e have seen the misery of our people. Enough is enough!” This was the introduction of the message of the Bishops of the Catholic Church of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which outlines a war that from 1998 until today has claimed over 2.5-million lives and despite the progress made on a diplomatic level over the past months continues devastating the nation, torn by clashes and violence constantly afflicting the
defenseless civil population.
The void between words and application of promises made shows the cruel lack of importance given to the common good. They make and break alliances based on their moods and egotistic interests. They say one thing and do the contrary. They launch proclamations of peace, but continue serving war.
“We warn the belligerents and political class of this nation of the fact that we no longer intend to tolerate their prevarications. If the situation should not change we will use all means in our power to ensure the return of power”, underlined the prelates. In the 5 page document the Congolese Bishops severely analyze the behaviors and failings of all the protagonists of the crisis afflicting the nation for over 5 years.
From the political class to the armed rebellions, from the civil society to the international community, the document clearly demonstrates how the responsibility of a constant state of insecurity and uncertainty falls in different measures on all these different ‘actors’, while the price of their choices is being paid solely and always by the civilians.
“We will never stop calling attention to the dramatic situation in which the Congolese population is forced to live in. We welcomed with optimism first the ‘Inter-Congolese Dialogue’, then the so-called ‘global and inclusive accord’ of Pretoria. But both documents remained on paper. Accords signed with floods of press conferences and declarations the international media, but never respected nor applied. In the contrary, the clashes resumed with violence and accompanied by unthinkable atrocities against the civilians”, underlined the Congolese Bishops.
“The belligerents prevaricate and multiply without a change to their war pretexts, while the misery of the people has reached intolerable levels”, declared the prelates. In reality, according to the Congolese Bishops this behavior demonstrates the “total lack of political will and patriotism” of all the protagonists of the Congolese crisis.
“The void between words and application of promises made shows the cruel lack of importance given to the common good. They make and break alliances based on their moods and egotistic interests. They say one thing and do the contrary. They launch proclamations of peace, but continue serving war”
According to the prelates, even the so-called ‘global and inclusive accord’ reached in Pretoria in December 2002 that, at least on paper, should have outlined the future political structure of DR-Congo, does nothing but cover-up the fragmentation on the battle field, by institutionalizing it.
“The accord appears more like a compromise between belligerents and a reward to the military leaders that conducted the war”, underlined the Bishops, adding that “the insatiable protagonists of the Congolese conflict” brought to the adoption of the famous 4+1 scheme – which foresees a President (current Head of state Joseph Kabila), sided by four deputies: one an expression of the government of Kinshasa, another for each of the two armed rebellions, the pro-Ugandan MLC (Congolese Liberation Movement) and the pro-Rwandan RDC-Goma (Congolese Rally for Democracy), and a last of the Congolese unarmed opposition.
An accord that contains the actual germs of the conflict in ex-Zaire”. In their 'accuse’, the Bishops also denounce the mounting divisions of the civil society that do nothing but favor the crisis underway in their nation. “The civil society risks being ruined by divisions and dangerous manipulations that jeopardize the actual efficiency of its actions”.
But what is the cause of such extensive sufferance in DR-Congo, why such harshness against the population? “Man is a sacred being and his dignity inviolable. In DR-Congo this dignity is violated in name of insatiable appetites and large economic profits. The richness of Congolese mineral resources is contested by powers that enhance tensions and divisions to appropriate the wealth. A picture denounced also by the United Nations and that involves also many western nations that systematically pillage the resources of our nation, directly or through another party”.
The fragmentation or balkanization of DR-Congo, which is under one and then another warlord, does nothing but facilitate the pillaging of the natural resources (diamonds, gold, coltan). “The territorial unity and national sovereignty of DR-Congo are not negotiable”, underlined the Bishops. “The only way out of this situation is to seek and want peace at all costs.
But for peace there must be concrete actions, which would mean keeping promises. We explained the limits of the global and inclusive accord, but we feel that the signatories should do everything possible for its application and to give the nation the necessary institutions to govern”, concluded the Bishops.
The protagonists of the Congolese crisis should return to the table February 20 for a new round of negotiations, in which some of the most delicate issues should be addressed (such as a common military and the problem of security in DR-Congo) to pave the way for the implementation of the accord signed December 17.
(From MISNA)