The infamous M23 rebel group is wreaking havoc in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, seizing two of the largest cities in the region in a deadly uprising that forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
At the heart of their campaign is assertion that the Congolese doctor was persecuted.
Deepening into the state of Tutsis of the Congolese Doctor – and the exact relationship with the M23 uprising – is a very complex and sensitive question of who is considered at the heart of the Congolese.
First, many global authorities believe that the rebels committed unreasonable atrocities in the alleged battle against discrimination. For example, the United Nations and we have approved allegations of war crimes by the M23 leaders, such as sexual violence and the killing of civilians.
Second, some regional analysts say that the M23 and Rwanda, which support the rebel group, did not seek to defend Tussis, but instead mainly seek to capitalize on the huge mineral wealth of the Eastern Congo Doctor.
It is also worth noting that the Congo Doctor believes there are thousands of Tutsis-no official estimates-many people do not support actions under their name.
That being said, experts and organizations like the United Nations have documented decades of discrimination against the Congo’s Tutsis and the Banyamulenge – a Tutsi subgroup concentrated in the southern Kivo province .
From racial killings to workplace discrimination to hate speech by politicians.
The root of this discrimination is the association of Tussis with its neighboring Rwanda, which has been led by Tussis since 1994. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many Congolese Tussis played a key role in the violent Rwanda support insurgency.
The view that Congolese tutsis is “foreign” can have fatal consequences.
Bukuru Muhizi, a researcher and economist from the Mwenga territory of South Kivu, told the BBC that due to its Lanyamulenge and Tutsi's identity, people from all generations of his family were killed.
He said his husband and wife and his great son have been killed by Congolese soldiers and local militia soldiers over the past six years. The Congolese armed forces did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on the allegations.
Muhizi said his family had lived in the Congo doctorate for centuries and he “hopefully the world knows” that his community is experiencing what he calls “silent genocide.”
Banyamulenge activist Muragwa Cheez Bienvenue said he was once a target for airport staff in Bukavu City.
“I was stopped – they told me I looked like [Rwandan President] Kagame and they asked me to pay about $150 (£120) to avoid being imprisoned. He told the BBC, adding that he supports the M23 cause.
Bukuru Muhizi belongs to the Banyamulenge subgroup, they named it from Mulenge Locality, where they settled for the first time in the Congo Doctor [Bukuru Muhizi]
Before colonization, part of the Congo doctorate was the Rwandan monarchy, i.e. Tutsi. It has long been fighting an expansionist war, expanding the kingdom, including in increasing East Africa.
Tutsis, Hutus and other ethnic groups lived in the Kingdom of Rwanda, and have done so since at least the 19th century. But when colonial forces occupied any borders in Africa, the kingdom was distributed between the present-day Congo Doctor and Rwanda.
Subsequently, other Tutsis migrated to the Congo Doctor in the waves. In the mid-20th century, Belgian colonialists brought workers from today’s Rwanda to their plantations, while other workers searched for better lives with their own coordination.
Meanwhile, Tutsi refugees began to arrive in the Congo Doctor, fleeing the wave of racial violence in Rwanda and Burundi. The two countries have long been dominated by Tutsi minority groups, resulting in a majority with the Hutu.
It is believed that in 1994, more people arrived in the Rwandan genocide, with about 800,000 (mostly Tussis) being massacred. But when a leading government seized power and ended the Holocaust, some returned, especially after some responsible genocide subsequently fled to the Congo Doctor.
As the Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities of the Congolese Doctors grew, the Congolese authorities “alternately authorized and undermined,” the Congolese analyst Dr. wrote in his book War, their The name does not indicate its name.
In the early 1970s, then-President Mobutu Sese Seko granted citizenship to anyone who originated in Rwanda or Burundi, provided they attended Congolese territory before 1960.
However, in 1981, the Parliament redefines these rights, and many Tussis, Lannan Minenites and people from other minorities “derived their nationality and have no nationality.”
In the 1990s, Tutsis and Banyamulenge were killed in multiple massacres in the Congo Doctorate in the 1990s. For example, a UN report said that Congolese troops killed nearly 300 Banyamulenge civilians in the city of Baraka in 1996.
It also noted that “many” of Tussis and Benivul Gang factions were unemployed and suffered discrimination and threats.
Today, the Constitution considers the Tutsi and Lanna Mannenlege to be Congolese, with some in these communities occupying senior military and governance positions. In fact, the man who led the fight against M23 was the commander of the main region in the eastern part of Dr. Congo and was from the Banyamulenge community.
M23 fighter catches two largest cities in eastern Congo [AFP]
But there is still important evidence of discrimination. In 2024, experts working at the United Nations said that in South Keefe, Lannanminen wines are often seen as harmful to neighboring communities. Experts say such discourse prompts “hate, discrimination, hostility and violence.”
There are also recent reports of the murder of Tucis and Lanamureg soldiers in the Congolese army. According to Human Rights Watch, a mob killed a Banyamulenge officer in 2023 “in an obvious case of national hatred.”
Past and present politicians have also promoted discriminatory sentiment.
The Congolese said that in the M23 rebellion, anti-Tutti feels seem to be rising, such as Mr Stearns.
He told the BBC that he looked, claiming that some people looked like Rwandans”.
Although some Congolese Tussis may support the current uprising of M23, Mr Stearns said: “Many people are uncomfortable with the consequences of being a community because again this means they will be portrayed as treason. Rebels.”
The Congolese government has taken some way in recognizing discrimination against Tutsis. For example, earlier this year, President Félix Tshisekedi said he had “have enough reflection on Hanlugus’ speech” and claimed that such comments allowed Rwanda to invade the Congo Doctor under the pretext.
However, authorities also abide by allegations of widespread persecution. Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya told the BBC: “We have 450 tribes, some of which conflict between many parts of the country… The government's position goes against each any form of discrimination or hate speech in the community”.
But on the other hand, Mr. Bisper told the BBC that he “strongly” believed his ethnicity was discriminated against, giving examples of his sister being fired after being told “look like a spy that Rwanda.”
Although his family lived in the same area for centuries.
“The banyan tree has been here since Congo is Congo!” he said, angry.
Other reports by Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa
You may also be right:
go bbcafrica.com More news about the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @bbcafrica,on Facebook BBC Africa Or on Instagram bbcafraca
BBC Africa Podcast
