Bukavu July 31, 2020 — Call to Peace
Since my tweet on Sunday July 26 denouncing the recent massacre in Kipupu in Mwenga territory in South Kivu, I have received various hate mail and members of my family have been intimidated and threatened.
22 years ago, I discovered the dramatic consequences of the war on Congolese soil, in the Kivus region and in other provinces of our country. Since then, I have not ceased to campaign for the search for truth and the application of justice, without which we cannot hope for lasting peace.
No matter the period, no matter the region of the world, no lie, no falsified construction of history has ever succeeded in sustaining peace. Executioners and victims have no future if they are condemned to live a lie.
For almost 10 years, I have been advocating for the examination of the Mapping Report carried out by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This report contains a compilation of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocides detailed from 1993 to 2003. Without analyzing these crimes—which mark the history of the Congo—and without justice being rendered for these crimes, no people involved in these conflicts will be able to recover or live in peace.
It seems that advocating for the creation of a special jurisdiction to try crimes in the Congo scares some people who pour out their hatred on social media by pitting one against the other, often on the basis of lies.
However, reconciliation between peoples and the establishment of reparations for the victims cannot be achieved without our relentless search for the truth.
“Telling the truth is the start of change.” This is valid for a victim of sexual violence, as well as victims of war, genocide, or any trauma.
No intellectual malfeasance, no threat, no intimidation, will prevent me from expressing myself on the reality of the atrocities experienced by the populations of my country and the consequences of which I treat every day in my hospital in Bukavu.
Since 2012 and even after two assassination attempts, I have continued to receive death threats. I live at my hospital without being able to leave it except during my trips abroad. Who has an interest in murdering me? Why interrupt my search for truth and my desire for justice?
The search for the truth is an extremely difficult process.I understand that I am attacked and threatened by people who have chosen a side, however, this is not my position— my fight is rid my country of all massacres. Each massacre is one too many.
No life is more valuable than another. By taking the Hippocratic Oath, I dedicated my life to helping my neighbors regardless of social class, gender, or ethnic origin.
We will always continue to respond to violence with love.
Faced with these cycles of violence and reprisals, which only benefit those who seek to maintain chaos in our country in order to better plunder it, we are launching a call for justice, harmonious coexistence, and peace.