Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic Church is taking measures to help the people of the war-torn area of North Kivu. “Is history repeating itself? Are we up against another episode of genocide? The images are nothing new to us. Hundreds of thousands of people in the region in eastern Congo, near Rwanda, are fleeing rebels. The majority of them are Catholics, peaceful families who are hoping to start a new life after the last war, planting their crops and raising livestock,” reads a statement from “Aid to the Church in Need,” sent to Agenzia Fides. “Right now, the camps are deserted, the children abandoned and without aid, the widows and elderly are in search of a home and the schools are filled with refugees who have been left with nothing.”
“Aid to the Church in Need” has collected several dramatic testimonies of people from the afflicted province in eastern Congo. “The people are in need of everything from blankets to simply a plate of beans or corn,” says a priest from the Diocese of Goma. “Mothers and children need water and blankets, as the nights are very cold.” There are nearly 1,000 people in need of something to eat. For many, the Catholic Church, along with the other churches working in the region, is the only source of hope for survival. The Association “Aid to the Church in Need” is their working with them and has already sent in emergency aid.”
An invitation to fast and pray during the entire month of November, as a sign of solidarity with the people of North Kivu, was launched by the Congo Peace Network, who in a statement told the Congolese Bishops: “The war in Congo is a smokescreen for the exploitation of riches. For many, these facts are unknown; information is often vague and ambiguous, and yet, what is going on is the responsibility of many. The cellular phone and the computer run on the coltan that is imported from this land, at the cost of bloodshed.”
“We know that in spite of these unresolved problems and the great disillusion that followed elections, a large part of the population continues to want to live in peaceful coexistence and emerge from war once and for all,” a statement from the “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” “Flame of Africa,” CIPSI, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Italian missionary institutes, Peace for Congo, and Peace Table. “We need to speak out, organize an urgent humanitarian aid project to respond to the emergency, return to the accords that were signed by these parties; reaffirm the mandates, unify the rules of recruitment of UN contingents in Kivu, so that they can carry out the task entrusted to them, that is, that of respecting accords and protecting the people.”
The AVSI (The Association of Volunteers for International Development) is working in the area of Goma, as the statement says: “We are working in close contact with UNICEF, which finances our activities for children from grammar schools, but the real problem is the youth, those who are a bit older. They are organized by thousands in refugee camps and without the possibility of studying. AVSI hopes to offer these young people some moments of normal life. Basic lessons and school materials are being prepared and delivered. We should not abandon them to fate, as they can become easy prey for the fighters.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 6/11/2008)
