Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bukavu (Fides Service) - This is one of the many forgotten wars. Here in the south eastern Kivu region of Democratic Congo guerrilla groups continue to terrorise the people despite the official peace agreement. Fides received dramatic reports from the towns of Luhwinja and Burinyi in the middle of luxurious forestland, an earthly paradise where people used to live in peace farming, keeping herds and looking for minerals in the forest. Here are the reports:
“Today sad to say many families here in Burhinyi and Luhwinja have not enough to eat. They used to be so active but now with little to eat it is heartbreaking to see them doing less and less. It seems ages since the people of Burhinyi used to supply Bukavu with all the necessary manioc, bananas, potatoes, marrow and beans.
Many of our families have lost members, many of the children are orphans they have no one to look after them, nothing to wear, they sleep very lightly and scream when they see even a mouse. Fear has gripped everyone. To avoid the danger of slaughter of the whole family, members sleep in different places so that if they are attacked the others can come to the rescue. We are forced to beg for clothes while our country is so rich; we are in deep distress!
This is the result of a lack of peace and deliberate abuse of human rights. The armed gangs maltreat us with sadism at all hours of day and night. When a local farmer has a crop of beans ready for harvest the “Warugaruga” steal the whole crop. They sow nothing and reap everything. We call them Warugaruga because they are enemies of peace and development. Although the people have nothing for themselves the militia force every family to make a weekly payment per head of five manioc carrots, ten ripe bananas or a pineapple. Obliged by fear and the instinct to survive our families give in to this humiliation”.
In this area the local people are harassed by two armed groups: “We used to dig for gold and tin-stone which brought additional income. Now it is too dangerous. But ‘hungry bellies have no ears’ we say. And some of the more courageous ones go all the same looking for minerals in the forest. They leave Luhwinja on Monday and walk three days and nights to reach the mineral area. Here they have to work at least three weeks to find anything and only if they are lucky. But they have to give the Warugaruga a percentage of the minerals they find. At barriers on the way home they have to leave 1 of every 5 kilos of stones found. If they are lucky they leave 10% at every barrier and reach Bukavu with the rest”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/6/2005 righe 44 parole 575)
