Franck Balimbasa
Franck Balimbasa is a human rights defender and the head of the regional office of Réseau d’Information et d’Appui aux ONG nationales (RIAO RDC). RIAO RDC is a network of 256 non-governmental organisations and 333 farmers' associations across different provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). RIAO-RDC has played a prominent role working with communities in rural areas of the DRC to defend land and resource rights.
In 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo saw the advent of a new government following long-awaited presidential elections. HRDs and other civil society actors were lauded for their advocacy as they worked tirelessly to call for a return to democratic institutions and good governance; their efforts played a significant role in the elections process. The advent of a new government is an opportunity to push forward the human rights agenda and ensure the protection of HRDs as the new president, Mr. Felix Tshisekedi, made commitments to respect human rights, to open up civic space ,and to protect HRDs who are at risk.
