The 1999 Oak Fellow was Didier Kamundu Batundi. He has fought for decades to protect human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His work has ranged from ensuring medical care for torture victims and helping Tutsis escape mob violence, to drawing international attention to human rights abuses and demanding freedom for political prisoners. (See Colby Magazine 1999).

By 1994, Batundi had established APREDECI (Action Paysanne/Peasant for Reconstruction and Integral Community Development). Based in Goma (a region of North Kivu,) the NGO specifically protects and advocates for local rural communities.

Four years after founding APREDECI, Batundi was exiled. Finding asylum in France, he continued his human rights activism, creating another NGO called SOPROP (Solidarité pour la promotion sociale et la paix/Solidarity for Social Promotion and Peace.) From afar, he worked on behalf of those suffering from violence in North Kivu; he secured financial support for victims and fought for global attention. Didier’s efforts got the attention of the Reebok Foundation for Human Rights, earning him the 1998 “Reebok Human Rights Award.” 

Still, Batundi had his work cut out for him. The same year, neighboring countries – Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi – invaded the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Campaigning for peace became all the more vital and challenging. Batundi’s dedication to his home country was recognized in 1999 by the United Nations and Da Capo Foundation, who awarded him the “Global Youth Peace and Tolerance Award.” 

Colby College also took notice, selecting Batundi as its second Oak Fellow.

Since his fellowship, Batundi’s work has continued. In 2002, he organized an anti-war campaign in the Dominican Republic of the Congo. He has lobbied and partnernered with international organizations (including Amnesty International, OMCT, HRW, and IRCT) to work towards peace in the region. He also works locally in France, providing solidarity to African political refugees. 

SOPROP lives on, continuing to rehabilitate victims of torture, pusue justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and provide education about human rights as well as democracy. According to lesbahundes.com, “Didier Kamundu is still fighting with determination for the rehabilitation of the victims of the violence, for the advent of peace and for the establishment of a true democracy in his country.” 

References & Further Reading

• Colby Magazine: Didier Kamundu Batundi Receives U.N. Youth Peace Award
• Human Rights Watch: More About APREDECI

Publications

• Mémoire des crimes impunis: la tragédie du Nord Kivu, République démocratique du Congo (Memory of unpunished crimes, tragedy of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo)