Yes to demonstrations against Kenyan Troops in DRC but No to violence
VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS, INTIMIDATIONS HAVE NO PLACE IN A CIVILIZED SOCIETY IN NORTH KIVU, THE LEGITIMATE STRUGGLE OF THE POPULATION FOR PEACE SHOULD NOT BE POLITICIZED FOR PERSONAL GAIN.
We learned with dismay of the threats and intimidation against students and the population of Goma not to leave their homes this Monday, September 2nd, 2024 under the pretext of a demonstration whose population was not consulted in its planning in order to oppose the deployment of Kenyan Troops in North Kivu. We strongly support demonstrations and other nonviolence ways of expression but we also at the same time disapprove any form of violence.
We call on Citizen Movements and Pressure Groups that our legitimate struggle for Democracy, good Governance and the sovereignty of the people cannot be characterized by violence, intimidation and threats against the population. But rather a fight for the deliberate and voluntary integration of this population that we defend.
At the same time, we recall that children and students must not be among the demonstrators, nor affected by the demonstrators, and schools must be spared from any form of disturbance.
We recommend to the Congolese Government to cancel as soon as possible its unilateral decision to bring in the Kenyan Army and to present to us as soon as possible a war plan to recover the entire part under occupation of Rwanda.
We ask the Mayor of the City of Goma to refrain from any form of provocation to prohibit legitimate demonstrations, while the people are the supreme law. And to inform the Congolese Government to put an end to provocative decisions against its population
Therefore we recommend a CIVILIZED event in which the participants sing, dance, facilitate traffic on the Road, offer emergency intervention to those who are in a difficult situation, or come with their Telephones to make Videos and share them in Social Networks, where each person is protected on the Road,
As the Monday Demonstration does not meet this standard of non-violent character we ask the organizers to suspend it for proper preparation.
We remind the organizers of this call for demonstration without serious preparation in a city of Goma where it is difficult to control the diversity of demonstrators to be responsible for any form of slippage and to answer for it before the institutions of the country.
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos, Provincial Coordinator of COJESKI North Kivu
+243853191163
Email: cojeskinordkivu@gmail.com
Website: www.cojeskinordkivu.org
