Congolese Calgarians gather to protest conflict
Members of Calgary's Congolese diaspora and their supporters gathered Saturday afternoon to protest the ongoing conflict in the eastern reaches of their home country.
Roughly 50 people marched from the Calgary Municipal Building to the Peace Bridge, carrying bright blue, red and yellow Congolese flags while calling for more support from Western nations for their beleaguered country.
“What we want to see right now is no more silence,” said Ike Kenzo, an organizer of the Calgary protest and member of the local SOS Congo group.
Eastern Congo has been plagued by conflict for decades, with dozens of armed groups battling for control of the mineral-rich area that borders Rwanda. Congolese forces' main opposition has been the rebel group M23, which Congo claims is supported by the Rwandan government.
Violence between the groups in the region has increased in recent weeks, with M23 ramping up attacks and threatening to cut off supply routes to the roughly two million people in the City of Goma. Aid organizations have said recent movements could elicit a new humanitarian crisis, with one million displaced and more without access to food or medical assistance — in addition to the six million previously displaced because of conflict.
Tensions between Congo and Rwanda have also increased, with Rwanda admitting to placing troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, claiming it as a response to increased Congolese forces near the border.
The United States deputy United Nations ambassador urged both nations to “walk back from the brink of war” last week; a call rejected by Rwanda. Still, the UN plans to withdraw peacekeepers from the region by the end of the year.
A letter penned by SOS Congo and sent to Canada's International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday asks that the Canadian government demand Rwanda's withdrawal of troops from eastern Congo, extend support for diplomatic initiatives and advocate for the release of detainees. It also asks that Canada call for an investigation of alleged war crimes and expand sanctions on M23 leaders.
Kenzo says Congo has been “forgotten” by the Canadian government.
“Congolese have been coming to Canada for years, we've been contributing to what helps make Canada what it is,” he said. “We think that to be able to talk about this in a non-hypocritical way is really important right now.”
With the focus on the Israel-palestine and Ukraine-russia conflicts, some fear the conflict in eastern Congo may fly under the radar.
“The Canadian government is open to speaking about the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, but they're quiet on the conflicts that are happening in Congo,” said Abigael Kasongo, a 15-year-old girl with family in Congo who attended Saturday's protest. “This is a clear example of bias that is happening within the government, and the government needs to be held accountable for these situations.”