Honorary Doctor Denis Mukwege running for president in Congo
Denis Mukwege, Congolese gynaecologist and expert on wartime sexual violence, is a candidate in the Congo presidential elections set to take place on 20 December. His opponents will include current President Félix Tshisekedi, who has indicated he would like to serve another term.
No politician
‘My sole motivation is to save our country, to help it get back on its feet and restore the dignity of our people.’ With these words, the Congolese doctor announced his presidential candidacy earlier this year. Mukwege has a hospital in Bukavu, which has treated over 5,000 rape victims, thus earning him the nickname ‘the man who repairs women’.
Denis Mukwege does hugely important work and is a real pioneer when it comes to rebuilding local networks.
Honorary doctorate and Nobel Prize
In 2018, Mukwege was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his battle against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. In recognition of his efforts he also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Antwerp in 2019. ‘He does hugely important work and is a real pioneer when it comes to rebuilding local networks’, Rector Herman Van Goethem commented on this occasion.