<p>A word that opens the conference</p>
<p>« I no longer wish to remain in silence. The moment of truth has arrived. »</p>
<p>These words, spoken powerfully by Esther Koho, survivor of mass sexual violence, gave life to the truth. the tone of the conference organized last Saturday by the AJMASI (Youth Association for the Promotion of Africa on the International Scene) and the WHAT ABOUT CONGO association in the amphitheater of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politiques (HEIP) in Paris. Paris.</p>
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<p>A full room, total attention</p>
<p>The room was full: friends of the Congo, members of the diaspora, young people committed and concerned about the issues that undermine the east of the country. Everyone came to listen, understand, testify, and refuse indifference.</p>
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<p>AJMASI: bringing the realities of “54 Africas”</p>
<p>At the opening, Aboubakar Koné, president of AJMASI, recalled that the mission of the association: to convey the realities of the African continent, to highlight the richness of “ 54 Africas », highlight their qualities while highlighting the difficulties still too ignored by the rest of the world. For him, the Congolese crisis has several facets, but the most urgent remains the human drama. He insisted on responsibility collective: « suffering has no nationality, and understanding the Congo must become a cross-border affair. » He also emphasized the essential role of youth, invited to take part in this awareness.</p>
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<p>Round table 1: rape as a weapon of war</p>
<p>The first round table, moderated by Crystale Delo, president of WHAT ABOUT CONGO, proposed to decipher the use of rape as a weapon of war, a systematic military strategy in Eastern Congo. Emmanuel Dupuy, president of the Prospective and Security Institute in Europe, addressed the legal dimensions and international law, recalling that these massive and organized crimes constitute serious violations of humanitarian law.</p>
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<p>Chain of Responsibility and Weakened State</p>
<p>Journalist and political analyst Kerwin Mayizo relied on the on facts to detail the chain of responsibility: sponsors, subcontractors, performers. He denounced a weakened, gangrenous state; by corruption, where 65% of the budget is dedicated to to the lifestyle of institutions. According to him, sexual violence is part of a much broader set of failures: banditry, pollution, the health system, and violence. collapsed, population taken hostage by a government incapable of carrying out its fundamental missions.</p>
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<p>Round table 2: testimonials and human experience</p>
<p>The second round table, moderated by Sidney Ahidje, presenter of the podcast « at the heart of convictions », and member of AJMASI, left a large space for testimonies and human experience.</p>
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<p>Esther Koho: a story that shakes the room</p>
<p>Esther Koho, originally from Kassali, told his life marked by exile and violence. She grew up between Rwanda and Burundi, lost her father during conflicts, and found herself trapped in successive war contexts. In 1994, at only 12 years old, she wasé raped for the first time by four Tutsi soldiers, locked up for three days and threatened with Kalashnikovs. She then traveled miles away. foot to try to find refuge. His testimony shocked everyone. the room. She mentioned the numerous cases of suicide among survivors, the urgent need for psychological centers, the importance of access to justice and, more than anything, the need for justice to be heard and valued.</p>
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<p>Trauma, care and mobilization</p>
<p>Brigitte Liquard Kalalo, CBT therapist and president of Trait d’Union Congolais, described the extent of psychological trauma, heavy and sometimes transmitted from generation to generation. She insisted on the importance of support and adapted care systems. Jorissa Watikilu, president of TAMAR NKETO and ambassador of Congolese youth in France, called for support. à stronger mobilization of the diaspora and denounced the persistent indifference of the community international, yet informed of the extent of the crimes.</p>
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<p>A final observation: silence is no longer tolerable</p>
<p>Throughout the interventions, an observation emerged: : international silence is no longer tolerable. The participants expressed their indignation in the face of passivity general, despite severity violence committed for decades in eastern Congo. The young people present showed themselves resolute, eager to understand and carry the voice of those who suffer.</p>
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<p>A collective call: “the moment of truth” has arrived”</p>
<p>This conference, marked through poignant stories and lucid analyses, recalled the absolute urgency of recognizing and combating mass sexual violence in the DRC. The words of Esther Koho, spoken at the opening, remained suspended in the air, like a collective call: the moment of truth has come. has indeed arrived.</p>
Incontournable
Society
“I no longer wish to remain in silence”: the courageous words of Esther Koho
Esther Koho, survivor of mass sexual violence, spoke out a moving testimony to Paris. The AJMASI x WHAT ABOUT CONGO conference deciphered rape as a weapon of war in eastern DRC. Analyzes, stories, and a clear call: international silence is no longer tolerable.
