Since October 2014, at least 600 people have been massacred with horrific brutality in and around the city of Beni, North Kivu. The atrocities have included beheadings, the mutilation of corpses, and the murder of young children. Just this month alone, more than 50 people have been killed.
“The blood of our Congolese sisters and brothers must stop flowing into the streets. Nothing can justify such cruelties, these are men and women and children, and their deaths are not simple news items. Their lives matter…
The Congolese are frustrated, hurt and humiliated. They are demanding more accountability and efficiency on the part of those who govern them. They are mobilizing to achieve the long-awaited, and promised, change.”
On Friday, May 20, Congolese citizens and civil society leaders in Bukavu and beyond dressed in black, stayed home from work, and took to social media, all in mourning for their compatriots in Beni and to demand action. More than 7100 civilians gathered in Bukavu in a public display of lamentation for those lost, and in urgency for action to end this brutal assault. View the slideshow below. 
Photo by Daniel Musaka for Panzi Foundation DRC
YELLOW SUNDAY: STAND IN SOLIDARITY
Join Congolese civilians worldwide for Yellow Sunday on June 19, 2016. Together we will stand in solidarity to increase public awareness of the ongoing atrocities in Beni and throughout Congo, and mobilize support for those fighting for peace and justice.
In Congolese traditions, yellow symbolizes wealth. Congo’s greatest wealth is its people, who struggle under violence, corruption, and poverty. Join our effort by wearing yellow on Sunday, June 19; take a picture of yourself, your friends, your families, your church and community wearing yellow and post it on social media using hashtag #YellowSunday #DimancheJaune #JeSuisBeni #Congo.
Feel free to use the graphics below to aid your efforts! More resources follow.
Resources:
- To learn more about the ongoing violence in Beni, this primer is particularly helpful.
- Read Dr. Mukwege’s statement on the Beni attacks.