Banyamulenge have called on the Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to shed light on the return of Major General Sylvain Ekenge as spokesperson of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), months after he was suspended over discriminatory remarks targeting the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Outcry as DR Congo army spokesman spreads anti-Tutsi tropes Mahoro Peace Association (MPA), a US based organization representing Banyamulenge community raised the concerns in a formal protest issued on Tuesday, September 29, addressed to Antonio Guterres, President Félix Tshisekedi, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa and the FARDC General Staff. Ekenge was suspended from the position of FARDC spokesperson after remarks he made on state broadcaster RTNC on December 27, 2025, in which he warned Congolese men against marrying Tutsi women and claimed that Tutsi families used marriage and childbirth to preserve what he described as their “race.” ALSO READ: Researcher warns genocide ideology in DR Congo 'at its peak' Two days later, on December 29, the FARDC announced his suspension and condemned his statements as discriminatory and incompatible with republican values. Months later, however, Ekenge appeared again in an official FARDC communication in the same role. ALSO READ: Kinshasa made ethnic division 'a business opportunity', says governor A General Staff communique issued recently on September 25, concerning an aircraft crash that killed two senior military officers was signed by Ekenge and identified him as “Spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.” MPA said it was particularly concerned that no public explanation had been issued on whether his suspension was formally lifted or whether any disciplinary or other accountability process followed his December 2025 remarks. “Association considers this development deeply troubling,” the statement said. The organisation added that the return of an official to a position of institutional authority after discriminatory statements, without a publicly documented accountability process, raises questions about the credibility of Congolese state. ALSO READ: Nduhungirehe condemns Ekenge's return as FARDC mouthpiece “This is not merely an issue concerning one military officer,” the association said. “It concerns the credibility of the Congolese state's commitment to non-discrimination, equal protection and accountability for public officials.” The association also warned about what it observes as the wider consequences of allowing identity-based discrimination and dehumanising rhetoric to be tolerated or normalised by public institutions. ALSO READ: North Kivu governor outlaws tribalism, hate speech It referred to historical cases in Nazi Germany, where racial ideology was progressively incorporated into state policy, including through the 1935 Nuremberg Laws, which institutionalized racial discrimination and prohibited marriages between Jews and Germans. It also referred to the tragic history of Rwanda where years of anti-Tutsi discrimination and propaganda preceded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with government-linked propaganda and media contributing to the massacre of Tutsi. “These historical examples do not mean that the DRC is identical to Nazi Germany or Rwanda,” MPA said. “They demonstrate a fundamental principle: When discriminatory rhetoric comes from officials in positions of authority, institutional accountability matters.” ALSO READ: Ekenge’s return casts doubt on DR Congo peace process The association called on the Congolese government and international human-rights organisations, including the United Nations, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH and International Crisis Group, to publicly address Ekenge’s return. MPA urges the authorities to clarify whether his suspension was formally lifted, identify who authorised the decision and when it was made, and disclose whether any disciplinary or other accountability process was undertaken. It also called for Ekenge’s statements to be investigated and documented, including their implications for Banyamulenge and other Congolese Tutsicommunities, and for subsequent official rhetoric targeting the community to be monitored. ALSO READ: DR Congo must be violence-free, says AFC/M23 leader Nangaa The association further urged the Congolese government to prevent ethnic hatred, discrimination and dehumanising rhetoric by public officials and state institutions and to ensure equal protection under the law for Banyamulenge, Tutsi Congolese and other communities. It called on international organisations to raise the matter directly with the Congolese government and seek credible, transparent and effective accountability safeguards. “A suspension should lead to accountability. A public condemnation should be followed by meaningful action,” the association said.
