More than 1,000 Banyamulenge and their supporters marched through the streets of Brussels on Friday, May 16, demanding international action over the escalating atrocities against their community in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Veteran US diplomat urges action on Tutsi persecution in DR Congo The demonstrations came amid concerns that Kinshasa’s coalition forces, comprising FARDC, Burundian forces, the FDLR genocidal militia, Wazalendo and other local militias, American and Colombian mercenaries continue to intensify attacks on Minembwe and surrounding areas in South Kivu. ALSO READ: PHOTOS: Banyamulenge petition US govt over attacks on Minembwe Alexis Kiray, a member of Gakondo, the umbrella organisation of Banyamulenge associations worldwide, said the protest was intended to expose what he described as years of systematic persecution of Banyamulenge communities. The demonstrators called on the European Union and the wider international community to pressure Kinshasa to halt attacks on civilians in Minembwe, particularly alleged drone strikes. “The first demand is to stop these atrocities. Civilians are being bombed by drones, and the European Union knows the truth,” Kiray said. “We have been having attacks targeting the Banyamulenge in the High Plateau of Minembwe since 2017. Villages were destroyed, livelihoods destroyed, and over 400,000 people have been displaced and forced to leave the country,” Kiray said. Thousands of Congolese people are demonstrating in Brussels to demand justice and an end to the drone attacks targeting the Banyamulenge and Tutsi communities in the #DRC. A striking aspect of this mobilization is the exceptional unity among Congolese communities, coming... pic.twitter.com/eyD9VkUEnT — Adele Kibasumba (@AKibasumba) May 15, 2026 He said up to 1,200 people took part in the Brussels march, aimed at drawing international attention to the plight of Banyamulenge and other Congolese Tutsi communities. “What is happening to Banyamulenge in South Kivu is the same thing happening to the Tutsi in North Kivu,” he said. “We mobilised all Congolese Tutsi and other supporters who believe these atrocities are unacceptable.” He said demonstrators submitted a petition to European Union institutions, calling out the international community for remaining silent in the face of the violence against the Congolese Tutsi community. “We have been meeting members of the European Parliament, Belgian Parliament and other European institutions throughout the week,” Kiray said. “We wanted to highlight how there is complicity in keeping quiet. They know the truth, we have been telling the truth, but they choose not to act.” “Even if they stay silent, we will not be silent.” ALSO READ: Banyamulenge protest in US, Kenya amid rising calls for action on Minembwe crisis Kiray said the protests were also intended to ensure the international community could not later claim ignorance about the violence facing Banyamulenge communities. “We do not want to hear excuses that the world did not know what was happening, like what happened in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” he said. He also called for greater international involvement in peace efforts and for reported crimes committed in Minembwe and other affected areas to be referred to the International Criminal Court. “We want whoever is involved in killing civilians in Minembwe and elsewhere to be held accountable,” he said. “Currently, Minembwe is under total blockade, and it has been like that for over six months. People cannot leave their home and go to the market or farms. People are dying from hunger and treatable diseases.” ALSO READ: Banyamulenge take Burundi govt to court over abuses in Minembwe He said the situation worsened after AFC/M23 fighters withdrew from Uvira, allowing the government coalition forces to tighten restrictions around Minembwe. “Since they [AFC/M23] left Uvira, the Burundian army, Wazalendo and FARDC closed all roads to Minembwe, preventing people from leaving or accessing their farms and markets,” Kiray said. He added that civilians continued to face near-daily bombardments. Citizenship issue Kiray argued that the conflict goes beyond military confrontation and touches on longstanding questions surrounding the identity and citizenship of Banyamulenge communities in DR Congo. “For [leaders in Kinshasa], there is no Banyamulenge or Tutsi ethnicity in Congo. They say we belong elsewhere,” he said. “But Banyamulenge were already on that land before Congo was created in 1884-85. We are Congolese, and we are demanding the right to live safely in our country.” He also criticised what he observed as the international prioritisation of mineral interests over civilian lives. “The government of Congo is making mineral deals while our people are in danger of extermination,” Kiray said. “Our lives matter more than minerals. If they want to make deals, they can do so after peace is restored. What we want first is protection.” ALSO READ: How Burundian troops in South Kivu sparked a distinct humanitarian crisis amid DR Congo’s wider war The Brussels demonstrations also unfolded amid criticism from AFC/M23 rebel leaders over the ongoing regional mediation efforts. AFC/M23 deputy coordinator Bertrand Bisimwa said recent attacks on Minembwe undermined the group’s “good-faith actions” aimed at facilitating ongoing peace talks. “It is incomprehensible that mediation and facilitation remain passive in the face of Kinshasa’s barbarity,” Bisimwa said on May 14, warning that mediation efforts risk losing credibility if one side is pressured while the other continues military operations.
