Kinshasa, April 8th, 2021 (CPA) – The President of the National Assembly, Christophe Mboso N’Kodia, assured the indigenous peoples of the adoption of the law on their protection, during a brief interview on Wednesday, with a group of pygmies and indigenous peoples who intercepted him in the grounds of the People’s Palace during the break.
The speaker of the lower house, who was responding to their concerns, informed them that all MP as well as the office under his leadership are determined to adopt this law before sending it to the Senate for second reading and to the Presidency of the Republic for its promulgation.
While informing them that he has set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry to go down on the ground to soak up their situation with their neighbors, the president of the lower house of Parliament urged his hosts to get rid of any complex and to occupy their place in Congolese society which, according to him, is a mosaic of 450 tribes, all equal in rights and duties.
The indigenous peoples who were outside the hemicycle of the People’s Palace, had expressed the wish that the National Assembly take into account the contents of this law under consideration as well as their security situation, stressing that they are the subject of all forms of discrimination and atrocities (theft, rape, bullying, murders and others.) in their living environments.
It should be noted that a delegation of indigenous pygmy peoples was present at the hemicycle of the People’s Palace where it participated in the National Assembly to support the bill on the protection and promotion of their rights.
Pygmy delegates to the plenary said they came to demonstrate to politicians that they have the right to live like any other people.
“We came here for the problem between the Bantu and the Pygmies. We are pygmies and we have come to tell politicians that we want to live like everyone else, that we leave the spirit of the forest so that we can have access to education, that we work like all other peoples”, said Kabala Manti.
Outside the hemicycle of the People’s Palace, these pygmies have placed banners and several banners to demand a fair right to their favors.
