The violence raging in eastern DRC is at the heart of international concerns. Dozens of young people recently organized demonstrations in front of the embassies of Western countries, calling for more vigorous intervention from the international community to put an end to this violence. These demonstrations sparked reactions from NGOs and Western embassies, which themselves called for a de-escalation of the situation.
On the ground, armed clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the M23 rebel group continue in the province of North Kivu, approximately 30 km from the city of Goma. This situation has exacerbated the already critical humanitarian crisis in the region, pushing many displaced people to reach the regional capital.
However, what has attracted particular attention is the virality of images showing members of the government simulating a gun to the temple with their hand over their mouth, a representation popularized by the DRC national football team. This action aims to denounce the alleged silence of the international community in the face of the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis.
Faced with these demonstrations and this growing pressure, Western embassies reacted by reaffirming their position in the conflict and calling for a de-escalation of the situation. The United States Embassy in Kinshasa affirmed its support for a “strong, stable and peaceful” DRC, while recalling the conditions set by President Félix Tshisekedi for any dialogue with Rwanda.
For her part, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs asked Rwanda to cease all support for the M23 rebel group, while reminding the Congolese authorities of the need to ensure that loyalist forces do not collaborate with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu armed group present in eastern DRC.
The UK also condemned the violent M23 offensive and pledged to support initiatives to foster dialogue and promote a return to regional peacebuilding processes. The country highlighted that more than 135,000 people were displaced in one week in the provinces of North and South Kivu, following M23 attacks.
With this in mind, the United Nations special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa, Huang Xia, met with Angolan President João Lourenço, mediator appointed by the African Union in this crisis. This meeting aims to find solutions and put in place mechanisms to put an end to violence and promote peace in eastern DRC.
It is essential that the international community becomes more involved and implements concrete actions to help the DRC overcome this crisis.. The humanitarian situation is alarming and it is necessary to provide increased support to populations affected by the violence. Let us hope that the demonstrations and appeals of young Congolese in front of Western embassies will lead to awareness and collective action to resolve this crisis and restore peace in eastern DRC.