A member of the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, February 1, introduced a resolution condemning ethnically motivated violence in eastern DR Congo and warned of “possible genocide” against Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi communities. Congressman André Carson, who represents the state of Indiana, said members of DR Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) were engaged in grave acts of violence against ethnic minorities, such as massacres and sexual violence. ALSO READ: DR Congo: UN rights official denounces rising hate speech, incitement “Human rights organisations and advocacy groups have documented concerning acts of violence performed by members of the Armed Forces of the DRC and militias against ethnic minorities,” Carson’s office said in statement on Thursday. These acts “may meet one or more criteria for genocide” under Article II of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. “Armed groups and often abusive security forces continue to carry out massacres, abductions, rape and sexual violence, recruitment of children, and other attacks on civilians,” the statement said, adding that the targets are primarily Kinyarwanda-speaking communities. ALSO READ: US sanctions three DR Congo officials ALSO READ: UN confirms FDLR active in DR Congo, warns of genocide “Individuals fleeing violence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo make up one of Indiana’s largest refugee populations,” Carson was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that he was “concerned that the situation in [DR Congo] has not received the international attention it merits for such grave acts of violence.” “The U.S. has a strategic interest in this region, but we also have a moral obligation to stand up to human rights abuses whenever and wherever they occur. [...] I invite all my colleagues to join me in this resolution and hold perpetrators accountable.” ALSO READ: 2023 leaves eastern DR Congo as unstable as ever In the resolution, Carson calls for immediate action by the Congolese government, including humanitarian assistance and to hold all state security forces that perpetuate atrocities against the civilian population accountable. He called on US President Joe Biden to appoint a special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, and impose targeted sanctions against known human rights abusers in DR Congo. He also called on social media companies to curb hate speech and incitement to violence on their platforms. ALSO READ: Calls grow to prevent genocide in DR Congo In early January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, raised his concerns about a rise in ethnic-based hate speech and incitement to violence in eastern DR Congo. The UN’s Office for Genocide Prevention has issued warnings of atrocities in eastern DR Congo since at least November 2022. The office documented ethnically motivated violence against the Tutsi communities in eastern DR Congo and said it found indicators and triggers of atrocity crimes in DR Congo. Among these, the office said, were dissemination of hate speech and the absence of independent mechanisms to address it; politicization of identity; proliferation of local militias and other armed groups across the country; widespread and systematic attacks, including sexual violence.
