Minembwe-based civil society group urges FARDC to protect Banyamulenge

By Inspirer Reporter.

Civil Society ( Société Civile Noyau de Minembwe) is informing the international community and East African Community (EAC) about an imminent risk of genocide against the Banyamulenge in Minembwe-  a territory located in the province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to Société Civile Noyau de Minembwe statement in the area, a delegation of FARDC generals (Chico Tshitambwe deputy chief of staff in charge of operations and Ramazani Fundi commander operational sector sokola 2 south South Kivu) arrived in Minembwe and, contrary to their habit of meeting the local authorities, they spoke to the military only before taking the flight.

“This unusual attitude triggered the panic of the population. This morning the population of Madegu and those of villages close to the headquarters of the 12th brigade began to flee towards the remote villages.

Several observers, including civil society, are asking questions that deserve to be answered so that the population of Minembwe and its surroundings can be reassured that their security will not be threatened by this presence of FARDC soldiers,” reads part of the statement.

Civil society has urged  EAC to also work more closely with the Burundian government to carry out their mission to help the eastern DRC to regain security.

“On January 2, civil society informed the public about the arrival of Burundian soldiers in Minembwe. It was precisely on the same day that a delegation of notables from Minembwe met with FARDC and Burundian military officers at the office of the commune of Minembwe.”

These officers have confirmed that their mission is not that of the EAC regional force.

“It is a joint mission between FARDC and FNDB decided by the two heads of state to track down the armed groups which make the population of the DRC insecure.

It is from this declaration that the population of Minembwe began to worry about the real mission of this FARDC-FNDB coalition,” reads part of the statement.

Civil society urged FNDB to play a role in the security of the Minembwe population.

It urged the FARDC-FNDB coalition to hunt for foreign and national armed groups and protect civilians.

“The armed groups move freely in the Ruzizi plain, in the middle and high plateaus of uvira, in Mikenge Itombwe…) .”

“Moreover, in Mikenge their arrival coincided with the looting of cows belonging to the displaced Banyamulenge of Mikenge by the Mai Mai but they did nothing as an intervention despite the requests of the victim population,” Civil society decried.

There is a need to be too careful not to fall into the plan of genocide prepared for a very long time by the enemies of the Banyamulenge, it stated.

“The people of Minembwe are traumatized enough, they don’t need to hear the sound of weapons again, we need to work, our children need to study, and we need to live in peace like other citizens.

The international community is therefore alerted to the imminent risk of genocide against the Banyamulenge,” adds the statement.

“We are prepared to support the efforts aimed at bringing peace to our country, within the framework of the Nairobi process, a process to which we adhered with great interest.

We are also interested in the P-DDRCS program initiated by our government.

It is we who suffer, it is we who need peace, wanting to bring peace to our home without us is wanting to do the opposite,” it added.