Dr. Béatrice Okoko Dikoma, age 33, died on 16 February, a week after giving birth to her daughter in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr. Okoko and her husband Dr. Simon Bokongo were founding members of RECAAL (the Congolese Action Network on Small Arms) - Béatrice was one of the speakers at the launch of RECAAL in November 2004. She and Simon have been very active in the IANSA Public Health Network, Congolese Physicians for Peace and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). A leading human rights activist, Dr. Okoko was dedicated to working towards peace and gender equality. Born in Kisangani, Dr. Okoko graduated from the University of Kisangani School of Medicine. She married Dr. Simon Bokongo in 1995. Dr. Okoko leaves behind four children - Gauthier (age 10), Vanessa (5), Joel (3),
and baby Béatrice (2 months - pictured left).

We are greatly saddened by her death and our thoughts are with Simon and the children.

A colleague of Dr. Okoko has sent this message of condolence:

In memory of Dr Béatrice Okoko Dikoma
Founding member of RECAAL, Congolese Action Network on Small Arms.

Message from Charles Nasibu
Administrative and Financial Secretary
Réseau Congolais d'Action sur le Armes Légères (RECAAL)
18 February 2005

Dear Friends and fellow activists

Sometimes news arrives that literally cuts off your breath and paralyses your brain. You don't have a single second to take in the news that is being communicated. In fact, we have learned on this sad day of the death of our dear colleague Dr. Béatrice Okoko, the beloved wife of our colleague and friend Dr. Simon Bokongo. Her death occurred on 16 February 2005, around 9am in Kisangani.

We do not have many details about this terrible blow to our network and to the life of our friend Simon, only that Dr. Béatrice had given birth by caesarean section a week earlier and that her health was very fragile.

I got to know Dr. Béatrice when we travelled together from Kisangani to Kinshasa for the ceremony to mark the foundation of RECAAL, the Congolese Action Network on Small Arms. Dr. Béatrice was one of the founders of this national network which we established with so much effort. On the plane and at the Nganda Catholic Centre in Kintambo where we spent 4 days for the workshop, I was very close to Dr. Béatrice: we shared a table at meals and her room was near mine, so in the evening we had long talks about public health and current events. That was only three months ago! How can we come to terms with such a sudden disappearance of a person whom one considers a close friend? It is difficult, indeed impossible to understand.

And now Dr Béa is no more. She lived as the roses do, 'for the space of a morning', to quote the 16th century French poet Malherbe. But Dr. Simon Bokongo is still with us. We can only imagine the extent of his sorrow and his despair. We must understand that more than ever he needs our support for the titanic effort of turning the darkest and most terrible page of his life. Thus on behalf of RECAAL and of my family I offer Dr. Simon and his children my deepest condolences and assure him of my support during this difficult time. May God give Simon the strength he needs to overcome this trial and to rebuild his life!