Friends of the Congo

A year ago, we built Congo Unfiltered to go deeper than what we’re shown. Not just news. Not just analysis— but Congolese voices, Congolese perspectives, Congolese realities. You’ve already heard the official story. Now hear what they won’t tell you. Congo Unfiltered: Beyond the headlines. A weekly series breaking down the stories others won’t tell.

“Ignorance of their rights keeps women in a state of dependence. I believe in their competence and their power.” — Maman Justine Masika Bihamba. Today, we honor a woman whose courage has changed the landscape of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Meet Justine Masika Bihamba, the founder and heart of Synergie des Femmes pour les victimes de violences sexuelles(SFVS). Since 1990, Maman Justine has walked alongside rural women, witnessing firsthand how harmful customs and systemic inequality keep women in the shadows. In 2002, she turned that witness into action by founding SFVS to support victims of sexual violence. Her work has not gone unnoticed by the world. She is a recipient of the Human Rights Tulip and the Pax Christi International Peace Award, and she was named one of the top 100 people globally fighting for women’s rights by Women Deliver. But this recognition has come at a high price. Despite constant threats to her life and the safety of her family, Mama Justine refuses to stay silent. She continues to lead the charge for: Medical & Psychological Healing: Providing surgeries and “Listening Houses” for trauma recovery. Justice: Holding perpetrators accountable and lobbying for legal protection. Peacebuilding: Ensuring women have a seat at the table in conflict prevention and governance. Synergie des Femmes is more than an organization; it is a movement to reclaim the dignity of Congolese women. This month, we are raising $25,000 to fuel this life-saving work. STAND WITH MAMAN JUSTINE: Donate: Click the link in our bio. Scan: Use the QR code on our slide. To learn more about how you can get involved to join the movement alongside women who are turning pain into power, please visit FreeCongo.org. #congo #fyp #supportsurvivors #womensmonth #women

THE ADF: THE GROUP THE WORLD REFUSES TO NAME Part 1 — A two-part Congo Unfiltered series on the ADF crisis in eastern Congo. 1,022 Congolese civilians killed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in 2025 alone. This Saturday, I go live on @congofriends accounts on YouTube , Instagram, Facebook and X at 2:00 PM Eastern to share my interview with @amnestyusa ‘s Advocacy Director for Africa: Kate Hixon, on Amnesty International’s new report documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity by the ADF in North Kivu and Ituri. We talk about the bodies the world is not counting. We talk about the aid cuts that are killing survivors twice; first the violence, then the absence of care. We talk about who actually has jurisdiction to prosecute these crimes. Kinshasa? The ICC? And whether anyone is willing to move on them at all. Saturday, May 16th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time Beyond the headlines. #freecongo #congounfiltered #ADF

African unity is the key to African liberation. At the center of African liberation is the heart of the African continent, represented by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the trigger that would blaze an irreversible path to sovereignty as articulated by Frantz Fanon. Independence heroes like Sekou Toure of Guinea, Modiba Keita of Mali and most significantly Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana recognized the central of Congo to the Pan African project of a United States of Africa. To the extent that Congo under the leadership of a Lumumba-like nationalist and Pan Africanist is key to a sovereign Africa, such a Congo also represents a threat to the interests of the imperialists and their neo-colonial agents. In Donald Trump’s America First in Africa foreign policy, the United States clearly outlines the extent to which Africa is indispensable to securing its critical minerals supply chain for its war industry and commercial sector. At the center of the US’s America First in Africa is the Congo where the Trump Administration and the US billionaire class has already set aside billions of dollars to capture Congo’s strategic minerals with the full cooperation and compliance of Congo’s neo-colonial elites, led by Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi. As the local African elites in cahoots with the global elites align against the people of Congo and Africa, it is vital that the oppressed masses of Africa and the globe rally behind the Congolese people in the spirit of Patrice Lumumba as they pursue a free, liberated and sovereign Congo and Africa. Join the movement at freecongo.org

Onze membres de la communauté de Kabombwa ont été arrêtés pour avoir dénoncé les impacts des activités minières liées à Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), l’un des plus grands producteurs mondiaux de #cuivre et de #cobalt. Aux côtés de nos partenaires de la société civile, nous condamnons ces arrestations arbitraires et demandons la libération immédiate et sans conditions des membres détenus dans la province de Lualaba en RDC.

