Rapidly advancing rebels in the mineral-rich eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are contributing to escalating violence and tensions across the country, including growing discrimination and division based on language differences. As conflict spreads, the country’s Catholic bishops have warned that linguistic divisions risk deepening social fractures at a time when national unity is crucial. “While our brothers and sisters living in the eastern part of our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly those in the provinces of North and South Kivu, are stricken by the horrors of war, in recent days we have witnessed a resurgence of violence based on linguistic expression in other parts of the country,” said the Congolese bishops in a statement. The religious leaders lament that some Congolese are stigmatizing fellow citizens who speak Swahili—one of the country’s four national languages—describing the situation as a “hunt for Swahili speakers.”
According to the bishops, some “pastors” are using church pulpits and other religious gatherings to spread division: “[We are] all the more indignant to see certain ‘pastors’ exploiting the platforms of their churches and other preaching settings to hold speeches that incite discrimination, hatred, and violence against other Congolese men and women because of their origin, language, or morphology.”
The bishops called for maturity and solidarity for all citizens and warned that promoting discrimination under the guise of patriotism threatens national unity and undermines the pursuit of lasting peace. They therefore appealed for solidarity toward those displaced by war and insecurity. “Do not be misled by those who preach division and the hunting down of Swahili speakers, natives of the east, or foreigners as an expression of patriotism and paths to peace for our country,” reads the bishops’ statement. “We invite compassion and solidarity toward those brothers and sisters who find themselves forced by war and insecurity to leave their lands and homes, and to offer them hospitality in our families and in our safe places.”