Fredrick Wangabo Mwenengabo (born 1975) is a Congolese-Canadian anthropologist and human rights activist who has taught anthropology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. In 2023, he was kidnapped while visiting family members in Goma, and was held for ransom until being released. He returned to Canada on 1 June 2024.
Fredrick Wangabo Mwenengabo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
| Alma mater | University of Kisangani University of Nairobi |
Biography
editMwenengabo was born in 1975 in Zaire (the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo). He later recounted having experienced discrimination as a result of his ethnicity,[1] being "from one of the most marginalized and oldest indigenous community in the DRC."[2] Mwenengabo's activism in the Congo led to him receiving death threats and,[3] in 2005, Mwenengabo was arrested under the accusation of attempting to overthrow the government.[4] Afterwards, he began working for Amnesty International after fleeing to Uganda.[5] In 2009, he immigrated to Canada, settling in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he began working as an anthropology educator at the University of New Brunswick.[4] He has also worked for the East and Central African Association for Indigenous Rights,[6] as well as the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, supporting recent Francophone immigrants to Canada.[5]
In 2012, Mwenengabo did a 48-day long hunger strike, raising awareness towards the federal government about human rights issues in the Congo.[7]
2023 kidnapping
editWhile visiting family in the Congo on 16 December 2023, Mwenengabo was kidnapped in the city of Goma, Kivu Province. He was accompanied by his brother and a friend, both of whom were also kidnapped but soon released. Mwenengabo was held captive for several months, with his kidnappers demanding ransom from his family.[5] At first, his kidnappers sought US$15 million for his release, and provided his sons with photos showing Mwenengabo in a deteriorating state of health.[8] Mwenengabo's sons, along with provincial Green Party leader David Coon, advocated for the Canadian government to help in his release. On 1 June 2024, Mwenengabo returned to Fredericton after being released to the Congolese National Intelligence Agency.[9][1][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b DeLong, Nathan (3 June 2024). "Fredericton activist freed after five months in captivity in Congo". Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Mwenengabo, Frederick Wangabo. "A Brief on how Canada Better Can Address The Issues of: Conflict, Peace, Gender Based Violence, Security, Justice, Respect for Human Rights and Economic Development in Somalia, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Particular Attention on DRC" (PDF). House of Commons of Canada. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Bowie, Adam (24 November 2015). "Vigil calls on locals to 'open their hearts'". The Daily Gleaner. ProQuest 1735555181. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Fredrick Mwenengabo". Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Jones, Lindsay (19 April 2024). "New Brunswick man kidnapped in Congo, held for more than four months". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Retiring school bus driver gets fond farewell". The Daily Gleaner. 23 June 2015. ProQuest 1690305424. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Fredericton man ends 48 day hunger strike". CBC News. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Silberman, Alexandre (30 March 2024). "Family calls on Canadian government to help Fredericton man kidnapped in Congo". CBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Jones, Lindsay (2 June 2024). "New Brunswick man back home after kidnapping in Congo says he won't stop fighting for peace". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Villeneuve, Alix (4 June 2024). "Cinq mois après avoir été enlevé en Afrique, il est libéré et rentre au N.-B". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 4 June 2024.