Calgary’s Congolese community shines light on forgotten war

Members of Calgary's Congolese community were at city hall Saturday protesting the killings in that country.

In 2022, heavy tensions broke out between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which have led to several alleged attacks by Congolese and Rwandan forces on each other's territory.

“The regime in Rwanda is being heinous in Congo. There’s been Rwandan soldiers coming into the country attacking people; destabilizing the region,” said Ike Kenzo the president of SOS Congo.

DRC is home to nearly seven million people who have been internally displaced due to the threat of violence and atrocities, extreme poverty, and mining expansion.

The group at Calgary City Hall carried signs reading “Stop. Rwanda is killing in DR Congo”.

Kezno said the world has forgotten about what’s going on in DR Congo. “It’s a horrendous tragedy. One of the worst wars that’s going on in the world right now.”

They want the Canadian government to speak out.

“Our message is the Canadian government needs to take a stance. It’s not like Canada to be behind the United States or be behind the European Union when it comes to speaking about humanitarian crises that are out there. We’re out here asking Canada to take a bold stance and speak about what’s going on there,” said Kezno.

SOS Congo stands for Sharing our Story. “It’s to say that we’ve been dying by a single narrative, a single way to look at what’s going on in the Congo. It’s damaging,” said Kenzo.

Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths.

To learn more about SOS Congo, go here.