Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – Taking advantage of the ceasefire, a UN humanitarian aid convoy reached Rutshuru, North Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), an area currently in the hands of Laurent Nkunda and his rebel forces. The humanitarian aid is mainly intended to reach the 50,000 people living in the refugee camps, who have been without aid since the rebels' onslaught. However, the humanitarian situation in the Congolese province continues to be fairly serious: the number of refugees in flight could be up to 2 million people, all forced to flee during seasonal rains and face threats, hunger, cold, and even death.
In the political sphere, the new government in Kinshasa, presided by Adolphe Muzito, who on the night of November 1 won the vote of Parliament, has rejected Nkunda's petition to carry out direct talks. Nkunda had threatened to continue his fight until the fall of President Kabila, if he was not heard in his petition to negotiate with the Kinshasa government.
Nkunda, however, does not seem ready to go all the way to Kinshasa, as Kabila's father did in 1997, marking the fall of Mobutu. His objective seems to be limited to Kivu, where the Congolese press says it is clear that he wishes to create a separate State (which would probably be named: “Great Lakes Republic”), with the help of the neighboring nations and several multinational companies interested in exploiting the region's abundance of natural resources (see Fides 31/10/2008).
The local press claims that those responsible for the war, however, are allies even of Congolese politicians who could be referred to as “war lords,” as they promote it with the goal of carrying on a new conflict for purely economic motives: gain personal profits at the cost of military spending. It is an all-to-well-known phenomenon, seen in other conflicts, where war expenses are written-off by corrupt politicians or men of the military thanks to the fact that in time of war, the controls over the national balance are less strict.
The interests on the part of politicians in Kinshasa and local authorities in Kivu (Nkunda), moved by certain foreign interests, explains the fact that all the attempts for peace in Congo have proven ineffective. The Congolese people have also been disillusioned by the behavior of the UN, which is strongly influenced by the obstacles placed by several States who sent troops to the MONUC (the UN Mission in Congo). These countries (both Asian and African) are more concerned with protecting their own interests in Congo, than in following the UN's orders. Thus, it is understandable that Congo looks with caution at the exploration mission of English and French Foreign Ministers David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner, who in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) made an appeal for “a new political effort, vigorous and united” and encouraged all the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to honor the work taken on in accord with the peace agreements of Nairobi. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 3/11/2008)
