Brussels, September 22, 2025 Speaking at a press conference convened today by the Collective of Lawyers representing the Tutsi/Banyamulenge and Hema communities of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Irène Kamanzi, President of Isôko Europe, delivered a powerful and deeply moving statement denouncing the escalating violence and state-sponsored abuses in the DRC.
In her remarks, Kamanzi warned of the catastrophic consequences of the current regime’s policies, particularly for the most vulnerable group’s women and children. She highlighted harrowing accounts from Congolese prisons, including Makala in Kinshasa, where women are reportedly detained under inhumane conditions, sometimes merely for being relatives of suspected “enemies of the state.” She recalled shocking reports of gangs, such as the infamous Kuluna, being deliberately introduced into women’s prison quarters to carry out “punitive expeditions,” leaving behind unimaginable trauma.
Kamanzi condemned what she termed “state terrorism,” describing how armed groups, militias, street gangs, and even children as young as twelve are being armed and used as instruments of violence. “This is no longer an army defending a nation,” she declared. “It is a regime that has decided to use every form of brutality available to eradicate part of its own population.”
Her testimony underscored that these policies amount to acts of genocide, targeting communities solely because of their identity. “We cannot allow a state to build its power on the corpses of women and children,” she said, calling on the international community to act before it is too late.
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Despite the horrors she described, Kamanzi saluted the resilience and courage of Congolese women, survivors of mutilation and sexual violence in conflict zones, and mothers who continue to bury their sons lost in battles to protect their communities.
She ended with a direct message to President Félix Tshisekedi: “There is another way the way of dialogue, peace, and respect for human dignity. The future of the Congo cannot be built on bloodshed.”
Today’s press conference, held at the Brussels Press Club, drew international attention to the plight of Tutsi/Banyamulenge and Hema communities in eastern DRC and marked the beginning of a global advocacy campaign led by the Collective of Lawyers to denounce ongoing atrocities and demand accountability.
