Maxime Prévot Sounds the Alarm

The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, raised alarm on Friday, January 31, following the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting, over the security and humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Describing the situation as a “forgotten conflict,” the Belgian minister highlighted the scale of sexual violence, stating that “a woman is raped every four minutes and a child every 30 minutes in eastern DRC.” Faced with this emergency, Maxime Prévot called for stronger and more immediate EU action. “On the ground, the situation is worse than ever, extremely worrying from a humanitarian perspective. This is one of the reasons why, along with other colleagues, we insisted that this issue be placed on the agenda. I am also surprised that this is only the second time in a year that the situation in eastern Congo has been examined. This cannot be a forgotten conflict: the European Union has a role to play,” he said. He stressed the need to continue political mediation toward a genuine ceasefire and lasting peace, while calling for the withdrawal of M23 and Rwandan troops and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. However, he emphasized that the humanitarian emergency remains the top priority. “A woman is raped every four minutes, a child every thirty minutes.” He therefore urged a rapid and effective European response, particularly through the reactivation of Goma airport to enable the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid, insisting that “there is absolutely no question of military use of this airport.”