Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has officially declared his candidacy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) presidential election set to take place on December 20. Known for his two-decade-long crusade against sexual violence and his work treating war rape victims, Mukwege addressed a crowd in Kinshasa, emphasizing his commitment to saving and developing his homeland.
Mukwege, who is also a Pentecostal pastor, founded the Panzi Foundation in 1999, providing critical care to hundreds of survivors of sexual violence in the conflict-ravaged eastern DRC. He will compete with outgoing President Felix Tshisekedi, while opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who came second in the 2018 election, has also announced his candidacy.