Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service) – In a written intervention to the 60th Session United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Pax Christi International expresses deep concern for the with regard to the proces of reconciliation and peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.
Conflicts afflicting the region in Democratic Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda have caused millions of dead and refugees and “serious consequences on the human, economic, political, social and environmental levels”, the Catholic humanitarian organisation affirms.
“It is clear that the causes of the conflict vary according to the complexity of each country’s particular situation, its government’s relations with other States and the challenges posed by internal armed groups and the politics of exclusion they often support. There are, however, some common elements that we could cite as factors which continue to worsen the present situation in the region:” says Pax Christi International. These include: The lack of democracy and of democratic institutions; The immaturity of the political class, poor governance and corruption; The non-respect of agreements and of international law; Impunity for crimes and political cronyism; The desire for natural resources and their plundering by a politico-military elite; The absence of national armies capable of ensuring the safety of the populace and the integrity of borders; The proliferation and illicit trade of small arms; The reinforcement of a culture of identity-related violence; The persistence of poverty and overpopulation; The ambiguous position of the international community.
To restore peace in the region Pax Christi International calls on the UN Human Rights Commission to adopt a resolution with an appeal to the international community to: Rigorously pursue efforts to accompany the process of national pacification in each country and the process of the normalisation of relations between every State in the sub-region; Put in place common cross-border structures to maintain border security and to eradicate the illicit trade of small arms; Step up efforts and support the capacities of MONUC to accomplish its task of ensuring the security of the DR Congo, canton armed groups and complete its programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration (DDRRR) of ethnic militias; Strengthen the capacities of the African Force in Burundi; Support action to demobilise child soldiers and ensure their integration into society; Give greater attention to the numerous acts of violence perpetrated against women; Seek solutions for putting an end to the illicit trade of diamonds, coltan and other natural resources, a trade that feeds the conflicts in the eastern DRC; Strengthen mechanisms for closely accompanying every country in preparations for elections, in the Truth and Reconciliation process and in the reestablishment of juridical systems; Create an International Criminal Tribunal for the Great Lakes; Increase development aid to countries on the condition that they practice good governance, they devote these funds to poverty reduction and they respect peace agreements and the norms of international law.
Pax Christi International also requests that States in the Great Lakes region to: Make a deep commitment to respect the fundamental rights of the person and to install mechanism of a state of law. (L.M.) (Fides Service 5/2/2004, lines 40 words 457)
