AFRICA/DR CONGO - “As in Darfur, here there are over a million people who have lost their homes, and yet there is no public opinion group working to help them. Why not?” says a missionary from east Congo, currently at risk for war

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “I don’t think that there will be a great war after another invasion of both Kivus. My impression is that they are limiting themselves to conquering several strategic locations in the north. MONUC (the UN Mission in Congo) and the international community have the duty of intervening in order to stop Nkunda and his supporters, otherwise they will lose credibility. We cannot forget the commitments that the UN agreed to in guaranteeing peace in Congo,” Fides was told by a local Church source (for security reasons, we do not use names) in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, one of the two regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has experienced periods of war, due to the presence of armed groups that threaten the region’s stability.
Laurent Nkunda, leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People, and his men are once again on the attack and it seems they have taken over a military camp in Rumangabo, 50 km from Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The government in Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of having sent their troops in to support Nkunda, however Kigali denies the accusation. Whatever the case may be, tensions have been created between the two countries. The President of Congo, Joseph Kabila, asked that the country support its military, “in order to maintain peace, unity, and the integrity of the country.” The head of the country recalled that the Goma Accords (see Fides 24/1/2008), signed last January by both parties implied in the conflict (including Nkunda), are the only means to bringing peace back to the region.
“Thanks to the Goma Accords, there are commitments that imply the international community. I think there are limits as to Nkunda’s activity and that of his allies,” our source said. “It is also true that in North Kivu there are 1.2 million people without homes, forced to live in camps, the same as in Darfur. However, in contrast to those of the Sudan region, the refugees of Congo do not seem to touch consciences, nor do they receive media attention on an international level. My fear is that with the financial crisis and terrorism throughout the world, as is customary, Congo will remain off-screen in the major media chains, leaving room for those who have been seeking to take advantage of her great riches, to enter. We will not tire of saying that the Nkunda rebellion uses the mask of the defense of the banyamulenge ethnic group, which is a threat to the Congolese government. The so-called “ethnic conflict” is just an excuse to justify a war where the only aim is to destroy the territory of Kivu,” Fides’ source concluded. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 10/10/2008)