Leaders of the Congolese Tutsi and Banyamulenge diaspora in the United States have issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations and international partners, warning of what they describe as an ongoing genocide against their communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and copied to the UN Security Council’s permanent members and all UN missions in New York, the diaspora representatives say the Tutsi and Banyamulenge populations in South Kivu and the Hema community in Ituri Province are being selectively targeted, killed, displaced, and having their homes, property, and livelihoods looted and destroyed solely because of their ethnicity.
The signatories—Safari Munyarugendo, president of ISÔKO USA, and Douglas Gasore Kabunda, president of the Mahoro Peace Association—warn that villages such as Minembwe in South Kivu have been under siege since 2017, cut off from essential humanitarian assistance.
They accuse President Félix Tshisekedi’s government of arming and financing the Wazalendo militia, which they allege is carrying out the attacks. The letter also cites a Human Rights Watch report released on September 15, 2025, that documents years of persecution of the Tutsi/Banyamulenge population.
The appeal comes as the DRC government hosts an event in New York—“Thirty Years of Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Call for the Recognition of Forgotten or Ignored Genocides, for Truth and Justice”—also on September 22.
The diaspora leaders say it is deeply troubling that officials and human rights figures are participating in a conference organized by the same government they accuse of enabling atrocities.
On September 19, they urged New York City Mayor Eric Adams to reconsider attending the event, warning that his presence could be interpreted as endorsing inflammatory rhetoric, hate speech and campaigns of targeting against the Congolese Tutsi.
They highlighted that the Tutsi/Banyamulenge population, particularly in the city of Uvira, remains besieged by Wazalendo militias.
Despite ongoing mediation efforts involving the M23/AFC rebels, the Qatari government and a U.S. delegation, the diaspora leaders say violence has continued unabated.
They are calling on the U.S. administration, the Qatar government, members of the UN Security Council and other international partners to press Kinshasa to stop supporting extremist militias and to pursue a lasting resolution through dialogue.
“As survivors of atrocities committed against us because of our ethnic identity, we have fled systemic persecution and killings without protection from the DRC government, the letter reads. We call upon the international community to take immediate action to protect our community and hold the DRC government accountable for these crimes.”
The warning reflects growing international concern over the crisis in eastern Congo, where years of ethnic violence, armed rebellion and militia activity continue to threaten civilians despite repeated peace efforts.