Gay group in bukavu, democratic republic of the congo

BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — In a seemingly abandoned home at the edge of the city, five young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people live together in hiding. Abuse and discrimination are on the rise for members of the LGBT community in Bukavu, the capital of DRC’s South Kivu province, advocates say.

For François* (pseudonym), a human rights observer in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the year begins under the worst auspices, between the announcement of the suspension of American international aid for 3 months, since January 20, and the resumption of fighting in South Kivu, culminating in the capture of Bukavu by the M23 rebels last Saturday, February 15, thanks to the.

In March , Jérémie Safari, Executive Director at SLF partner Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko, noticed an unsettling presence outside her house: police. As the leader of an organization that supports LGBTIQ people in Bukavu, an eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jérémie is no stranger to threats from authorities. But this time the threat didn’t pass. Jérémie was.

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo — As the US Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality reverberates across the country to Egypt, Peru, China and beyond, many in the world are far from even dreaming of such freedom.