For more than three decades, Kinyarwanda-speaking communities, particularly the Tutsi and Banyamulenge in eastern DRC, have faced targeted killings, forced displacement, and systematic persecution.
According to IBUKA, the recent surge in violence, fueled by state-sponsored hate speech and the collaboration between the Congolese government and genocidal forces such as FDLR represents a severe humanitarian and security crisis.
'The recent escalation of violence, compounded by state-sponsored hate speech and the open collaboration between the Congolese government and the FDLR, a recognized genocidal militia composed of remnants of those responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, represents a grave human rights crisis that the international community must urgently address,' IBUKA stated in a statement released on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
IBUKA drew chilling parallels between the current situation in the DRC and the events leading up to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The organization pointed out that inflammatory rhetoric from senior Congolese officials, coupled with mass killings and displacement, mirrors the propaganda and violence that preceded the genocide three decades ago. The organization warns that ignoring these warning signs could lead to a repeat of history.
'The systematic dehumanization of an ethnic group, the use of state media to incite violence, the collaboration with genocidal militias, and the failure of the international community to act, all these factors mirror the pre-genocide conditions that led to the mass
slaughter of more than one million Tutsi in Rwanda,' the statement reads.
Despite the urgent threat, IBUKA criticized the international community for failing to take decisive action against perpetrators of hate speech and violence. The statement highlights the continued presence of genocide fugitives in foreign countries, where they evade justice while spreading genocide ideology.
Moreover, IBUKA condemned certain Western media outlets and political figures for distorting narratives about Rwanda while downplaying the security crisis posed by the FDLR's activities in the DRC.
As the violence intensifies, IBUKA has called for an immediate international response, urging governments, human rights organizations, and regional leaders to take concrete steps to stop the ongoing atrocities.
The organization stressed that the Congolese government must be held accountable for its role in enabling hate speech and genocide, and it called for the dismantling of the FDLR, whose presence continues to threaten regional stability and Rwandan security.
IBUKA is also calling for increased pressure on MONUSCO to take effective measures or be replaced with a competent intervention force and immediate protection and humanitarian assistance for Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities facing persecution.
'The world must not turn a blind eye to the unfolding crisis in eastern DRC. The ongoing violence is not only a humanitarian catastrophe but also a direct continuation of the genocidal ideology that led to one of the worst crimes against humanity in modern history,' IBUKA warned.
"The world cannot afford to ignore these warning signs. Silence is not an option. Decisive action must be taken now."
Wycliffe Nyamasege
