DRC’s Kivu area apart from being marginalized by successive Congolese governments is a humanitarian emergency. Armed conflict is deliberately perpetrated by rebels bent on plundering the country’s abundant natural 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. “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 traumatized 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 suggest the establishment of a wide-reaching emergency program 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. Vatican News Department
