Rights activist killed in DR Congo

DR Congo: A Congolese human rights activist whose work was supported by Christian Aid donors in Britain and Ireland has been…

DR Congo: A Congolese human rights activist whose work was supported by Christian Aid donors in Britain and Ireland has been murdered in eastern DR Congo.

Pascal Kabungulu Kibembi, secretary general of Héritiers de la Justice (Heirs of Justice), was killed in front of his family in the lakeside city of Bukavu on Sunday, according to international human rights groups.

Margaret Boden, general secretary of Christian Aid in Ireland, said it would continue to support human rights defenders in the region, including Héritiers de la Justice - a Christian Aid partner organisation founded in 1991.

Mr Kibembi had received death threats because of his work in documenting human rights abuses, particularly by political and military authorities.

He believed peace was possible in DR Congo after years of internal strife and bloody conflict with neighbouring states.

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Joe Humphreys

Joe Humphreys

Joe Humphreys is an Assistant News Editor at The Irish Times and writer of the Unthinkable philosophy column