The Democratic Republic of Congo Has Been Suffering A Silent Genocide for Decades
Photo via Pulse Sports Nigeria
KAHWIT TELA: If you have been on social media lately, you might have noticed the hashtag “Free Congo” and with it, a particular gesture.
People cover their mouths with one hand and point two fingers like a gun to the head with the other hand. This gesture became a form of protest, calling attention to the long-ongoing humanitarian crisis in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of The Congo.
The eastern region of DR Congo has been an area of heated conflict for decades, primarily over the land’s rich resources. The use of mineral resources (e.g. Coltan, Cobalt) can be used for various electronic products such as gaming consoles, cell phones, computers, and motor vehicles.
More than 100 armed forces are fighting in eastern Congo, but one of the most notorious groups is M23, an armed militia backed by Rwanda. Named after the peace agreement of March 23, 2009, the M23 Rebels gained infamy after capturing Goma, the largest city in the North Kivu Province, back in 2012. The rebel group resurfaced in 2021 and continues to fight for control of the eastern region. Despite evidence from the U.N. of Rwanda’s involvement with M23, Rwanda has denied all accusations of backing the rebel group.
The tense relationship between Congo and Rwanda began after the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 when Hutu refugees escaped into the Congo. This would end up leading to the first Congolese Civil War, which began in 1996 and would continue to leave the country in armed conflict.
While the origin of the gesture is unknown, it started to gain international attention when the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national soccer team made a silent protest during the African Cup of Nations Soccer Tournament. Before their semifinal match with Ivory Coast, the Congolese national soccer team covered their mouths with the palm of one hand and pointed their fingers like a gun with the other. Along with this, the team wore black armbands during the match to support those affected in the eastern region.
Although the Leopards ultimately lost to Ivory Coast 1-0, they more than earned the world’s attention. The team’s forward Cedric Bakambu took to social media to voice his frustrations about the media’s silence on the situation in Congo. “Everyone sees the massacres in Eastern Congo,” Bakambu wrote in a post on X, “but everyone is silent,” Bakambu continues, “Put that same energy that you put towards the CAN [Africa Cup of Nations] to highlight what is happening with us. There are no small gestures.”
Following the game, the team’s coach Sébastien Desabre talked about how the protest was meant to amplify acknowledgement of the situation in Congo. “It was a message to show support to the victims,” said Desabre, “to notify [people] that there are indeed things happening in the east and that it is necessary to shed light on it. People are disappointed about that too.”
The genocide in Congo has been going on for decades now. Similar to what is happening in the Middle East or Sudan, the West is finally acknowledging the atrocities that the Congolese people have been living through for decades. Since the start of the first Congolese War in 1996, there have been more than six million deaths and over six million displaced in the eastern Congo region.
The finger guns to the head are more than a gesture or a political protest. It’s a way for the world to finally understand how dire the situation in Congo has been and continues to be. It is a privilege to pay no mind to the atrocities happening in the world. Whether it is the DR Congo, Gaza, Sudan, or Tigray, you can not just tune out what is distressing to you just because you don’t want to hear it.
The world has continuously neglected the long-ongoing genocide in the Democratic Republic of The Congo, but no one wants to think about it.
Kahwit Tela is a Staff Writer for On The Record from Nashville, Tennessee. He is a first-year Master of Professional Studies in Journalism student at The School of Continuing Studies. He has a passion for human rights advocacy, reporting on global affairs, and making comic book zines.