Congolese Nobel laureate Mukwege wants Belgium to support special criminal court

"You have the diplomatic, economic and military means that can stop this suffering." Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege pleaded in the Chamber on Wednesday for Belgium to make proposals on the international stage, to end the conflict that has been going on for 25 years in eastern Congo. Mukwege called on Belgium to support the establishment of an international criminal court.

Doctor Mukwege wants the "culture of impunity" to end. In doing so, he urged Belgium to back an international conference to establish a "transitional justice". "The Congolese have a right to justice, to dignity and to be guaranteed that the atrocities of the past 25 years, which continue today, will not be repeated."

He therefore supports the Green party's resolution calling for a special criminal court to prosecute crimes against humanity. "I also invite MPs to support the initiative of their counterparts in the Democratic Republic of Congo to identify and secure the sites of mass graves so that international investigators can be appointed to gather evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocidal crimes."

According to Mukwege, the objective of the UN mission Monusco should be reviewed. It should focus on helping to reform the army. It should also support the government to achieve good governance in the mining sector. "The rottenness of the situation is because the structural causes, namely mining and illegal trade in raw materials, have never been addressed." "The guidelines around due diligence, traceability and certification of diamonds go in the right direction, but they are not enough. The texts are not binding on all links in the chain," Mukwege said, citing the example of China.

The human rights activist spoke clear language to the neighbouring Rwanda. He called for diplomatic isolation of Rwanda. According to him, there is a "similarity between Russian aggression in Ukraine and Rwandan aggression in Congo." He denounced the lack of interest in the conflict, and said that there must come "an end to the selective indignation and double standard that undermines the credibility and strength of international law."

(TOM)

© BELGA PHOTO POOL FREDERIC ANDRIEU