It is with great sadness that the Congolese government announced the death of ten Congolese students in Khartoum, Sudan. These students died as a result of regular army shelling. According to the information reported, the families of the victims demanded the repatriation of the remains of the students free of charge for their burial with dignity in their country of origin.
The Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, confirmed this information by communicating the names of the student victims. An appointment was set with the Chargé d’Affaires a.i of the Sudanese Embassy in Kinshasa to meet the requirements of the Congolese government.
The Congolese government’s sadness and protest were conveyed during this meeting, and an investigation was demanded to shed light on this tragedy. The government has also requested the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow the evacuation of the victims and the wounded.
This tragedy recalls the precarious situation of the Great Lakes region, which suffers from growing insecurity. Child protection in the DRC is also highlighted following this tragedy, which had already been discussed during the launch of the Coordination Framework for Child Protection in the DRC.
It is essential for the authorities to take concrete measures to ensure the safety of the populations and resolve the economic crisis in the DRC. Sino-Congolese cooperation is also presented as a model to follow to get the Democratic Republic of Congo out of the current economic crisis. However, it takes careful thought to find solutions to the country’s economic and political complexity.
It is important that local authorities work together to anticipate a new upsurge of violence such as that which took place in the Maluku region, and that justice be done for the Edouard Mwangachuchu case. The worrying security situation in the region continues to be topical, particularly in the diocese of Popokabaka, where armed militias are causing insecurity and violence.
Let’s hope governments act now to end the spiral of violence that has plagued the Great Lakes region for years now.