Congolese nationals cry over war
Congolese nationals living in Durban held a peaceful march against the war in their country
HUNDREDS of Congolese nationals residing in Durban took to the streets on Saturday, March 16, to march in solidarity with the people of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Congolese people of Durban said they want the big governments to stop funding the war in DRC and to call for an immediate ceasefire. The protesters expressed how the ongoing war has robbed them of their loved ones, and how their remaining family members are living in agony as they do not know when the next attack will happen or how catastrophic it will be.
“I have lost more family members than I count. We live every day in fear of not knowing what will happen to our remaining family members. It is enough now. It must end – whoever is funding this bloody war, must stop – we have lost enough,” said Bahebwa Kabambire who organised the march.
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More than 12 million Congolese have died in the region of North Kivu and Goma in the war against the Congolese Army by the M23 (March 23 Movement), a rebel military wing of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). The march, organised by a Congolese national who has been living in South Africa since 2000, called for the big governments, namely the United States of America, France and Belgium to stop funding the war in Congo but also expressed his sadness at how other African countries were fighting against Congo.
“Africa is for Africans – we should be fi ghting alongside each other, not against one another. Armed groups and militants have plagued the DRC for three decades. While the exploitation of the country’s natural resources has led to massive human rights abuse. Congo does not belong to the West. USA, France and Belgium must leave Congo and its minerals to Africans,”said Kabambire.
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Among the many speeches the marchers made while making their way to the Durban US Consulate, they thanked the South African government for intervening in the war, by sending the South African Defence Force on a peacekeeping mission to DRC. “We should not be marching on foreign lands by ourselves – we are your brothers and sisters – the people dying in Congo are black people just like you. You should be here with us, calling for peace in our land, a land for Africans,” added Moses Mupenda. The marchers also picketed outside the same place two weeks ago, urging the US government to call for an immediate ceasefire in North Kivu.
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