In this post on ISS blog BlISS, Dr Helen Hintjens and PhD researcher Delphin Ntanyoma describe the predicament of the Banyamulenge, a minority currently besieged and threatened by surrounding armed groups in South Kivu.
After decades of civil warfare, peace is the priority for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Yet the predicament of the Banyamulenge, a minority currently besieged and threatened by surrounding armed groups in South Kivu, illustrates that the poisonous legacies of colonial theories of ‘race’ are alive and well in people’s minds. This threatens prospects for peace in the DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.
Belgium’s King Philippe recently issued a public apology for the cruelty of colonialism in the Congo, and following Black Lives Matter protests, a Parliamentary ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ commission has been set up in Belgium.
Yet its findings will not come soon enough to help the Banyamulenge. Helen Hintjens and Delphin Ntanyoma call for urgent intervention to protect the civilian Banyamulenge who are facing genocide. They call for mental decolonization from race theories to ensure that ALL Black Lives Matter in the Congo.
Read the full post - ALL Black Lives Matter in the Congo
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