Demonstrators call on EU to take action against violence in DRC
Activists from Amnesty International and the Congolese citizen movement Lucha gathered on Thursday in front of the European institutions to call on EU leaders to take action in response to atrocities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The protest in Brussels comes as European Foreign ministers meet ahead of an EU-African Union summit scheduled for 24 and 25 November in Luanda, Angola.
The organisations denounce European inaction amid continued violence in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri: attacks on civilians, extrajudicial executions, widespread sexual violence, population displacement and repeated violations of civil liberties.
In its latest report, Amnesty highlighted the scale of unlawful killings, sexual violence and forced displacement – affecting more than 7 million people – as well as the resurgence of the M23, ADF and Codeco.
Ben Kamuntu, spokesperson for Lucha, called on the EU to stop “looking the other way”. “We are here to call on the European Commission and the ministers meeting today. Their inaction is killing people in Congo,” he said.
"Congo’s salvation will not be decided in Doha or Washington"
He says the EU has levers at its disposal: strengthening targeted sanctions against those responsible for war crimes, particularly the leaders of the M23 armed group; increasing humanitarian aid; and supporting inclusive political dialogue.
“Congo’s salvation will not be decided in Doha or Washington,” he said. “The Congolese must sit down at the table, and the EU must put pressure on president Félix Tshisekedi to open a genuine national dialogue.”
© BELGA PHOTO / VIDEO MATEUSZ KUKULKA
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