Eastern DRC – A wave of violence targeting Congolese Tutsi is ravaging North and South Kivu, raising serious concerns about an unfolding genocide. Reports from the ground, backed by local and international human rights organizations, detail killings, displacements, and coordinated assaults on Tutsi communities.
Much of the violence is attributed to armed militias operating with the complicity—or at times cooperation—of the Congolese army (FARDC). Particularly alarming is the active presence of the FDLR, a rebel group composed of individuals who participated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Despite their genocidal history, the FDLR continues to receive direct backing from segments of the Congolese government, a fact that gravely undermines efforts toward peace and justice in the region.
This situation has driven thousands of Congolese Tutsi to flee or seek protection from groups like the AFC/M23, a rebel movement that has taken up arms claiming to defend Tutsi civilians from extermination. While AFC/M23 has faced international criticism in the past, many local residents now view them as the only shield standing between their communities and total destruction.
A displaced survivor in Nyiragongo district stated: “The international community has failed us. The Congolese government has failed us. Only AFC/M23 has protected us from death.”
Human rights advocates are now calling on the United States and international community to shift their policies and take decisive action:
• Recognize the targeted violence against Congolese Tutsi as genocide.
• Cease all financial and military support to the FARDC as long as it partners with the FDLR.
• Provide diplomatic and humanitarian support to actors like AFC/M23 who are defending civilians.
• Launch a global initiative to hold the FDLR accountable and fully disband the group.
• Document and prosecute the perpetrators of atrocities in Congo.
The silence of the international community is empowering genocidaires and allowing the cycle of ethnic hatred to continue. The Tutsi communities of eastern Congo are crying out for justice and safety. Supporting their protection, and those like AFC/M23 defending them, is not just a regional necessity—it is a moral obligation.
