AFRICA/D. R. CONGO “Who is funding for the new war in Congo?” a missionary asks in a dramatic report to Fides

Wednesday, 5 September 2007

Goma (Agenzia Fides)- Fides received a dramatic report from a missionary in north Kivu, Democratic Congo, where fierce fighting between the regular army and the rebels led by Laurent Nkunda has continued for several days. “The streets are filled with people carrying materesses on their heads, the only thing they manage to take with them as they run from violence” Fides was told by a missionary who asked not to be named. “These people come from an area about 25-30 km west of Goma” the missionary continues. “They say that yesterday morning (4 September.), about 6am they were woken by mortar shelling and decided to abandon their village en masse before the fighting reached their homes”.
“The fortunate ones go to family or friends in Goma, the main town in north Kivu. Those who have no one to go to are settling in makeshift shelters close to the town” the missionary said.
“I wonder who is funding the violence. Who has the money to pay people to take up weapons again?” the missionary asks. “Recently the Congolese authorities said they had dismantled a network of provocateur agents, rebels preparing to take action in Bukavu, Uvira and other parts of Kivu, to spread the conflict, to the point that there is fear of a third Congolese war, after those of 1996-97 and 1998-2003”.
“Sadly when the militia in this area were disarmed nothing was done to reintegrate them into society. They were given an incentive of 100 dollars to hand over the arms, but many of them failed to find work. Unemployed and with no prospects they are easy prey. There exit then the conditions for another war: all that is needed is someone with a box of matches. The members of the provocateur agents are paid 250 dollars a month, a fortune in this part of the world. Not even a university professor earns as much! Who is paying?” the missionary asks.
“There are precise strategies behind these events. Nothing is left to chance” the source told Fides. “I saw for example that the media in the West gave ample space to the killing of the mountain gorillas in Virunga Park. This was not useless cruelty to nature, instead it was to prevent tourists coming here to see what is happening ” the missionary concluded.
Laurent Nkunda commands to rebel brigades of the unified Congolese army established after the peace agreement of 2003. He is wanted for war crimes.
Nkunda's troops have repeatedly thwarted efforts on the part of the central government to restore peace and government authority in the eastern regions of D.R. Congo. Because of teh fighting tens of thousands of Congolese have fled to Uganda. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/9/2007 righe 45 parole 587)


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