THE BLOOD OF CONGO’S INNOCENT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
What happened last month in the east of Congo is more than a report. It is a cry for help from our people. The United Nations said that at least 319 civilians were killed by M23 rebels backed by Rwanda. Among them were 48 women and 19 children. They were not soldiers. They were farmers. They were families. They were people who only wanted to plant their crops and live in peace.
The killings happened in four villages in Rutshuru, North Kivu. Witnesses said that M23 fighters used guns and machetes. Many people were cut down while sleeping in their small shelters in the fields. Quelle honte pour l’humanité — what a shame for humanity. The rebels said they will “investigate,” but we all know this is a lie. They kill and then pretend to care.
The United Nations called it one of the worst massacres since M23 came back in 2022. It is not the first time, and I fear it will not be the last. Every time, the world writes a report and moves on. But for us, the pain never moves on. It stays. It grows.
I have no army, only words. But my words come from the voices of the mothers who cry in silence, of the children who hide in fear, and of the fathers who watch everything they built turn into ashes. They are the true victims of this endless war between governments, rebels, and foreign powers who see Congo only as a land of gold and cobalt.
The minerals that make phones and car batteries are covered in the blood of our people. While the world enjoys comfort, we live with the pain of death and displacement. Hundreds of thousands are now homeless, walking with no food and no future. Yet those responsible continue to speak of “peace agreements” in foreign cities. C’est une honte — it is a shame.
The M23 say they fight to protect their people. But who protects the Congolese people? Who protects the women and children buried in shallow graves? Our leaders talk about peace, but peace cannot grow where justice is ignored. The killers must face the truth. Those who help them, finance them, or stay silent must also answer before God and before history.
Rwanda continues to deny its hand in this blood, but the truth is clear. La vérité ne meurt jamais — the truth never dies. It may take time, but justice will rise. The bones in Rutshuru will speak one day.
I write this not just to remember the dead, but to remind the living. Congo is bleeding, and the world must see it. No report, no speech, no political excuse can clean this blood. Only truth and justice can.
Until that day comes, we will not be silent. We will keep speaking for those whose voices were cut short. Their blood cries out from the ground of Congo. And it says one thing: never again.