Thousands in Paris Protest for Peace and Justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Thousands in Paris Protest for Peace and Justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Over the weekend, nearly 1,500 demonstrators took to the streets of Paris in a passionate show of solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging the international community to take decisive action to end the violence that has devastated the eastern part of the country. The march was organized by the advocacy group ‘Urgence Pona Mboka,’ which seeks to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and call for greater global intervention.

The protesters, many waving Congolese flags and holding signs reading “Stop the War,” “Our Wealth, Our Right,” and “Justice for the DRC,” expressed their deep frustration over the continued violence and the lack of meaningful support from the international community to address the conflict. The unrest in eastern DRC has been ongoing for over three decades, with various armed groups fighting for control of mineral-rich regions, causing widespread displacement and suffering.

One protester, Gilcy, voiced the anger and determination felt by many of those gathered: “Today, we are here because we are fed up with everything happening in the east of the DRC. This conflict has been ongoing for 30 years, and countless innocent lives have been lost. What we ask from the international community is for them to impose strong sanctions on Paul Kagame’s regime so that this conflict can finally come to an end.”

The protesters not only condemned the violence but also called for accountability from both regional actors and international powers, demanding that the countries fuelling the conflict be held responsible. Many demonstrators blamed foreign involvement, particularly Rwanda’s role in the instability of the eastern DRC, and called for a firmer response from global powers, including the imposition of sanctions.

One of the event organizers, who spoke on behalf of ‘Urgence Pona Mboka,’ addressed the crowd with a message of unity and resistance: “I’m here as one of the organizers of this protest, a protest to show that Congolese people are standing up. We must not be discouraged, we must not be intimidated. The international community, with France at the forefront, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States—these nations are our so-called international community, and they are still against us. But today, we’ve said no, we’ve said enough, and we are showing it.”

The protestors’ call for urgent action came as the conflict in eastern DRC continues to ravage communities, with millions of people displaced and the region enduring ongoing violence and instability. The demonstrators are urging world powers to take stronger measures to halt the bloodshed and hold accountable those who are exacerbating the situation.

With the DRC’s future hanging in the balance, the protesters hope their message will prompt a more robust and effective international response to end the conflict and secure lasting peace for the Congolese people.

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