In 2022, amid heightened tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the DRC’s government officially launched the commemoration of August 2nd, dedicated to ‘Genocost,’ a concept through which the DRC seeks international recognition of what it calls genocide in DRC. This campaign, led by the National Fund for Reparations for Victims (Fonarev), aims to establish a link between the violence committed in the DRC and the exploitation of the country’s natural resources, thus associating the notion of “genocide” with that of “economic exploitation,” essentially meaning “genocide for economic ends.”
Since 1996, around 6 million people have been killed by conflicts in eastern DRC, and nearly 7 million are internally displaced today, with this number predicted to rise to 9 million by the end of 2026. In homage to the Congolese men, women, and children who have been victims of extreme violence, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations, the DRC once again commemorated National Genocost Day on August 2, 2026.
On this occasion in the city of Uvira, Abigael Bitondo, representative of the women’s component of civil society and coordinator of the local NGO Active Gender for Development (AGD), joined other families remembering their loved ones at the iconic Uvira Monument, detailing the pain she shares.
“We remember everything we have endured in recent years, the massacres of Makobola, Kasika, Mwenga, Tingitingi…” she told Peace News Network (PNN). Abigael insisted that it is time for all these tragic events to stop, since, as she said, these painful memories have been spreading for 30 years.
”…and I think we shouldn’t continue counting the numbers of mass graves, the number of victims of violence, the war wounded, the cases of trauma, and so on. We need the involvement of the international community so that we feel restored to our inalienable right to live in peace,” she declared.
More than three decades of war later, the daily lives of the indigenous populations remain disrupted by armed attacks in eastern DRC. Witness and victim of the massacres, Monga Kandolo, father of 12 children and clan chief of the Pygmy people of Muheta in the locality of Kabimbi in the Uvira territory, does not hesitate to describe the sadness of the massacres.
The massacres began in 1998, in the territories of Uvira and Fizi, he said, visibly moved. “It is heartbreaking to see people slaughtered like goats, burned alive and defenseless,” Kandolo said, calling for all perpetrators to be brought to justice and for every crime to be punished. ”As Pygmies, we are very pleased with the initiatives to seek justice, discourage crime, and strive for lasting peace.”
Human rights activist and member of citizen movements François Igilima remains firm and categorical. He says the Congolese people must not remain silent because silence in the face of these crimes has encouraged the perpetrators to commit further atrocities. “By commemorating Genocost, we remind the perpetrators that their crimes must never go unpunished. What is happening in Uvira and throughout eastern DRC must not go unpunished and will always be denounced so that all victims receive redress,” the activist warned.
Remaining steadfast in his position, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege issued an urgent appeal for justice, truth, and reparations for the millions of victims of the conflicts that have plagued the DRC for decades.
In a statement published on Saturday, August 2, 2026, the renowned Congolese gynecologist and human rights advocate stated that the commemoration of Genocost must go beyond mere remembrance and lead to concrete actions. According to him, the recognition of this national day will only have its full meaning if it is accompanied by a genuine justice process for the victims of armed violence perpetrated in the DRC. Twenty-eight years after the outbreak of the Second Congo War, Dr. Mukwege denounced the continued massacres, sexual violence, forced displacement of populations, and plundering of the country’s natural resources. He lamented that these crimes continue to be committed in a climate of near-total impunity.
Dr. Mukwege drew particular attention to the atrocities attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the territories of Beni (North Kivu) and Mambasa (Ituri province). For him, this violence illustrates the need to strengthen justice mechanisms and the protection of civilian populations. He also called for an end to aggression against the DRC, an end to the illicit exploitation of its strategic resources, and respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Reiterating his plea for the establishment of a Special Criminal Court for the DRC, Dr. Mukwege said he believes that such a mechanism could help combat impunity and deliver justice to the victims of the most serious crimes committed on Congolese soil.
Finally, he urged the Congolese people, national leaders, and the international community to transform the memories of past suffering into concrete commitments to peace. He called for turning “the ores of conflict into ores of peace; impunity into justice; and suffering into hope.”
Beyond commemoration, victims, as well as people throughout the DRC, now hope that Genocost will not remain merely a moment of remembrance, but will pave the way for concrete actions in favor of truth, justice, and reparations, for lasting peace. Amid the ongoing violence and the fear of continued tragedies, their message remains the same. Another survivor of massacres in Uvira, Safi Yere Douce, told PNN, “The desire to never relive the atrocities of the past, and the hope of guaranteeing future generations a future free from war and impunity.”
Keywords: genocost, genocide, DRC, Congo, DR Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, victims, peace, justice, conflict, conflict resolution, international community, Uvira, massacres, Rwanda, special criminal court, Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize, laureate
Anicet Kimonyo is a Congolese journalist and war reporter based in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the city of Goma in the Province of North Kivu. Since the resurgence of conflicts in the region, he has been involved in media coverage of conflicts in the region and their consequences to the community. His work focuses on issues of democracy, peace and good governance in the region, environmental and climate issues and topics about mining.
