Resources - Dem. Rep. of Congo
More : D.R. Congo: U.N. Must Prevent ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Ituri

Courtesy Joan Ewing, rscj

The State of violence, of terrorism, of war

Our country suffers from results of war and pillaging which continue to destroy property and possessions, the moral of the people and even the infrastructure of the country itself. There are families which have entirely vanished and the majority of the population has no longer hope for the future. They do not know how to get out of their present situation and they cannot believe that there could ever be a good life ahead of them.

When people are asked, “What are you doing with your life?”, they respond, “I am doing Article 15”, which is to say, “I am surviving either by begging, or by trying to cultivate a small plot of ground. Or else, I’m stealing”. Another questions is asked of them, “How do you live?” They reply, “Barely subsisting.” And so continue many pessimistic responses.

What can be done to better the situation? If we do not change the pessimistic mentality, if the ego always comes first, the situation will only worsen. Wealthy countries will hardly expect more of us and certainly will not assist us in our dilemna.

Courtesy Joan Ewing, rscj

How does this situation of war touch those with whom we live and work?

Different people are affected in different ways: there are those who have become resigned, some are bitter, others remain passive. Still others fight to get away in spite of the problem. The young people no longer want to work. They make every effort to leave the country in any possible manner. There are, of course, some few courageous souls who denounce violence, wars and corruption. These people work to help the poor, the weak ones like street children, the homeless, the handicapped, etc.

How does our mission and the Society speak to this situation?

Our mission is to manifest the love of Christ. To this end, we must ourselves take interest in the people, welcome them with kindness whenever they come to our door. As much as possible, we try to help them. To the many who come, we want to give them a spirit of hope. Yes, they do pray, but in spite of their faith they find it difficult to hope in a better future. In order to help them materially, we must carefully try to see who needs most assistance because there are so many lazy ones who want something effortlessly. Caritas, a group in the parish, distributes food monthly, but it is hardly enough for the needy.

Courtesy Joan Ewing, rscj

When people are interested and able to work, we try to find work for them so that they will not lose their dignity. For example, we try to suggest that they cultivate a small plot of ground to see their produce in order to make ends meet.

We also try to support by our presence and our service those working for charitable organizations. When possible, we help by financial assistance. Another dimension of our charism is to work together with the people. Our country hopes for peace and reconciliation but the reconciliation must be at all levels – personal, familial, communitarian and regional. It is then that we will feel a call to personal conversion and so live out our lives in peace and reconciliation.

What scriptural texts reflect your experience?

There are two texts which come to mind:

• The Israelites at the Red Sea were being pursued by the Egyptians…In their fear, they lost hope of being saved. But Moses admonished them, “Do not be afraid! Take heart…The Lord will fight for you”.
• St. Paul, the “terrorist”, the violent one, on the road to Damascus is thrown off his horse to the ground. In a few days he is converted and becomes an instrument of the Lord”.

Thanks to the community of Kinshasa for their reflections and to Nita Villere for translating their reflections from French to English.

Courtesy Joan Ewing, rscj

Resources 

Agence France Presse
AFP news, in English, is available thru the subscription service, clari.world.africa.western which some universities receive.

AllAfrica.com
Current news (including from PANA, the Dakar based news agency created to provide an African perspective on news events). Created by a merger with the former Africa News from Durham, NC.

L'Avenir (Kinshasa)
In French. Selected articles from the Kinshasa newspaper.

BBC - Africa News
Very up-to-date. Keeps stories online from several months back. Has audio/video files.

Congo Vision - News
In English and French. News from various U.S., European, and African sources. Based in Brattleboro, Vermont.

DigitalCongo.net
In French. Very current news from DRC newspapers. A division of Multimedia Congo Broadcasting Corporation, Kinshasa. Has older news from the past week. Will send news by e-mail.

Global NewsBank
Subscription service. Some universities subscribe. Does not have the latest news but good for researching news from a week ago back to 1985. Iincludes selected reports from the BBC Monitoring Service (English translations of news), Agence France Presse, IPS, PANA, radio and/or TV stations.

irinlist
The U.N. Dept. of Humanitarian Affairs, Integrated Regional Information Network has a mailing list, irinlist, with up-to-date news on the Great Lakes area including Uganda. To join, send email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
In the message area put: subscribe irinlist

MediasCongolais (Kinshasa)
In French. Selected news articles from various sources. Maintained by the GSK Consulting Agency, Canada. The editor is Didier J. Kuba-Kusuti.

Le Monde Diplomatique
Small selection of older articles on the Congo from this major French newspaper.