This Saturday, @congofriends ‘s Congo Unfiltered launches its ADF Series — a sustained investigation into The Allied Democratic Forces, one of the deadliest armed groups operating in eastern Congo today, and one of the most deliberately overlooked. We open with Kate Hixon, Advocacy Director for Africa at Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa ). Her organization went to North Kivu and Ituri and documented what the world largely refuses to see: systematic massacres, mass displacement, and a civilian death toll that should have triggered international outrage years ago. Who are the ADF? How did they evolve from a Ugandan rebel movement into something far more complex? Who benefits from the world’s silence? And what does justice look like when the victims are Congolese? Kate’s conversation is pre-recorded. I’ll be live to take your questions. Part I: Amnesty International on the ADF Crisis 📅 Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 2:00 PM ET 📍 Live on Friends of the Congo’s YouTube, Instagram, and X. #CongoUnfiltered #ADF

Felix Tshisekedi told a gathering of traditional chiefs that “Americans will come with their money, they will invest in DRC, they will build roads, they will create companies, jobs will be available, our children will improve their lives” We do not have to do a deep dive into the colonized mindset of neo-colonial leaders like Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to understand the depths of the sickness of this way of thinking. The casual reader will immediately recognize that the mindset of Congo’s political elite, represented by the President himself is represent a danger to the Congolese masses in particular and Africa in general. The outlandish idea that Americans will come to the Congo develop the Congo - something Congolese politicians are unwilling or unable to do themselves, is outlandish. Furthermore, Donald Trump is clear about why he is going into the Congo - to get rich! And to get rich with the complicity of Congo’s elite. Stand with the Congolese masses. Join us in combating both Congo’s elites and their neo-colonial masters in Washington! FreeCongo.org

5/10 - Weekly DRC News #drc #congo #drcongo #🇨🇩 #geopolitics

Did you know over 200,000 Congolese children are deprived of an education and forced into child labour to find, wash and transport minerals? Some die in Mine collapses and lose one or both parents in the mines and/or conflict? In conversation with journalist @akilimalichoma_ in Kinshasa who gives a troubling and heartbreaking account of how children in Congo are exploited. 🎙️ Full episode out NOW on YouTube at Dr Shola Speaks /@drsholaspeaks Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Dr Shola Speaks show.

From the West, Regional forces like Rwanda to Multinationals and the Congolese elite, this breakdown analysis of who are exploiting, murdering and displacing the people of Congo for Cobalt & rich natural minerals will open your eyes to the nuances never covered in the mainstream. In conversation with @gaetan_nzowo_official of @congofriends who gives a detailed breakdown of the 4 dimensions responsible for the killing, exploiting, displacing and committing the Genocost of the people of Congo. 🎙️ Full episode out NOW on YouTube at Dr Shola Speaks /@drsholaspeaks Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Dr Shola Speaks show. Images/videos from @wearthepeace @misanharriman @thefutureofcongo

Panellist Announcement! 🚨 We’re excited to announce the brilliant panellists that will be joining us on May 17th. Following a screening of Abby Martin’s ‘Earth’s Greatest Enemy’, this panel will explore the intersection of militarism and environmental harm - and the vital role of investigative journalism. We will be in conversation with: Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa - a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, with her current research focusing on ecocide and global efforts aimed at its recognition as an international crime. Andreas - from Energy Embargo for Palestine, an anti-imperialist organisation based in Britain responding to the call from Palestinian trade unions to disrupt energy flow to israel. Maurice Carney - the Executive Director at Friends of the Congo who has pursued a Pan African solidarity mission for the past twenty-five years to build a global constituency in support of the Congolese people. He also reports on developments related to climate, energy transition, politics, peace, security and conflict in the Congo and Africa. Maurice will be joining us online. Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins - a freelance reporter and host of the podcast, ‘People Just do Something,’ at the Bristol Cable - a pioneering investigative news media co-op, which holds power to account through groundbreaking investigations, campaigns for change, and amplifying marginalised voices. To come to our community film screening, and engage in conversation with these panellists, get yourself a ticket using the link in our bio. We can’t wait to see you there! 5pm - Doors open 5:30pm - 7:35pm - Film Screening 7:50pm - 9pm - Panel discussion

I’ll be in conversation this evening with gaetan_nzowo_official of @congofriends and journalist @akilimalichoma_ to discuss and raise awareness about the root cause of Congo humanitarian crisis, what is happening to date and what we are not hearing. Join me from 8pm GMT |3pm EST |9pm WAT |12pm PST for my usual highlights. My panel guests will be on at 8.30pm GMT |3.30pm EST |9.30pm WAT |12.30pm PST for the discussion. 🎙️ YouTube at Dr Shola Speaks /@drsholaspeaks