Rescue for Friends in South Kivu, Congo

My name is Amanda, from Richmond, Texas. I, along with friends with Beyond Borders, have started this Go Fund Me to support our dear colleagues, Prosper and "A".   Last week - while celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary - they messaged me to share the tragic news that their 28 year old nephew, "H", had been cruelly massacred in a slow motion genocide that is being perpetrated against the Banyamulenge community in South Kivu, Congo.    

"H" left behind a wife, "N" and a two old year-old daughter.  They are living under fear of systematic killing by the coalition of an armed group of Babembe, Bafuliru and Banyindu people. These tribes call Banyamulenge foreigners, invaders, and unwanted people on the Congo soil.   Villages have been burnt, cattle looted, and schools and health centers destroyed. The Banyamulenge people have been displaced and are now concentrated in Minembwe village and Mikenke IDP (internally displaced people) camp where malnutrition and other diseases are rampant.  They are at risk of being murdered.

Many of you reading this - like me - may have been horrified when you learned of the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994 against the Tutsi people. Until recently I didn't know about the current day silent genocide happening to the Banyamulenge people of South Kivu because of their Tutsi ethnicity.

We want to help Prosper and "A" bring "N", her daughter, and the two brothers she cares for out of danger and moved to safety to a refugee camp in Uganda. Their lives are in grave danger.

Our goal is to raise $2000 to help Prosper and "A" get them to safety.  Thank you for any gift that you can give to help us.  

*Names are not provided for protection. The photo is of the displaced Banyamulenge people fleeing war in Minembwe in South Kivu, Congo. Pictures of "N", the new widow, and her daughter are not here for safety reasons.

Taken from Genocide Watch:
 
Genocide Watch has issued a Genocide Emergency Alert for the Banyamulenge people in North and South Kivu and Ituri provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  They are targeted by the false narrative that “Bantu” people are the “indigenous” inhabitants of the DRC, while “Nilotic” people are “invaders” from the Great Rift Valley. The same narrative was used to justify the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda.  The Banyamulenge are closely related to the Tutsi of Rwanda. Their citizenship has been contested in the DRC since independence in 1960, despite records of their presence in the Congo in the 19th century.

Genocide Watch Emergency Statement 

*Please note that I (Amanda Baca) will be withdrawing the funds and sending them directly to via Western Union to Prosper by no later than November 30th, 2020.  Funds will be used to purchase transportation and related travel expenses (food and water) to the refugee camp in Uganda.