President Tshisekedi urges world to recognise killings in DRC as 'genocide'

Tshisekedi reiterated the government's commitment to achieving this recognition "despite diplomatic obstacles". President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has urged a united effort to gain international recognition for the ‘‘genocide’’ perpetrated in the country. Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths, according to the UN Council on Foreign Relations. Speaking at the launch of the Round Table on Genocost on Tuesday, Tshisekedi emphasised the need for a "collective fight" to acknowledge the atrocities, the Congolese Press Agency (ACP) reports. The Geno-Cost initiative, spearheaded by the Congolese Action Youth Platform (CAYP), aims to establish August 2 as an annual commemoration day for the victims of violence in the DRC's history. DRC crisis: Obasanjo, Kenyatta, Desalegn to lead peace process - TRT Afrika Regional blocs appointed the former leaders as peace facilitators for as efforts intensify to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.