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Resources - Dem. Rep. of Congo
More : D.R. Congo: U.N. Must Prevent ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Ituri
Courtesy Joan Ewing, rscj
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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
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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
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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
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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/
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