Statement by Africans Rising on the Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Africans Rising, a Pan-African movement committed to unity, justice, peace, and dignity, together with its members expresses profound concern over the escalating crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Recent reports indicate the escalation of the decades-old conflict that has engulfed the eastern region of DRC leading to significant civilian casualties, mass displacements, destruction of properties and cuts in communication.

The humanitarian implications of this conflict are dire. Hospitals in Goma are overwhelmed with casualties, and essential services have been severely disrupted. The displacement of thousands exacerbates an already critical situation, with millions of people internally displaced across the DRC due to ongoing conflicts.

The gravity of this conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis calls for immediate action and solidarity from all Africans. We urgently call upon the United Nations, African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) to:

• Facilitate Immediate Ceasefire Negotiations: Engage all conflicting parties to establish an immediate ceasefire, ensuring the protection of civilians and the cessation of hostilities.
• Investigate Root Causes of the Conflict: Investigate and address the underlying political, economic, and historical drivers of the conflict through inclusive dialogue and accountability measures.
• Investigate External Involvement: Conduct thorough investigations into allegations of external support to armed groups, particularly the reported backing of M23 by neighbouring countries, and hold accountable those found complicit.
• Release of Activists & Human Rights Defenders: Immediate and unconditional release of activists and human right defenders who are currently detained for their work to promote unity, justice, peace and dignity.

In light of this, we appeal to humanitarian organisations to join hands in providing immediate assistance to the displaced populations, including shelter, food, medical care, and psychosocial support.

It is sad that fellow African countries notably Rwanda and Uganda are perceived to be fuelling this conflict, in some cases acting with external actors from Europe, America, Russia, China and Israel who wish to perpetually plunder DRC and Africa’s mineral resources. We call on all such negative actions to cease. This clearly demonstrates the urgent imperative for African unity. With a united Africa, there will be no frontier conflicts between African countries because we will all just be Africans dealing with our issues as one.

We would also like to encourage the initiation of programs that promote sustainable development, resilience, and peace-building within the DRC and its neighbouring countries.

The people of the DRC have endured prolonged suffering due to cyclical violence and instability. The international community must act decisively to address the root causes of this crisis and support the Congolese people in their pursuit of lasting peace and dignity.

Africans Rising stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the DRC and remains committed to advocating for justice and human rights across the continent.