Demonstrators displayed signs proclaiming “Congo is not for sale” and called on the United States to impose sanctions on Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Dady Djamba, representing the Congolese Community of Washington Metropolitan, expressed, “We are here to alert the embassy and convey that their actions are unjust. This aggression must cease,” he told AFP.
Maya Ford, a New York student who spent two years in Congo, highlighted the importance of international awareness. “Congo deserves better. It deserves a voice. This conflict has been overlooked for far too long, and we must ensure that Congo’s needs are acknowledged,” she stated.
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The protest occurs amid threats from M23 fighters and Rwandan forces against another significant town in eastern DRC, following their capture of Goma and advances into South Kivu province. The ongoing conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread displacement, with armed groups seizing control of mineral-rich regions.
In reaction, the United Nations Human Rights Council has initiated an investigation into reported violations and abuses amid the ongoing violence.
