PARIS, France
Over the weekend, nearly 1,500 demonstrators took to the streets of Paris in a powerful show of solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), demanding an end to the violence ravaging the eastern part of the country.
The march, organised by the
group 'Urgence Pona Mboka,' was a call for international intervention and a
push to hold accountable those fuelling the ongoing conflict.
The protesters, many waving
Congolese flags and holding signs with messages such as “Stop the War,” “Our
Wealth, Our Right,” and “Justice for the DRC,” voiced their frustration over
the violence and the lack of meaningful international support for the DRC in
the escalating conflict.
Gilcy, a protester, expressed
the anger and determination felt by many:
“Today, we are gathered
because we are fed up with everything happening in the east of the DRC. This
conflict has been ongoing for 30 years, and many people have suffered because
of it. And today, what we are asking from the international community is for
them to impose strong sanctions on Paul Kagame’s regime, so that this conflict
in the east can finally be stopped once and for all.”
Protesters called for a
stronger response from world powers to take more decisive action.
One of the event organisers
from 'Urgence Pona Mboka,' also addressed the crowd, stressing the importance
of solidarity and perseverance:
“I’m here as one of the
organisers of this protest. A protest to show that Congolese people are
standing up. We must not be discouraged, we must not be intimidated. The
international community, with France at the forefront, Belgium, the United
Kingdom, the United States of America—this is what we call the international
community, and they are still against us. And today, we’ve said—no, we’ve said
no, and we are showing it.”
With the eastern DRC still
plagued by conflict, the protesters are calling on the international community
to act before it’s too late.
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