In Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo violence has resumed. The Congolese army has been fighting with Laurent Nkunda’s pro-Rwanda rebel group in eastern Congo in the Rutshuru territory. It was around this time last year year that violence resumed, forcing the same people from Kanombe, Bunagana, Mutovu, Ntamugenga, Rumangabo and the surrounding areas to leave. Last month we got news from those on the ground that people were beginning to go back to their villages to see what remained of what they left behind last year. Now they are on the run, going back into displacement camps again. Sustainable peace is what we, and mostly importantly the Congolese people are asking and need without any condition. What can we do to make peace a reality in the Congo?
AFJN Action Alerts On Friday August 29, we sent out an immediate action alert asking people to call the White House ( 202-456-1111) with this message to the US President George W. Bush: “I am very concerned about the renewed violence in eastern D.R. Congo that started yesterday. I ask that President Bush call the Congolese President, Joseph Kabila, and ask him to put on hold any military action against Nkunda. Most importantly, I ask that President Bush call the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, and request that he stop supporting Laurent Nkunda’s rebels. Both Kabila and Kagame should submit to the ongoing peace process” We encourage you to keep calling. Also you can send faxes to Congress. Please click here to tell them that you want them to pay a particular attention to the suffering of the Congolese people and that 6 million deaths since 1998 is not acceptable.
Congo Week Saturday Oct 18: AFJN in Collaboration with AfriCulture, a Congolese diaspora group, will sponsor an afternoon of “Prayer for Peace in the D.R. Congo” at TrinityUniversity in Washington DC at 4 PM followed by a panel, music, Congolese dance and food. The Mass will be celebrated in the Congolese Rite. Preparations are in its final phase and the flyer will be available soon. For more details call 202-884-9775. From October 19 – 25, 2008 , students from all around the globe will join in solidarity with the people of the Congo in Breaking the Silence about both the tragedy that has occurred in the Congo and also about its enormous potential that has been hidden. The purpose of Congo Week, brought to you by AFJN in collaboration with Friends of the Congo, is to raise awareness about the devastating situation in the Congowhere nearly 6 million people have died in the last 12 years while the world watched and Western companies profited. Friends of the Congo presents this as one way people can support the people of the Congo by working for peace, justice, and human dignity.
