LGBT+ rights under attack in areas of Congo controlled by M23 rebels
Three trans women abducted, trans residents’ home ransacked.
Human rights abuses targeting LGBT+ people have been increasing since Feb. 14 in the eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo where Rwandan M23 rebels have taken control, reports LGBT+ activist Alphonse Mihigo.
Mihigo, who works with the non-governmental organisation Actions pour la Lutte Contre les Injustices Sociales (ALCIS), highlighted:
- The July 10 ransacking of a home where several trans people lived in Bukavu, South Kivu.
- ‘The April 22 abduction of three transgender women who were taken to a military barracks and have not been seen again.
Homophobia in the context of war
Last year, homophobic pressure from former Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba continued throughout 2024. He wrote several letters to prosecutors instructing them to conduct an extra-legal hunt for homosexuals even though the name has no anti-homosexuality law.
This year has been marked by the extension of the armed conflict between the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, and the Congolese army.
And although a peace agreement was signed between Rwanda and the DRC on June 27 in Washington, D.C., providing for the withdrawal of rebel forces within 90 days, the M23, which did not directly participate in the agreement, continues to rule by force in North and South Kivu, imposing a reign of terror on the local population.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating war crimes in the region. Amid the warfare, anti-LGBT denunciations continue in the North Kivu area, which encourage homophobic human rights abuses.
‘Faced with stigma and discrimination, and in order to avoid isolation, LGBT+ people often gather together in houses they rent, Mihigo said. By living together, LGBT+ people not only can feel less lonely, but also can reduce their interactions with the rest of the population, which can be traumatic or dangerous.
A new anti-LGBT+ attack
On July 10, a house sheltering transgender people was vandalised after local residents reported them to the occupying forces. Fortunately, ALCIS had been alerted to the imminent attack and could warn the residents, but the house was completely ransacked.
Mihigo blames conservative churches for homophobic human rights abuses.
“Far from being the work of local residents or isolated individuals, incitement to endanger the lives of LGBT+ people in order to attack them is encouraged by revivalist churches that act in collusion with the M23 — when [the churches] are not directly sponsoring the attacks against us,” Mihigo said.
The responsibility of churches in violence
‘For 100 US dollars, the rebels are willing to kill anyone, and I can confirm that the churches paid the M23 soldiers to [try to] execute LGBT+ people during the premeditated attack [of July 10],” Mihigo claimed.
“While the culprits are undoubtedly Rwandan armed groups, those responsible are the pastor of the Saint-Montagne Church in Ibanda, as well as Pastor Daniel Tchibo of the Rehema Church, who regularly spreads LGBTphobic hate speech in Swahili on the radio station Sauti ya Rehema (Voice of Mercy in English),” he emphasised.
During the current traumatic situation, Mihigo said that ALCIS is doing its best to refer people to partner organisations such as Médecins du Monde to meet their needs, whether it is for psychosocial counseling or infectious disease care.
