Comments from Congo: Direct Dialogue Reveals the Truth Behind Last Week's Tragedy
A conversation with COJESKI's coordinator provides a deeper understanding of the circumstances surrounding the massacre committed at a church in Goma last week.
In an effort to gain a clearer understanding of the recent massacre in the Congo, I reached out to the Collective of Youth Organizations for Solidarity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (COJESKI). Their Coordinator's response provided me with the information necessary to relay a detailed account that I believe is crucial due to the inaccurate media coverage and the gravity of events.
In 2021, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo became a hotspot of tension as protests mounted against the United Nations' peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO. Misconduct and inefficiency on the part of the mission to quell the violence and instability plaguing the region met with continued inappropriate and unprofessional behavior by the Republican Guard, police, and the Armed Forces to create a particularly unstable environment in which the consequences of misperceptions and sentiments can swiftly result in mass casualty.
Apostle Ephraïm BISIMWA, a religious radio station operating within a church in Congo’s city of Goma urged the Congolese population to harness their nation's vast natural resources, encouraging a sense of empowerment rather than yielding to external imperialistic pressures. Inaccurate misrepresentations of this message were reported to military authorities, who, under the command of the Republican Guard, planned an attack on the church with the objective of killing broadcasters and burning down the building.
The religious organization had planned peaceful protests opposing MONUSCO, but they had not yet begun when soldiers entered the church in early Wednesday morning. The result as related to me personally was the needless loss of over a hundred lives, as well as egregious disrespect shown to the victims’ bodies following the massacre. Such events can only serve to heighten tensions in the already agitated region.
In an apparent attempt to prevent further escalation, the government arrested the Commander of the Republican Guard in Goma and suspended multiple police commanders. I was told this has helped to ease some of the frustration in the local population, but of course, the population is rightly outraged. These events as communicated to me reveal a deeply compromised system in which local contentions are exasperated by international pressures and organizations.
A special note of thanks to Monsieur Mugaruka from COJESKI for his detailed insights and dedication to truth.
-The Shultz Report by M. Shultz