Kinshasa — Alarming evidence continues to emerge suggesting that genocidal ideology targeting Congolese Tutsi is no longer confined to fringe voices but is being openly articulated, echoed, and reinforced by individuals closely linked to the state apparatus of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Human rights observers warn that the repeated use of dehumanizing language by political figures and military officials reflects a dangerous normalization of genocide-enabling narratives.
The leadership of the DRC has, in recent months, demonstrated overt hostility toward the Tutsi community, repeatedly portraying them as a harmful presence and questioning their right to exist within the country. Critics argue that such rhetoric—when left unchallenged by the state—creates conditions historically associated with mass atrocities.
On December 22, 2025, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo received two Congolese nationals based in the United States—Jean-Claude Mubenga and Kalonji Kabamba wa Mulumba. According to official statements, the meeting addressed national unity, sovereignty, and the independence of the Congolese state.
However, analysts and civil society monitors familiar with the public conduct of the two visitors contend that the meeting instead served to legitimize extremist viewpoints. One day after the presidential encounter, Mubenga published incendiary messages on social media in which he referred to Tutsis as “inyenzi” (cockroaches) and declared that Congolese land does not belong to them.
In his posts, Mubenga described the Tutsi community as a disease that must be eradicated before it spreads, explicitly comparing them to vermin that should be killed immediately to prevent reproduction. He went further by calling on Congolese citizens to eliminate anyone speaking Kinyarwanda and praising Wazalendo militias for attacks against such individuals. He also urged young people to take part in efforts aimed at the total eradication of the group—language widely recognized under international law as direct and public incitement to genocide.
Observers stress that this was not an isolated incident. In late September 2025, the government’s spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, met with Mubenga and Kalonji in New York during a discussion broadcast on YouTube. During that appearance, Muyaya praised Congolese figures engaged in what he termed a “media war” in the name of patriotism, singling out Mubenga for commendation rather than condemning his rhetoric.
Similar patterns are evident among other figures connected to the ruling establishment. Parliamentarian Justin Bitakwira, a member of the governing Union Sacrée coalition, has long been associated with calls for violence against Tutsis and is reported to oversee Wazalendo activities in South Kivu. Despite being sanctioned by the European Union in December 2022 for inciting violence against the Banyamulenge—Congolese Tutsis—the DRC authorities have taken no corrective or punitive action against him.
The spread of genocidal rhetoric has also reached state-controlled media. On the evening of December 27, 2025, the national broadcaster RTNC aired a segment featuring Major General Sylvain Ekenge, the spokesperson for the Congolese armed forces. The program was presented as a security briefing on eastern DRC, particularly South Kivu, amid ongoing conflict.
While initially framed as a military update, the broadcast quickly shifted toward hostile commentary against Rwandans and Congolese citizens who speak Kinyarwanda, especially Tutsis. General Ekenge accused them of deceit and issued a public warning against marrying Tutsi women. He alleged that traditional authorities arrange such marriages so that male relatives later intervene, claiming these relatives father children with the women and attributing this to what he described as genetic dominance. He characterized the alleged practice as a fraudulent scheme embedded within marriage.
Human rights experts note that such statements—broadcast on state television by a senior military official—amount to ethnic defamation and reinforce long-standing stereotypes used historically to justify mass violence.
Despite these developments, the DRC government continues to deny that any ethnic group is being targeted, dismissing allegations of persecution against Congolese Tutsis as false. Yet the repeated use of dehumanizing language by senior officials, the absence of accountability for known inciters, and the use of state platforms to disseminate hostile narratives have intensified fears that genocidal ideology is being normalized within state institutions.
Advocates against genocide warn that silence and inaction in the face of such rhetoric carry grave consequences. They are calling on Congolese authorities to unequivocally reject hate speech, dismantle militia networks, and uphold international obligations to prevent genocide—before words once again translate into irreversible violence.
