The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on January 7 once more said he is “concerned about the rise in ethnic-based hate speech and incitement to violence” in eastern DR Congo. He called on the Congolese authorities to thoroughly and transparently investigate all reports of hate speech and incitement to violence and to hold those responsible to account. ALSO READ: 2023 leaves eastern DR Congo as unstable as ever In a statement, Türk said: “I am very concerned about the rise in ethnic-based hate speech and incitement to violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu as well as in the Kasaï and Katanga regions, after last month’s general elections. ALSO READ: UN confirms FDLR active in DR Congo, warns of genocide “Hateful, dehumanizing and inciteful rhetoric is abhorrent and can only deepen tension and violence in the DRC itself, as well as putting regional security at risk. I note efforts by some authorities against this behaviour, but stronger actions are needed.” The UN’s Office for Genocide Prevention has issued warnings of atrocities in eastern DR Congo since at least November 2022. ALSO READ: New DR Congo rebel alliance condemns bombings of populated areas Hate speech and ethnic violence against Congolese Tutsi communities has been reported by the office headed by Alice Wairumu Nderitu who linked the ethnically motivated violence to the existence of the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, who took refuge in DR Congo. The ethnic violence, mass killings and property destructions that “continue unabated” in DR Congo could plunge the country into genocide, the United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, said in July 2023. ALSO READ: Risk factors for genocide visible in DR Congo, says UN advisor Nderitu gave the warning on July 4, 2023, during her briefing to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council. “The failure to promptly respond to warning signs allows genocides to happen,” she said, noting “an exponential spread of online hate speech, often instrumentalized for political gain.” “In the Democratic Republic of Congo, multiple attacks against civilians along ethnic lines, as well as of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, destruction of property and attacks, including against IDP camps perpetrated by the numerous armed groups continue unabated,” Nderitu said. “My Office has consistently identified risk factors for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the [DR Congo].” ALSO READ: M23 warns of ‘imminent genocide’ in DR Congo Some Congolese politicians have been linked to the spread of hate speech. In December 2022, a former minister, Justin Bitakwira, was sanctioned by the European Union for sustaining the insecurity in eastern DR Congo. DR Congo’s army is accused of collaborating with the FDLR in the war with the M23 rebels in North Kivu. Eastern DR Congo is home to more than 130 armed groups. Multiple interventions including one of the largest UN missions – MONUSCO – failed to end decades of violence in the country.
