Kinshasa, August 3rd, 2025 (CPA).- The international community has been called upon, on Saturday, to provide moral and political support for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s efforts to recognise the genocide committed on its national territory in order to establish the truth that has long been hidden, during the commemoration of this day in Kinshasa. « On the eve of the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into the massacres perpetrated in this region, I make a solemn appeal to the international community. It has a moral and political duty to support this essential step towards establishing the truth. It has the right to bring justice to the victims and lay the foundations for a lasting peace based on shared memory and responsibility, » has declared Felix Tshisekedi, President of DRC. « And if the world still hesitates to recognise this tragedy for what it is, a “creeping” genocide, we will not wait for others to validate our pain. We are the first witnesses, we will be the first architects of justice,‘ he has insisted. In his speech, the Head of State has deplored the continuing massacres committed on the night of July 26th to 27th in Kamanda, Ituri, which he says are undermining the peace efforts undertaken through, in particular, the Washington Agreement. ’The massacre that took place a few days ago, again in the vicinity of Djugu, in Ituri (northeast DRC), is a perfect illustration of this. « The massacre that has occurred in recent days, again in the vicinity of Djugu, in Ituri (north-east) of DRC, is a perfect illustration of this”. According to the United Nations, dozens of farmers have been cold-bloodedly murdered while working in their fields. This tragedy is a cruel reminder that the Genocost is not just a thing of the past. It continues to be perpetuated in silence and indifference. It threatens, at every moment, the peace efforts we have undertaken with determination. It jeopardises the historic momentum generated by the Washington Agreement, concluded under the auspices of President Donald Trump, to end nearly three decades of violence in the east of our country, » has denounced the President of the Republic.
The presidential couple at the Genocost commemoration ceremony.
Faced with all these threats, has said Felix Tshisekedi, his country’s silence resonates like a cry, a call for justice, and reminds us that behind every number there is a broken life, a shattered dream and a destiny interrupted. ‘It is up to us, the heirs of this memory, to preserve it, to elevate it and to make it the foundation for clear-sighted, responsible and irreversible action,’ he has concluded. This ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including members of the government and a number of diplomatic representatives. CPA/ Ngoy