Because we must not wait until there is no one left to save.

Op-ed by Sandra Nkulu-Kyungu

On Saturday 3 October 2026, I was invited to take part in the USA–Africa Rally for the Protection of Human Life, the Prevention of Genocide and Peace in Africa, held in Indianapolis, in the United States. The gathering was an occasion for reflection, mobilisation and prayer for peace and for the people affected by violence in eastern DRC.

A number of prominent figures attended, among them former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Azarias Ruberwa, as well as religious and political leaders, representatives of the Congolese diaspora and civil society, human rights defenders and members of the diplomatic community.

Invited to address the audience, I sounded the alarm over the manipulation of identities, stigmatisation and dehumanisation. These do not merely threaten the cohesion of the DRC; they pose a direct threat to the peace and stability of the entire Great Lakes region. History teaches us where such rhetoric can lead when it is not confronted in time.

I spoke in particular about the tragic situation in Katanga, the stigmatisation of Swahili-speaking Congolese, and the plight of several figures from the east and the Swahili-speaking world who face exile or forms of political repression. I did not name them in my address, but I wish to name some of them here:

• Moïse Katumbi Chapwe
• Matata Ponyo
• Richard Muye
• Kikaya Bin Karubi
• Néhémie mwilanya
• Moïse nyarugabo
• Félix kabange jumbo
• Michel maman
• Élysée MINEMBWE
• Justin kiluba Longo
• Patient Sayiba Ntambwe
• Francine Muyumba
• Simon-Pierre Iyananio
• Henri Mova et bien d'autres.

Behind each of these names lie careers, struggles and circumstances that deserve to be taken seriously, beyond political divides.

I also denounced the death sentence handed down in absentia to former President Joseph Kabila, which I regard as deeply unjust and symptomatic of the political manipulation of the judiciary, aimed at turning a former head of state into an "enemy of the nation". I also recalled the threats, violence and attempts on his life that he has survived.

I paid particular attention to the Congolese Tutsis of North and South Kivu (the Banyamulenge): their citizenship, their dignity and their right to live in safety.

This address is part of a broader effort I have pursued for several years in favour of peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes region, national cohesion and the protection of minorities.

Through forums, conferences, meetings and spaces for dialogue, in the DRC and abroad, I will keep raising these issues wherever they need to be heard. My participation in the Ubuntu Forum in Paris last August, a press conference in Brussels against human rights violations in September, and now the USA–Africa rally in Indianapolis are only a few milestones in that commitment.

And we will carry on.

Wherever there is a need to speak of peace, human dignity, cohesion and the protection of civilians, we will be there.

I urge Congolese and African youth, as well as political leaders, to shoulder their responsibilities and play their part to the full. Let us not give up defending minorities simply because some causes are politically difficult or dangerous. Human life must always come before political calculation. Silence can never be the price of peace, and defending human dignity should never be seen as a political weakness.

Everyone, at their own level, must do their part.