Banyamulenge and Tutsi Communities Urge Nordic Leaders to Act Amid Reports of Ethnic Cleansing in DRC

March 5, 2025 – Representatives of the Banyamulenge and Tutsi communities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland have written an urgent letter to Nordic prime ministers, calling for immediate action against what they describe as “ongoing mass killings and ethnic cleansing with genocidal intent” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Addressed to the leaders of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, the letter details allegations of systematic violence targeting the Banyamulenge community in South Kivu, the Tutsi community in North Kivu, and the Hema community in Ituri province.

“Since 2017, the Banyamulenge have been subjected to systematic and generalized attacks led by pro-government militias known then as Mai Mai,” the letter states. “Today, these militias have been incorporated into the DRC’s security forces by law and are called ‘Wazalendo’—or patriots in English.”

According to the letter, more than 450 villages have been destroyed, over 500,000 cattle looted, and approximately 80% of the Banyamulenge population forced into exile in refugee camps across Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and beyond—including North America and Europe.

Mufunga Bineza, President of the Banyamulenge Community in Sweden, is among the signatories raising alarm over what they describe as “relentless persecution, harassment, and arbitrary arrests by Congolese security services solely based on ethnicity.”

The letter cites specific incidents, including the brutal killing of Lieutenant Gisore Kabongo Patrick, a Tutsi soldier, who was allegedly “stoned, burned alive, and his flesh cut up and eaten in broad daylight” in November 2023. The document references remarks by Thomas Fessy, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, who described the incident as “a blatant case of violence fueled by growing hate in the country.”

It also highlights findings from a November 2022 report by Alice Nderitu, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, warning that “the current violence in the DRC is an early warning of societal fragility and an indication of the enduring conditions that have historically enabled large-scale hatred and genocide.”

Despite multiple cases being filed with Congolese tribunals between 2020 and 2024, the signatories lament that “to date, no one has been brought to court in relation to these cases.”

Etienne Serubungo, President of the Banyamulenge Community in Norway, stressed that any initiatives seeking to resolve the instability in Eastern DRC must “address the root causes of the conflict rather than relying on the misleading narrative of the Kinshasa regime.”

The letter concludes with gratitude to Nordic leaders for their attention and an appeal for “regular contact with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this issue.”

The appeal comes amid ongoing regional tensions and international efforts to address long-standing conflicts in eastern DRC.
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