The Congolese genocide commemorated on August 2: a look back at a historic event
Every year, the Congolese community around the world gathers on August 2 to commemorate the Congolese Genocide. This poignant event is an opportunity to pay tribute to all the victims who have lost their lives during the many tragic conflicts that have marked the history of the Congo. To mark this memorable day, images bearing witness to the atrocities suffered by our compatriots are on display in Goma, at the BDGL roundabout.
The choice of August 2 as the date of commemoration is symbolic. Indeed, it is the day when the Second Congo War began in 1998. This war, also known as the “African World War”, was triggered by the Banyamulenge rebellion, grouped under the name of Rassemblement Congolais pour Democracy (RCD). With the support of Rwanda and Uganda, this rebellion attacked the city of Goma, marking the start of the deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
The toll of this conflict is frighteningly large. More than 6 million people have lost their lives, and millions of Congolese have suffered inhuman violence such as systematic rape, mutilation and other forms of violence. Although the war officially ended in 2003, Congolese continue to be victimized by militias in the east of the country.
It is important to qualify these tragedies as genocide. According to international law, genocide can be defined as acts perpetrated with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. The systematic rapes of Congolese women and children, massacres of civilians and other atrocities committed with the aim of exploiting the country’s natural resources fit this definition. Unfortunately, the international community has once again failed in its responsibility to protect the lives of Congolese children, women and men.
Faced with this international inertia, it is up to the Congolese to take matters into their own hands. Through this August 2 initiative, the Congolese community in the DRC and in the diaspora has the opportunity to recognize the Congolese genocide, to commemorate the lives lost and to seek solutions to achieve justice and lasting peace in the country.
It is essential to perpetuate the memory of these tragic events and to talk about them so that such an atrocity never happens again. The duty of memory is also a way to pay tribute to the victims and to continue to work for a better Congo, where peace and justice will finally prevail