Kinshasa female demonstrators join the Sisterhood of Bereavers at MONUSCO HQ

(PHOTO 1: Female demonstrators at the gates of MONUSCO HQ, Friday,

November 23, 2012)



(PHOTO 2: I call these women the "Sisterhood of Bereavers." They don

black mourning clothes and white headbands. They have been squatting

MONUSCO HQ since the day after the fall of Goma)



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Flanked by riot cops led by Col. Kanyama-- Lukunga District

commander--thousands of Kinshasa women from all walks of life marched

Friday, November 23, from the Central Post Office on Boulevard du 30

Juin to MONUSCO's headquarters, before heading to the US Embassy.



They all wore white headbands as a dual sign of peace and mourning.



These women were protesting the hijacking of the city of Goma and of

vast swaths of North Kivu Province by murderous highway bandits

belonging to the M23 outfit whose sole objective, according to the

recent statement released by the DRC Conference of Catholic Bishops

(CENCO), is "the plunder of Congo's natural resources."



At both MONUSCO headquarters and at the US embassy, the angry

"Kinoises" were received by the respective missions' representatives

to whom they voiced their demands and submitted their memorandum.



After speaking with MONUSCO's officials, Adèle Kayinda, the women's

demonstrators' spokesperson, told the media:



"There are concrete actions that are being undertaken and that's

reassuring to us. Nevertheless, we wish that the mandate of MONUSCO be

reinforced so that it'd give out the best of itself."



As it turns out, the reinforcement of the Mission's mandate--pursuant

to Chapter VII of the UN Charter vesting the Security Council with the

power to "take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be

necessary to maintain or restore

international peace and security"--figures prominently in the agenda

of the Sisterhood of Bereavers, a dozen of Kinshasa hardcore feminists

donning black mourning clothes and white headbands, who've been

squatting the front gates of MONUSCO headquarters since Wednesday,

November 21, the day after the fall of Goma.



These Bereavers demand the strict application of the provisions of

Chapter VII so that MONUSCO could live up to its promise.



As one of them explained their action: "M23 bereft us of Goma. And

we're here to mourn till MONUSCO restores our beloved city to us!"



The Bereavers have vowed to squat the gates of MONUSCO till their

demand is taken seriously and M23 highway bandits are thrown back to

Rwanda where they belong!



--With Radio Okapi & Kinshasa media--



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PHOTO CREDITS: John Bompengo

Via: www.radiookapi.net