Statement on the Crime against Humanity Committed against members of the Mystico-Religious sect of Prophet Bisimwa Ephrem by security services in Goma on 30/08/2023: We demand severe sanctions against the perpetrators of this crime.
Recalling that every Congolese who loves their country is a Muzalendo (Patriot) in their own way, we are concerned about the discourse and acts of hatred and intolerance against those who claim to be Muzalendo through their ideas, opinions, and religious beliefs.
Aware of the legitimacy of the demands embodied by this Mystico-Religious group to call for the departure of MONUSCO, the EAC Force, and Western International organizations, which fall within the framework of freedom of expression, thought, and association, Congolese who believe in the failure of these actors should not be killed like animals in a slaughterhouse. This culture that has been imposed since last year when young Congolese were massacred during the anti-MONUSCO march, just to protect MONUSCO vehicles and property, should come to an end.
Observing the peaceful and non-armed nature of the followers of this sect, who were sanctioned and reprimanded even before they committed alleged crimes, this massacre against the people hosting radio shows in a studio and the sect's followers in a church constitutes a crime against humanity.
We are concerned about the trivialization of the lives of Congolese killed just to protect the presence of foreigners on Congolese soil operating within MONUSCO, the EAC Force, and international organizations, which, in principle, should be accountable to us but instead violates the principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the equality of all. While Congolese are not targeting these foreigners, they are simply demanding the departure of these foreigners and the end of their services in the DRC.
Circumstances before the massacre
During the past months, this sect organized non-violent demonstrations in Goma, especially at the MONUSCO headquarters in Goma, which prompted the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, to make a public statement indicating that this group posed a threat and had called on the Congolese government to take strict measures against this group. This element seems very important to us to understand who really benefits from this massacre.
We call on the Congolese government to take immediate measures to sanction the direct and indirect perpetrators of these crimes against humanity, to guarantee Congolese the right to freedom of expression, and to demand results from the people who claim to have come to bring us peace. The observation is clear: the presence of MONUSCO, the EAC Force, and international organizations, especially in the eastern DRC, has not brought the long-sought-after hope for peace to the population. Asking for the departure of these agencies should not cost the lives of Congolese citizens, and at the same time, these agencies should not be imposed on the Congolese population.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested and the urgent compensation of all families whose members were killed on the day of 30/08/2023 in Goma,
The Coordination