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upheavals in the Democratic Republic of Congo have not stopped.
It was formerly known as Zaire and now controlled by Laurent D. Kabila.
According to independent observers in the eastern part of the country,
called Kivu, where the war that derailed Mobutu began, the people are now arming
themselves to the teeth.
The people are tired and disillusioned. They live in a state of extreme poverty and under a strong military presence. The accusations at the Vatican and Caritas have not left them indifferent, still the Church is the only credible institution that remains in the country.
There seems to be also confirmation of the presence of troops from the armies of the neighboring Rwanda and Burundi and military maneuvers within the borders of Uganda. The howling mockeries of the hyenas of war sizzle anew on the Great Lakes region.
Everything appears to indicate that they continue to confirm the desire of the Tutzi governments of the zone (the Uganda of Yori Museveni; the Rwanda of Paul Kagame, and the Burundi of Pier Buyoya) to divide the neighboring Congo probably sectioning the zone of Kivu, of great riches, bordering with their countries and according to their theories, ethnically in a wish of a “Tutzi Empire.” Now the direct rival is the government of Kabila.
Vatican Conspiracy
Kabila, by his inflammatory politics, has already unleashed terror in the zone. “We are always in a state of war” he affirmed on February 1st, 1998 in a speech to the faithful members of his party, the Alliance of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo, in the city of Bukavu. “The Mai-Mai in this region act as an insurrectional movement against the established power, and as a shelter for foreign powers. Powers like France and the Vatican that act through Caritas and other similar organizations. We have the proof of that thanks to the transference of funds from Rome to Caritas.”
“In this way – continued the president – I’m preparing a declaration of state of emergency in Bukavu, with a 24 hour curfew and a house by house search in order to arrest the members of the Mai-Mai. If they are found in possession of clues that demonstrate that they are members of the Mai-Mai, they will be shot on the spot. We will send 100,000 soldiers in the city for this purpose.”
Bloody Hands
These are the typical accusations of every dictator, obsessed with bloody hands to justify their political bloodshed. Even if the crimes of the Mai-Mai are sure, and they are backed by the Twandan, Burundian and Ugandan oppositions, this racist and violent movement, however, is not wanted by the people that suffer the destruction, sorrow and death that it causes. Besides each action by the Mai-Mai is always followed by a foreseen reprisal by the government.
The people are tired and disillusioned. They live in a state of extreme poverty and under a strong military presence. The accusations at the Vatican and Caritas have not left them indifferent, still the Church is the only credible institution that remains in the country (and the only one that effectively helps all who are needy, fighting for reconciliation).
It is clear why Kabila wishes to subvert this prestige. The bishops, for their part, have reminded the government “with persistence, that one cannot forget that the people must be the master of their own destiny. We all must understand that power only makes sense if it is used as a means to serve the people.”
Public Lashings
In less than a year Kabila has succeeded in making the Congolese people miss the disgraceful despot Mobutu. The arbitrariness, the despotism, and the corruption of the new rulers have surpassed the shame of the Mobutu tyrannical regime.
Amnesty International has denounced in numerous reports the silence of the Congolese government concerning its “deliberate and calculated politics of massacre of thousands of Rwandan and Burundian refugees – the majority Hutu – and civilians of the Congo, before and after the seizing of power on the part of Kabila, in Mary of 1997.” The torture of political prisoners and members of the opposition party (AFDL) continues to be constant, such as the public executions, lashings and stockades on the streets for those who are suspected by the police or the military.
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter - Originally from Misioneros Javerianos)