On December 22, 2025, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo hosted two Congolese expatriates from the United States, Jean-Claude Mubenga and Kalonji Kabamba wa Mulumba.
The DRC government claims that Tshisekedi, Mubenga, and Kalonji discussed Congolese unity and the country's sovereignty and independence.
However, individuals familiar with the actions of these men on social media argue that the meeting was intended to further support their controversial views.
The following day, Mubenga posted inflammatory comments online, referring to Tutsis as "inyenzi" (cockroaches) and asserting that the DRC's land does not belong to them.
He described them as a virus that must be eradicated before it spreads, likening them to cockroaches that should be killed immediately to prevent multiplication.
Mubenga, known for his repeated expressions of animosity toward the Tutsi community, urged Congolese citizens to target anyone speaking Kinyarwanda for elimination and praised Wazalendo militias for doing so.
He further encouraged youth to join efforts to eradicate the group entirely.This is not the first instance of apparent government endorsement.
In late September 2025, Government Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya met Mubenga and Kalonji in New York during a YouTube-broadcast discussion.
Muyaya expressed appreciation for Congolese individuals engaged in what he called a "media war" for patriotism, specifically commending Mubenga for his campaigning efforts.Similar patterns extend to other figures aligned with the administration.
Deputy Justin Bitakwira, a longtime advocate for the extermination of all Tutsis and a member of the ruling Union Sacrée alliance, oversees Wazalendo activities in South Kivu.
Despite EU sanctions imposed on him in December 2022 for inciting violence against the Banyamulenge (Congolese Tutsis), the DRC government has taken no action against him.
More recently, on the evening of December 27, 2025, state broadcaster RTNC featured Major General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the DRC armed forces, in a segment ostensibly updating viewers on security in eastern DRC, particularly South Kivu amid ongoing conflict.
While the primary focus was military developments, much of the discussion veered into attacks on Rwandans and Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, especially Tutsis, whom Ekenge accused of deception.
He warned viewers to exercise caution in marrying Tutsi women, alleging that traditional leaders facilitate such unions only for relatives from the woman's family, such as cousins or uncles, to later intervene.
Ekenge claimed these relatives father children with the wife, attributing the offspring to supposed genetic dominance within the Tutsi community, and labeled the practice a scam infiltrating marriages.
The DRC government maintains that no ethnic group is targeted and dismisses claims of persecution against Congolese Tutsis as fabrications.
Yet, statements from officials like General Ekenge and the associations with figures such as Mubenga and Bitakwira lend credence to widespread concerns about institutionalized hostility toward the Tutsi community.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/drc-anti-tutsi-rhetoric-escalates-with-cockroaches-and-virus-slurs
