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How long to mend broken hearts of Congo?
27 Mar 2009 12:00:00 GMT
 Source: Caritas Internationalis
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Background

•  Congo (DR) conflict

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Bishops from the Democratic Republic of Congo say that suffering still continues in their country despite international attention shifting to other crises.



Rebels and the Congolese Government signed a peace deal this week following months of fighting between the two sides. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes over the past six months, joining over a million people who were already displaced by previous unrest. Many people have to rely on aid agencies for food, water, clothes and shelter.

“For a short time Goma was at the centre of the world and was the most-sold image,” said Bishop Faustin Ngabu of Goma. “Then Goma was forgotten.”

The Bishops say crises such as the one in Gaza have shifted international attention away from their country’s ongoing tragedy. They express concern about the commitment to rebuild war-damaged provinces.

“The powers that be have agreed on US$4.5 million to rebuild Gaza,” said Bishop Faustin Ngabu of Goma. “How long will we have to wait to rebuild our provinces and re-house our people? And how much money will we get? How long will it take to mend people’s broken hearts?”

The bishops said that it is unacceptable that media and political opinion have given the impression that the suffering of the people in eastern Congo dates back to just a few months.

“The events last October in Rutshuru, Goma, Mushaki and Nyanzale add to the list of victims of atrocities caused by a lack of dialogue which, however, now seems to have been overcome,” say the bishops.

They also say that a lot of damage has been done to the Congolese by those who have tried to pass the war off as an inter-ethnic clash rather than a national armed conflict.

The Congo Bishops’ Conference recently visited Goma and surrounding areas to offer solidarity to the people there. They went to displaced camps and also visited women who had been victims of sexual violence.

Caritas launched an emergency appeal for US$5.5 million last October to provide people with shelter, clothes, cooking utensils, hygiene items and medicines. Caritas also offers psychological and emotional support to rape victims and people who have been traumatised by the brutalities of Congo’s war.

The bishops say that with the apparent end to hostilities, people hope to return to their homes. They say that the authorities must phase out displacement camps and give serious attention to the return of people who fled to Uganda and Rwanda.

The bishops hail the positive advancements in diplomatic and political negotiations and say these have given real hope to the Congolese people.

For more information please contact Michelle Hough on +39 06 69879721/+39 334 2344136 or hough@caritas.va


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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