Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Uvira (Agenzia Fides) - In the diocese of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo there has been no peace for over seven years and “without peace, it is impossible to see the way forward, or even rebuild the region”. This was affirmed by the Bishop of Uvira Richard Domba, during a recent Diocesan Congress on Peace in the Region, held 12 - 14 July in Uvira, organised by the diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace in collaboration with the NGO Conciliation Resources. According to the local news agency DIA, among those present, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, archbishop of Gulu, recently elected President of the Ugandan Bishops' Conference, and priests from the Congolese dioceses of Doruma-Dungu and Isiro-Niangara, and the Sudanese diocese of Yei.
In his address to the meeting, Bishop Domba spoke of a “dramatic” situation of insecurity in his diocese where the people live in fear of brutal gangs of armed men, the most notorious being the rebels of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). Another speaker, Rev Benoît Kinalegu, president of the diocesan commission for Justice and Peace, recalled the desolation caused by the LRA in the area of Dungu and other places. Praising the activity of the NGO Conciliation Resources to promote reconciliation and prevent conflict in Africa and in other parts of the world, the priest stressed the need to find ways to convince the LRA combatants to leave the forest and to identify paths for peace for the future. The issue of a proposed amnesty for peace in the region is still the centre of debate, considering the sensitive nature of the matter.
The leaders of the communities of Wando, Ndolomo and Boso said they are certain peace will soon be restored. Expressing confidence in the support of the international community with regard to the treatment of LRA troops, they urged the government of Congo to intensify its deterrent activity, to reinforce the Congolese armed forces with better equipment and more men, and to start dialogue with the LRA with the mediation of the international community in view of a lasting peace. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 15/7/2010)
