Female journalists threatened to death
“Stop interfering in things that don’t concern you, or you will die”.
That’s what you can read in text messages sent in the last few days to two female journalists working for Radio OKAPI, a radio station born out of a partnership between MONUC and a Swiss foundation, Hirondelle. It must be remembered that Radio Okapi is the only media which covers the whole of the DRC.
In these text messages, the women are being criticized by the death squads for denouncing the acts of sexual violence committed against women in South Kivu. And who could have been making these death threats against the female journalists? The fact is that this is a difficult question to answer but what is true is that the eastern part of this country is living with the knives out; there are countless militia, and weapons are in circulation everywhere, which leads us to think that these threats might come from the militia who have been implicated in the sexual violence, and why not from certain members of the armed forces who also commit acts of rape on women.
Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, is a town known not only for the illicit trafficking of ore which always feeds conflicts but also for the assassination of civilians. Opinion makers, such as traditional leaders, priests and journalists are particularly vulnerable. Let us remember that three journalists, two from Radio Okapi and one from Radio Star, have been assassinated in this town in just over two years and several investigations have revealed the role played by the soldiers in all these murders. Unfortunately, up until now no-one responsible for these murders has been tried. According to RSF (Reporters Without Borders), South Kivu in general, and the town of Bukavu in particular, remains the most dangerous part of the country for journalists.
The threats against these female journalists must be taken seriously, given that their colleagues have been the victims of previous assassinations, and all this is the result of a general impunity which reigns in South Kivu. The guilty know very well that nothing will be done to stop them. Many rapes have so far gone unpunished and the question must be asked whether peace is possible without the rehabilitation of the victims of rape. Justice must be done for the victims of rape because without this justice, peace and reconciliation will remain just a dream in this part of the country, the East.
Have courage, female journalists who are brave enough to denounce the worst humiliation (rape) which women in general and young girls in particular are subjected to. Above all, do not give in to the death threats.
