In May 2017, the city of Beni in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo found itself paralyzed with the establishment of barricades in the arteries, streets and avenues by the population. The latter obeyed a call from civil society and began a series of five days of ghost town days. The objective was to challenge the Congolese authorities on the alarming situation in Beni in the face of killings, rapes and harassment of civilians.
Apart from replacing all the members of the security council in Beni who, according to civil society, have failed to restore security in the city, the demonstrators were also demanding more attention in the face of the critical situation in the city. This Monday, schools and universities remain closed, the markets paralyzed. In some neighborhoods, the roads have been blocked since the day before to prevent all traffic. The DRC armed forces have been trying to restore order since the morning.
This situation is in addition to other problems that the country is facing with political tensions, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and food price inflation which makes the economic and social situation very alarming in certain provinces such as Dirumu. While, in another province, the city of Kisangani is demanding justice for the victims of a massacre that occurred more than 20 years ago, but which still remains unpunished.
Despite the difficulties, the unprecedented diplomatic mobilization made it possible to repatriate the Congolese players stranded in Sudan. In addition, the approval of the deployment of the SADC force by the DRC to restore peace in the east of the country has generated many reactions in favor of the creation of a real digital army in order to defend the political platform and the frameworks of the Sacred Union of the Nation, while demanding an audit of the electoral register by a recognized international firm.
Chaos persists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the mobilization of the population and international organizations suggests a better future for the country