One World News Service
Recent Congo News and older articles on the Congo from Gemini News Service, Amnesty International, African Rights (London), and other organizations.

Le Potentiel (Kinshasa)
In French. "Quotidien indépendant pour l'action et la démocratie." Online edition of the print daily newspaper.

ReliefWeb - Congo News
Extensive information on the Great Lakes Crisis (Rwanda, Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), an extensive collection of newspaper articles, newswire stories, UN reports, etc. Maintained by the UN Dept. of Humanitarian Affairs.

Le Soft
Le journal zairois d'audience internationale. Internet version of the independent Kinshasa newspaper. Old news.

United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees, Refworld
Country updates, refugee news. Has the full text of speeches by the High Commissioner.

Washington Post
Associated Press Congo Reports

Source: Human Rights Watch

D.R. Congo: U.N. Must Prevent ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Ituri

(New York, October 31, 2002) — The U.N. Security Council must increase its peacekeeping force in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect civilians against slaughter, Human Rights Watch said in a backgrounder released today. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked that the United Nations Organization Mission in Congo (MONUC) be expanded to 8,700 troops, and the U.N. Security Council is considering the matter today.

As Congolese rebel groups as well as Ugandan and Rwandan government forces continue to fight over control of eastern DRC, hundreds of civilians have died in the provinces of South Kivu, Ituri and Orientale during the last few weeks. Some victims have been targeted for their political loyalties and others have been killed because of their ethnic affiliation. According to U.N. estimates, some two million people are now displaced in the region, most of them without access to humanitarian assistance.

In mid-October, a coalition of local Mai-Mai and Banyamulenge combatants drove the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma) from the town of Uvira and surrounding areas of South Kivu province. RCD-Goma, a rebel movement opposed to the DRC government, is strongly supported by Rwanda and Burundi. It was defeated after Rwandan government troops withdrew from eastern DRC under the terms of a July 30 treaty between Rwanda and the DRC. On October 19, RCD-Goma retook Uvira and much of the region with the assistance of Rwandan and Burundian government troops. Their forces have killed, raped and arbitrarily arrested civilians.

In early September, another branch of the RCD, the RCD- Liberation Movement (RCD-ML) and militias of the Ngiti ethnic group attacked the town of Nyankunde, about 20 kilometers west of Bunia in Ituri province. A survivor of the attack said, ‘Thousands of Ngiti came down in groups to loot: men, women and children, all armed with machetes, axes, knives, arrows and bows, spears and fire arms.’ The attackers killed members of the Hema ethnic group and others said to have collaborated with them. They killed patients in their hospital beds, medical personnel of the Nyankunde hospital, and a local official. Some 200 people are estimated to have died in this attack and one several weeks earlier carried out by the largely Hema Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC) against RCD-ML supporters and the Ngiti.

Until recently, Ugandan army troops occupied much of this part of northeastern DRC. Most have now left, but hundreds of Ugandan troops continue to occupy Bunia under a September 6 agreement between Uganda and DRC. When the UPC attacked the RCD-ML, some Ugandan soldiers stood by and watched as civilians were killed.

‘The slaughter of civilians in the last few weeks shows that neither the Ugandans in the north nor the RCD-Goma in the south can effectively protect civilian lives’, said Alison Des Forges, senior advisor to the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. ‘The Security Council gave MONUC the mandate to protect civilians at risk. Now it must give the peacekeepers the numbers needed to carry out the mandate.’

The conflict in eastern Congo stems in large part from competition to control the areaís rich natural resources, such as coltan (columbite-tantalite, used in the manufacture of cell phones) gold, diamonds and timber. A special investigative panel of the U.N. Security Council last week issued a report condemning high-ranking Rwandan and Ugandan army officers for enriching themselves through illegal exploitation of Congolese resources. The panel concluded that various foreign actors encouraged local conflicts as a way to maintain their own control and ease their extraction of local wealth.

The Human Rights Watch briefing paper, ‘Chaos in Eastern Congo: U.N. Action Needed Now,’ is available at http://hrw.org/press/2002/10/easterncongo-bck.htm.

Chaos in Eastern Congo: U.N. Action Needed Now HRW Briefing Paper, October 2002
http://hrw.org/press/2002/10/easterncongo-bck.htm

D.R. Congo: Kabila Should Prove Commitment to Human Rights HRW Press Release, September 12, 2002
http://hrw.org/press/2002/09/drc0912.htm

War Crimes in Kisangani HRW Report, August 2002 http://hrw.org/reports/2002/drc2/

The War within the War HRW Report, June 2002 http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/drc/