Assassination Attempt on Dr. Denis Mukwege, Prominent Congolese Doctor and Activist

On the evening of 25 October 2012 around 19:00, four armed men, not in uniform, entered Dr. Denis Mukwege’s house in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The armed men forced Dr. Mukwege’s two daughters and their friend at gunpoint to sit silently on the floor until he returned home. On his arrival, roughly half an hour later, one of the armed men opened the gate and forced Dr. Mukwege out of the vehicle and demanded he hand over his keys. The security guard on duty ran out shouting to intervene and was shot and killed. The armed men fired the remaining bullets at Dr. Mukwege, who threw himself on the ground narrowly avoiding the gunfire. The men then fled in Dr. Mukwege’s vehicle, which they quickly abandoned before hijacking another vehicle.  The identity of the armed men and their current location is unknown. 

Dr. Denis Mukwege is the founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC. The hospital has become known worldwide for the treatment of survivors of sexual violence and women in need of specialised gynaecological care. Dr. Mukwege has been the recipient of numerous international awards including the UN Human Rights Prize, African of the Year, the Olof Palme Prize and the Clinton Global Citizen Award. He has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize. These awards recognize his extraordinary service, humanity and commitment.

Survey of women's political participation in Shabunda

As part of the promotion of Congolese women, AFEM SK has just completed a research on the political participation of women in Shabunda territory. This survey was conducted in Shabunda center Nkulu Bagabo and Bangoma.
The Association of Media Women in South Kivu aims to develop an effective approach that will touch the real causes of critical positioning of women in democratic institutions and in other areas of community life.

According to the coordinator Chouchou Namegabe, AFEM is proposed to achieve a participatory diagnosis in the community by organizing a survey of different social strata as all sectors of community life are marked by an imbalance of gender relations.
For her, this investigation has led to the social actors at the heart of their development by making a thorough analysis of the problem through individual interviews and focus group by then. Four categories of actors are targeted, including those of political leaders and civil society, women and men at the base.

Bukavu: 12 hours for 900 Congolese Francs

There are many porters in the city of Bukavu. Them are women displaced by war came from different areas of South Kivu, most of which come from Bunyakiri and Walikale.

"Instead of becoming beggars, we preferred to the porters, even if this work does not bring much" said one of them met along the way. It was carrying a can of 20liters of oil back and her baby over the bottle.

"That what we get for Congolese 900Francs (under 1 American dollar) sentence may be for a family to survive? "Exclaimed the woman.

According to most of the women interviewed at the border Ruzizi first, they are often forced to reassure the boss that they are able to transport the package to its destination, even if it weighs is more. Because their families have to live and survive, these women are called to work for which they have been accustomed since childhood because the majority was a farmer.