VIDEO: Congolese refugees protest killings of Tutsi, Banyamulenge, Hema communities

Thousands of Congolese refugees in Rwandan camps on Monday, March 4, organised a peaceful march in protest of killings of Tutsi, Banyamulenge and Hema communities in eastern DR Congo. Refugees in Karongi District, in Western Province marched around Kiziba Camp carrying placards that accused the Congolese government and armed groups like FDLR, Mai Mai, Nyatura and CODECO of committing genocide. ALSO READ: Congolese refugees protest over genocide in homeland ALSO READ: Inside Kinshasa’s plan to hire American mercenaries to fight M23 They called on the international community to take action and stop genocide that is also supported by Burundian forces and troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), who are fighting alongside a government-led coalition against the M23 rebels in North Kivu province. Rwanda hosts over 100,000 Congolese refugees, some of whom have spent nearly 30 years in camps. Over 13,000 have fled the conflict between the government coalition and the M23 rebels. “We condemn the genocide being committed against Tusti in North Kivu, Banyamulenge in South Kivu and Hema in Ituri,” said John Nsengiyera, one of the refugees. “It is being perpetrated by the government of President Felix Tshisekedi, and FDLR, Mai Mai, CODECO and their enablers SADC and Burundi forces,” he said. ALSO READ: FDLR integration into DR Congo army must be addressed – Kagame Alliance Niyonsaba’s parents fled to Rwanda when she was one year old. The 29-year-old teacher at a camp-based school said the security situation in North Kivu gave her no hope she and her children could go home any time soon. “Children are being killed; women are raped all because they are Tutsi, Hema or Banyamulenge. All these countries supporting Tshisekedi to kill us, SADC, Burundi, must stop now,” said Niyonsaba. ALSO READ: South Africa sends 2,900 troops to DR Congo despite censure by main opposition party “It is very shocking to grow up as a refugee, attend school in a refugee camp, I got married in a camp, and my kids were born here. My grandchildren might also be born in exile, and yet we have a country,” she said. “We want the Congolese leaders to use our country’s resources to repatriate us instead of continuing to kill us. We call on the international community to act now and stop this genocide. We want to go back home.” ALSO READ: Rwanda raises concerns over DR Congo arming FDLR, indigenous armed groups The FDLR, a UN-sanctioned terrorist group linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, has been integrated into the Congolese army. Rwanda has for years asked the Congolese government to end its collaboration with the FDLR, which not only threatens DR Congo’s security but has launched attacks on Rwanda for more than two decades. ALSO READ: UN confirms FDLR active in DR Congo, warns of genocide ALSO READ: ‘We want justice’: Stories of DR Congo’s ‘tired' refugees The group, which was founded by remnants of Interahamwe and the former Rwandan army, has spread an anti-Tutsi ideology in eastern DR Congo and helped to create new militias. “If the Interahamwe were chased out of Congo, our country could have peace,” said Kanyabushari Musuhuke, a native of Masisi, North Kivu, who fled to Rwanda in 1996. “I used to have cattle and my children wouldn’t want milk, but all the cows were eaten. We lived in peace with our neighbours until Interahamwe came and forced us to flee,” said the 75-year-old. “Would I be happy after all these years in a refugee camp? These killers must be stopped.” Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for nearly 30 years. The provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri are home to more than 130 armed groups that are accused of atrocities and human rights violations.

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VIDEO: Congolese refugees protest killings of Tutsi, Banyamulenge, Hema communities