Livewire - Amnesty International blogging for human rights

Dani Valls, Amnesty International campaigner, blogging about international action on DRC

I read that a journalist from UN-sponsored Radio Okapi was killed by unknown assailants in the Democratic Republic of Congo last Friday. He was my age, 34. He left a wife and three children.

And I hear the stories of children, forced to leave their homes to join some of the rebel armed groups, the silence from women and girls raped during the looting. More killings. Many which will never make it to the news.

I’m glad to see all the mobilizations happening in support of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo in different cities of the world this week.

Tomorrow – the same day as the key meeting of the UN Security Council – there will be a rally in London outside Downing Street at 11.30 am.

With the slogan: “No excuse. No delay. Protect civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo”, hundreds of people are calling on world leaders this week to urgently deploy the authorized additional effective UN peacekeeping troops, equipment and specialist personnel to the conflict areas of Eastern DRC where the situation is dire.

This is a difficult one. World leaders are expressing their concern, some with strong words, and yet nothing is changing for the people on the ground since the current conflict started a couple of months ago.

Hopefully we can increase public pressure to call on world leaders to take action in a region that has suffered again and again for more than a decade now.

By the way, here is a great video from MSF that brings some voices to the fore.

Demonstrations and rallies have already happened in Berlin, Rome, Geneva and Washington DC.

Today there will be one in Brussels, On Thursday in Mali and Spain.

Belgium: Brussels, 25 novembre 12.30pm - Place de la Monnaie, Bruxelles.
Spain: Palma de Mallorca 27 November, 12pm - street performance in front of the Delegación de Gobierno
Mali: Bamako, 27 November - Under the accropole at the University

And if they can’t join one of the rallies, take action online