Kinshasa, February 23rd, 2026 (CPA).- A tribute has been paid to the resilience of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly those in the east of the country, by the Minister in charge of Gender, Family and Children’s Affairs (GFAE), during an information day on the activities planned for March on Monday in Kinshasa.
‘I pay tribute to the resilience of Congolese women. Despite the difficult security situation in the country, particularly in the east, women remain a silent force and the pillar of the nation,’ has declared Micheline Ombae, Minister in charge of GFAE. ‘Since more than three decades, our country faces security tragedy in its eastern part. ‘The human cost is horrible. More than ten million lives lost. Behind these figures, there are faces, mothers, mothers, daughters, children and families broken. ‘Today, more than seven million Congolese people live displaced, living as refugees within and outside our territory’, she has added. According to the Minister of GFAE, women pay the heaviest price, including violence, forced displacement, precariousness and trauma.
« Yet, in the midst of the ashes, Congolese women remain standing. They care for others. They feed others. They rebuild. They hope. Congolese women are like palm trees that bend in the storm without ever breaking, » she has said, thanking the General Commissioner of the Congolese National Police (PNC) for providing the venue for this information day and the technical and financial partners of the Ministry in charge of Gender.
‘I would like to thank the General Commissioner of the PNC for providing the venue. I would also like to thank the technical and financial partners, civil society organisations (CSOs), the sectorial “gender” units and all the experts and managers in my ministry whose daily commitment makes this ambition possible,’ said Ms Ombae. ‘May this month be a month of unity. May this month be a month of hope. May this month be a month of concrete action. Long live Congolese women, the silent force and pillar of the nation. Long live women’s rights, the foundation of a just and prosperous Republic,’ she has wished. This information day, organised for partners and the press, has brought together institutional, security and civil society actors with the aim of strengthening the protection and empowerment of women and girls in DRC. CPA/