Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "The war that the Armed Forces of DRC (FARDC) are conducting against the rebels of the Rwandan Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Ugandan Resistance Army of the Lord (LRA), and ADF-Nalu does not convince anyone for various reasons," says a note sent by Fides to the "Network for Peace in Congo" promoted by missionaries working in the country.
"As regards the region of Beni-Lubero, it is obvious that the attacks against foreign insurgents are conducted as if these insurgents lived among the Congolese population, in both cities and villages. And thus, they look for the foreign insurgents in local houses and fields, with all the consequences that this process entails: extortion, rapes, robberies, and looting. The Congolese military are sent into this so-called battlefield without a sufficient income, food supplies, and shelter. Consequently, these thousands of soldiers are forced to live at the expense of people who are already exhausted by 14 years of war. The question that arises is: Who is the real target of the Ruwenzori operations - Congolese citizens or foreign rebels?" the statement said.
Also, the command of military operations is entrusted to officers who were part of guerrilla group that was trying to secede from the rest of the regions of Eastern Congo. War crimes committed by these soldiers have never been punished or investigated. Finally, the foreign rebels they are after "have been resisting the MONUSCO and MONUC troops (the two UN Mission in Congo) and the various armies of Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan and Congo for 15 years. While, on the one hand, up until now the military option has not been effective, on the other, the UN does not want to organize peace talks with the representatives of the rebels, to come together to seek a path that will lead to peace," says the note. "It can only be deduced that there is no political will to resolve the issue of foreign armed groups. Instead, they are maintained, supported, and used by corporations and governments of some neighboring countries to maintain the situation of insecurity that allows the illegal exploitation of mineral resources from the DRC and in the future, [could lead to] a possible division of the country into several small states," the statement concludes.
The danger of "Balkanization" of the country, or the dismemberment of the Congo into smaller states (to be easily controlled by foreign interests), has been repeatedly denounced by the Congolese bishops (see Fides 10/06/2006 and 01/08/2008 ). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/08/2010)
