Xenophobia hits DR Congo: Accents and Names used to single out aliens in latest witch hunting spree

Xenophobia is slowly but surely starting to gnaw at the society in the Democratic Republic of Congo where names and accents are being used to single people out for mistreatment.

Some reports from DR Congo are revealing cases of officers from immigration authorities seizing Passports from Congolese nationals who have Rwanda sounding names or roots.

On the other hand, access to passports in the country has become increasingly difficult for some people in communities living in North and South Kivu regions where the DR Congo officials are alleged to be harassing innocent people for one reason or another.

There have been a series of complaints from a number of DR Congo nationals reporting to have had their passports confiscated or blocked by authorities.

Many of the pending passport applications are either being deleted from record or turned down by immigration officers.

Authorities in the DR Congo are alleged to be engaging in this discriminatory practice against some selected Congolese nationals whose names have the cadence of ‘Rwa,’ ‘Rwi,’ or ‘Ru’ intonations.

The accents also contribute to discriminating against passport applicants or holders.

The most affected groups happen to be the ‘Bashi,’ and the ‘Banyarwans,’ who though trace their roots to Rwandan ethnicity, are still Bona fide citizens of DR Congo occupying the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru in the country.

These people, according to sources in DRC are being treated as Rwandan nationals, due to their names, accents or historical roots despite the fact that they are non-partisan to the ongoing conflict.

Also, the Congolese authorities have introduced the requirement for passport applicants to fill their respective ‘places of birth,’ which is now another deciding factor for a person to be either given or refused a passport.

While a number of Civil Society groups have been appealing to the Congolese immigration authorities to stop the ongoing discrimination against some communities, it seems the country’s National Intelligence Agency (ANR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are actually the culprit behind the harassment of some people with weird sounding names.