“The aggression is clear”: Denis Mukwege asks Belgium to act in the midst of a crisis with Rwanda
King Philippe of Belgium (2nd on the left) listens to Doctor Denis Mukwege (on the right) who presents his team at the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, June 12, 2022. AFP - GUERCHOM NDEBO
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege calls on Belgium this Sunday to intervene in the crisis between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of supporting the M23 rebellion.
Advertising
Read more
“
The aggression of Rwanda through the M23 is not a new thing
”.
In Bukavu, Doctor Denis Mukwege, who speaks on the occasion of the visit of the King of the Belgians and his wife to his hospital in Panzi, challenges the royal couple on the rise of tensions with neighboring Rwanda.
"
This royal visit is an act of exceptional courage (...), visiting us at this time, when Congo is the victim of yet another attack, is a strong humanitarian act ", he believes
,
while
Heavy fighting is again reported in the neighboring province of North Kivu between government forces and the M23
, a former Tutsi rebellion defeated in 2013 and reemerged late last year.
Not far from here, in North Kivu, the noise of the boots of the armed group M23, supported by Rwanda, awakens the turmoil of our population.
The last three decades have been marked by horrific massacres, massive population displacements, but also rapes and violence of all kinds.
Denis Mukwege, gynecologist-obstetrician and founder of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu
William Basimike
► To read also:
For Félix Tshisekedi, "Rwanda supported the M23 to attack the DRC"
"
Belgium has expertise on the Congo (...), which gives it a certain responsibility
," says Dr Mukwege.
Against "
the violence that is currently happening in the Congo, Belgium can play a very important role
", he said before recalling that in 2012, when the M23 had "
attacked for the first time, the President of the United States
Barack Obama had called (...) the Rwandan president to ask him to stop
".
"
A week later, this movement had retreated to Rwanda, so this phone call gave us peace for ten years
," he adds.
"
The aggression is clear, it must be named, and Belgium can do it
," insists Denis Mukwege, addressing the royal couple, on a six-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“
I think that Belgium can make a very strong plea to the European Union and at the level of the United Nations
”.
► To read also: Eastern DRC: Rwanda accused of "war crime" after the bombing of a school
(And with AFP)
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
ground floor
Rwanda
M23