Congratulations to Dr. Mukwege for Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

Congratulations to Dr. Mukwege for Winning the Nobel Peace Prize!

Friends of the Congo congratulates Dr. Denis Mukwege on being awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. He was joint winner of the Prize with Nadia Murad an Iraqi human rights activist and survivor of sexual violence by the Islamic State.

True to his vocation, Dr. Mukwege learned of the news in the midst of performing a surgery. He dedicated the Nobel Prize to "women of all countries in the world, harmed by conflict and facing violence every day." He also had a special message for survivors, noting that "I would like to tell you that through this prize, the world is listening to you and refusing to remain indifferent. The world refuses to sit idly in the face of your suffering." 

Congolese women at the Panzi Hospital were overjoyed by the news and gave Dr. Mukwege a spontaneous and exuberant celebration.

Holding true to his principles of speaking truth to power, Dr. Mukwege reiterated his call for a new leadership in the Congo. He stated in an interview with the Guardian: "I've always said that it's an illegal and illegitimate government. They must hand over to a caretaker government, which can organise free, fair, credible elections, and this transition must also put in place the foundations to build a solid democracy." He elaborates, "I think we'll have elections on 23 December, but I think we'll elect the same people, and the same actors will produce the same system that perpetuates the violence. The December elections do not seem credible or transparent - it's a parody of an election." Read more here!

To the chagrin of the Congolese government, Dr. Mukwege is not only dedicated to caring for women who have been victims of sexual violence but he is also an indefatigable moral voice for peace, justice and dignity in the Congo.

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