Editor's Note: This blog was written by Raise Hope for Congo intern Nadia Ilunga.
On October 23, 2013, President Kabila stood in front of the Congolese National Assembly and pledged that he would "very soon" appoint a presidential adviser to address the issues of sexual violence and child soldier recruitment. His pledge was part of a larger speech responding to the recommendations brought forth during the "concertations nationales", a period of national dialogue that had begun in September with the aim of addressing national cohesion, the functionality of state institutions, and the violence in the east.
Nine months later, many of the recommendations that emerged from these discussions remain unaddressed. On July 9th, however, the president made good on his promise of a presidential adviser with the appointment of Madame Jeannine Mabunda Lioko Mudiayi.
In his 2013 speech, President Kabila described the immediate role of the Presidential Adviser as leading the fight against sexual violence and child soldier recruitment as well serving as an interface to the international community regarding these issues. On a larger scale, however, he made clear that the appointment of an adviser was the first step in ensuring that the Congo becomes a country that is "...inhospitable for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes."
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