An Explicit Call to Action

Congolese 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Denis Mukwege — currently visiting Kinshasa in the Congo as part of the "political consultations" initiated by President Félix Tshisekedi, is explicitly calling on the head of state to right the wrongdoings that span over 25 years in the country. The human rights activist stated publicly and brazenly,  "Crimes cannot go unpunished. Criminals continue to make the eastern part of our country unsafe and thus make the whole Republic unsafe. The third thing that has been asked of the President of the Republic is that he get personally involved, that he be the torch-bearer in this fight against impunity, by asking UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to address the Security Council for the implementation of an international criminal court for the Congo."

A Local Hero

Mukwege already made the plea in July for the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the DRC.

In addition, he condemned the massacre of 18 people in South Kivu. A move which saw the human rights doctor — who provides medical treatment to victims of sexual violence in war, be the target of serious death threats.

As such, Denis Mukwege is now under the protection of the United Nations.