Goma Youth Group Calls Peaceful March Against Rwanda’s Occupation

Goma, DRC — December 27, 2025 In a strong show of civic engagement, Génération Z RDC, a coalition of youth, civil society, and grassroots movements in Goma, has officially notified local authorities of a peaceful demonstration scheduled for Friday, January 2, 2025, to denounce Rwanda’s military aggression and occupation in eastern Congo.

In a letter addressed to the Mayor of Goma, the organizers, representing diverse segments of Goma’s population, cited their constitutional right under Articles 22, 23, 25, and 26 of the DRC’s 2006 Constitution to mobilize in defense of national sovereignty.

“This civic duty obliges us to organize a peaceful march throughout the city of Goma,” the letter states.

Objectives of the March

The protest aims to:

• Denounce the violation of Congolese territorial integrity by the Rwandan army.

• Demand the immediate and effective withdrawal of RDF/M23 troops from Congolese territory, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2773.

• Expose war crimes committed by RDF and M23, including massacres, torture, sexual violence, child abduction, and forced conscription of Congolese youth.

• Demand international justice, ensuring that perpetrators of crimes against humanity are prosecuted before international courts, including the ICC.

Planned March Routes

The peaceful march will start at multiple gathering points across the city and converge at the MONUSCO base near the Serena Hotel for the delivery of a memorandum:

• Route 1: From Kihisi roundabout → Birere → Signer → BDEGL → MONUSCO/Serena Hotel

• Route 2: From Mutinga roundabout → Instigo → Signer → BDEGL → MONUSCO/Serena Hotel

• Route 3: From SIMBA station → President Entrance → Instigo → BDEGL → MONUSCO/Serena Hotel

Time: Gathering will begin at 8:00 AM.

The letter has been copied to representatives of MONUSCO, the UN Joint Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Organizers Reaffirm Peaceful Intentions

In closing, the youth leaders emphasized their respect for democratic principles and international humanitarian law. They called on the city authorities to facilitate the march and ensure the safety of participants.

“Respectful of democratic rules and international humanitarian law, we count on your support to secure the protest,” the letter concludes, signed by Jackson Harerimana, Mupemba Wivine, and Morisho Asani of the Generation Z Goma Committee.