Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – There is no peace for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as they are forced to suffer the retaliation attacks conducted by two foreign guerrilla groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) of Uganda and the Democratic Liberation Forces (FDLR) of Rwanda.
The first is active in the province of Equatore, which borders South Sudan and Uganda, while the other is carrying out its destruction in North Kivu, on the border with Rwanda. The LRA has suffered an attack from the Congolese troops, in a joint military operation with Uganda and South Sudan (see Fides 30/1/2009 and 26/2/2009), while the Rwandan and Congolese troops conducted a large attack on the FDLR (see Fides 21/1/2009). Both groups have been able to conserve the better part of their own men and arms and, at the end of the military operations against them, they began a series of retaliation attacks on the civilian population of Congo.
According to Fr. Andre Walia, Chancellor of the Diocese of Dungu Dorma, the violence is forcing more and more people to flee their homes. “On Sunday, May 24, we saw a great sea of people, at least a thousand people with only a few personal belongings, who flooded the Dungu-Ngilima road, while others had to cross the Kibali River to take refuge on the Dungu-Uye and Dungu-Ndedu roads.” Fr. Walia affirms that some of the evacuees have begun returning to their homes, but they find them looted or burnt down.
A similar situation is occurring in North Kivu, which is suffering attacks from the FDLR (see Fides 14/5/2009). A UN report has confirmed the situation as such. The document affirms that the military offensive on the Rwandan group has not been successful in “breaking the chain of command in the FDLR, which continues intact. Following the retreat of the Rwandan army, the FDLR has performed various counterattacks on the towns of North and South Kivu, leading to an increase in civilian victims.” The report says that the militias are financed by the illegal exploitation of the mines and coal from the Virunga National Park, famous for its mountain gorillas. The report denounces the violence against civilians being carried out by all parties: “senseless killing, retaliation murders, kidnappings, destruction of goods...sexual violence, forced labor, sacking, and abuse of civilians” are all committed by members of the Congolese Army. Thus, several missionaries have expressed their doubts and concerns to Fides, regarding the joint military operation against the Rwandan rebels (see Fides 24/2/2009). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 28/5/2009)
