FreeCongo Campaigners Flood The City Of London
Pey Enigbokan
Hundreds of nonviolent supporters of the Free Congo movement took to the streets of London.
Different poster images from the FreeCongo march
Protesters gathered in England’s capital, London, to march against the injustice happening against the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many protested the BBC's lack of coverage of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by assembling in large numbers outside their London headquarters.
This was one of many peaceful protests happening in support of the people of the DRC. There have been protests happening in different countries, like the Netherlands, Canada, France, and the USA.
This protest comes after the UN announced that the number of internally displaced persons has reached a record high of 6.9 million, in addition to reports of increasing civilian casualties in the eastern Congo. This conflict is making a growing amount of the nation dangerous for civilians.
The destructive conflict has been escalated by rivalries between militant groups for natural resources and territory, political violence, extrajudicial murders by security forces, and growing tensions with neighbouring Rwanda over its suspected backing for militia groups in the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds substantial global reserves of metals and rare earth minerals, such as cobalt, which are key components of lithium-ion batteries, which drive electric vehicles (EVs). The Democratic Republic of the Congo supplies up to 70% of the cobalt used worldwide. Cobalt has become a significant mineral that is said to be the key to the future, and everyone wants it.
"And I know there are some people who think, "Hey, why should we go to this protest?" Does this really change anything? Only so few people are there, you know, does it really have an impact?" And I believe that if nobody speaks up, nothing will change. If no one had resisted slavery 200 years ago, my ancestors would still be in chains. If we hadn't had people like Anton de Kom, people like Tula, people like Patrice Lumumba, and people like Amilcar Cabral, who was assassinated today a few decades ago, a lot of us would still be in chains. Some of us are a little bit freer, so we have the responsibility to continue the struggle that our ancestors fought for."
Mitchell Esaias of The Black Archives speaks at the Free Congo Now
Another protester stated, “We need to be heard, and by doing this, there’s no way we will be ignored. Our people are suffering, and they need help. We need attention worldwide. Free Congo, always! “
Pey Enigbokan