwandophones who are targets of hate speech and violence orchestrated by their own government.

 

Thousands have, so far, been murdered in various parts of eastern DRC. Kinshasa has spread a faked narrative that M23 is a “terrorist group formed by foreigners”. Western countries and media supported the narrative.

 

The cause of M23 is ignored.

 

Congolese politicians exploited anti-Rwandophone sentiments to bolster their political agendas, aggravating the situation.

 

Through the proposed resolution, the US has the opportunity to remind Congolese officials of their duty to safeguard all citizens regardless of ethnicity.

 

The resolution included calls for social media companies to curb hate speech and incitement to violence on their platforms, immediate action by the DRC government including humanitarian assistance and holding all state security forces that perpetuate atrocities against the civilian population accountable.

 

It calls for the Secretary of State to investigate atrocities and coordinate with stakeholders; and requests President Joe Biden to appoint a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, impose targeted sanctions against known human rights abusers in the DRC, and protect those fleeing ethnic-based violence in the DRC.

 

Will Carson’s warning of looming genocide against the Congolese Tutsi be heard?

 

The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, in January 2023, issued a statement, expressing her concern on the deterioration of the security and human rights situation in DRC.

 

According to the statement, the conditions necessary for the commission of atrocity crimes continue to be present in a region where a genocide happened in 1994-in Rwanda; adding that there is a need to make sure that history does not repeat itself. Nothing was done.

 

The situation is getting worse, with Congolese Tutsi communities being bombarded day to day by the Congolese army coalition that includes SADC troops, Burundian army, Wazalendo militias, and FDLR, a genocidal militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

 

The M23 rebellion has been calling for the international community to understand its cause and stop the looming genocide, but everyone turned a deaf ear. The rebels are now fighting an existential threat posed by the Congolese government since the UN failed to act and protect the Congolese Tutsi.