DRC: Uvira Sees Large Protests Urging Removal of General Gasita

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Uvira, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Monday after a call from civil society groups to protest the appointment of General Olivier Gasita Mukunda as deputy commander of the 33rd military region of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC).

Demonstrators accused General Gasita of collaborating with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels during the capture of Bukavu earlier this year and demanded his immediate removal. We were assigned an officer with whom we disagree, General Olivier Gasita. He has an appalling track record in Bukavu,” protester Dunia Prince told Africanews. “He does not have the trust of the people, which is why, together with the population, we have stood up to demand his removal.

Carrying signs, banners, and national flags, protesters marched through the city while chanting slogans before submitting a memorandum to local authorities, addressed to President Félix Tshisekedi.

Uvira, located in South Kivu, is currently under the control of a coalition of FARDC forces and Wazalendo militias. Mapenzi Manyebwa, president of the Uvira Civil Society Synergy, warned that Gasita’s appointment signals a risk that authorities may “hand over the city to the rebels.

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