AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Another “creeping war” which has already put 35,000 people to flight: this is eastern Democratic Congo

Thursday, 16 December 2004

AFGHANISTAN

2024-04-22
Commemoration of the victims of the Easter attacks: Catholic Church wants to initiate the beatification process of their martyrdom

2024-02-07
Manipur, torn by conflict, tries to reconnect the threads of dialogue

2023-12-04
The Franciscan Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Jinan celebrates the 60th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, to continue walking on the paths opened by the Second Vatican Council

2023-10-16
Prayer for the reconciliation of the peoples of Israel and Palestine

2022-02-24
Integrating refugees into society: the commitment of the Pro Bambini Association of Kabul

2021-12-18
The Barnabites, with their hearts in Kabul: "Pray for Afghanistan"

Bukavu (Fides Service)- “Another war is approaching, we can feel it. It will be the third here in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but unlike the others this war is hidden and creeping so as not to draw the attention of the international community” a concerned local church source in Bukavu told Fides. Bukavu is the main city in the eastern Congo region of Kivu where clashes between regular army troops and guerrillas of the RCD GOMA Group for Defence of Democracy are reported in Kanyabayonga. “In Bukavu lately there are a lot of strangers who could be infiltrators seeking information in view of an attack on the city” said our source adding: “the most serious episode was during the night on December 14 when 3 motor boats from Rwanda, attempting to cross Lake Kivu to enter Congo territory were intercepted by UN peacekeepers and driven back after a brief gun fight. The Rwandan government has said that the men in the boats were smugglers, not Rwandan soldiers”.
Fighting in Kanyabayonga is making civilians leave their homes. “Most of the 30,000 people who live in the town and many more in the surrounding rural area are in flight. They have no assistance because the conflict prevent humanitarian agencies from entering the area. The local Caritas office is doing what it can to provide emergency aid to as many as possible of an estimated 30 to 35,000 refugees. Some of the refugees are moving west towards Kanyabayonga others are going south in the direction of Goma ” the sources told Fides
Today 16 December the Kinshasa government sent a mission of “conciliation” to eastern Congo to investigate the motives behind the fighting in Kanyabayonga and reduce tension in the region. The delegation consists of three government Ministers, Théophile Mbemba minister of the Interior, Kisimba Ngoy minister of Justice and Mohamed Bule vice minister of Defence. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2004 righe 34 parole 396)