DRC: Kivu’s security
situation needs urgent resolution
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| Protesters in Beni on 25 Nov. 2019 demonstrated the UN mission's failure to protect them after eight people were killed by ADF rebels (AFP) |
The humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC)’s eastern region particularly the North and South of Kivu has
deteriorated as the areas continue to be on the receiving end of relentless
armed attacks from military gangs.
Paul Samasumo – Vatican City
Sometimes described as an area where there is neither war
nor peace, the DRC’s Kivu area apart from being marginalised by successive
Congolese governments is a humanitarian emergency. Armed conflict is
deliberately perpetrated by rebels bent on plundering the country’s abundant
natural resources.
Coltan is an essential mineral for the hi-tech industry
The DRC is a land rich with forest and mineral resources.
The illegal mining of Coltan does not benefit local villagers. Instead,
communities are attacked and made to flee as their lands are seized for illegal
mining.
Coltan is an essential mineral used in the hi-tech industry.
It is necessary for the production of mobile phones and electronics. The
Eastern Mountain Gorilla populations are also under siege and endangered as
they are caught up in the conflict.
With such levels of insecurity, people cannot farm their
lands; Malnutrition among children has inevitably become prevalent in the areas
affected.
Armed conflict and the Ebola virus have distressed
communities
“The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) is
very concerned about the socio-security situation prevailing in the east of our
country, particularly in the Provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, because of
the resurgence of violence and killings. Massive displacement of families has
only worsened the suffering of an already impoverished and traumatised people.
(Entire villages and communities are distressed) by kidnappings, the almost
permanent presence of armed groups and the Ebola virus,” said the Bishops in
their latest appeal to Congolese authorities and the international community.
The Bishops added, “The consequences of these recurring
conflicts are: Deaths, the abandonment and destruction of homes and farming
fields, food insecurity, immoral activities, disruption of the school calendar
and the risk of the spread of the Ebola virus,” The Bishops said.
Solidarity with the people of Kivu
Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa, the Archbishop of Kisangani
and President of the DRC’s Bishops Conference, expressed the solidarity of
other Bishops with dioceses of the Kivu region.
“On behalf of the Bishops who are members of CENCO, and in
my name, I express our solidarity and our fraternal closeness with Bishop
Melchizedek Sikuli, Bishop of Butembo-Beni and Bishop Sébastien-Joseph Muyengo,
the Bishop of Uvira, as well as with all the people of God who live in these
regions. We take this opportunity to offer our most Christian condolences to
all families who have lost (family members) in these conflicts and to express
our compassion to all those who are affected by these unfortunate events. Our
thoughts also go out to the victims of the plane crash that occurred on Sunday,
24 November 2019 in Goma, as well as families affected,” said Archbishop Utembi
Tapa.
Need to scale up humanitarian and peace efforts
The Bishops nevertheless congratulated the Congolese armed
forces (FARDC) and the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) for some of their success in
disrupting and repealing activities of rebel forces such as the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF).
The Bishops suggest the establishment of a wide-reaching
emergency programme and an end to hostilities in this part of the country. They
advocate for the full restoration of the authority and state institutions such
as the national police, army and immigration, among others.
These steps should go hand in hand with a workable
national-level dialogue aimed at fostering a climate of justice, peace and
reconciliation among communities in conflict.
The Bishops conclude with an invocation of the intercession
of “the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Congo and Mother of the
‘Prince of Peace’” to watch over the country and bless it.
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