BWANEWS INBRIEF


BWANEWS INBRIEF


Letter from Congog Resumption of Hostilities in Eastern Congo


Dear Partners, brothers and sisters in the faith:


Greetings from Goma. Through the media you certainly have


been informed about the resumption of hostilities in the two provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu [in the Democratic Republic of Congo]. You may remember that a few years ago after waging war against the Congolese army with all the consequences that it entailed in our area, Nkunda, the military offi cer [who led the rebel faction], was arrested thanks to cooperation between the Rwandan and Congolese armies. Besides the cooperation between the two armies, a split within Nkunda’s movement brought a high ranking offi cer with the name of Bosco Ntaganda to switch to the government side and he was offered a high position in the national army. But, there was a strong reaction from the international community toward the Congolese government because Ntaganda was on the list of the people wanted by the International Court in Hague for crimes against humanity. Over the past few years, the Congolese have refused to deliver him to the International Court, arguing that this could exacerbate the security situation in Eastern Congo, especially in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. But in reality, Ntaganda has been more of a disturbing factor than a guarantee for peace in our area. He even has been suspected


of illegal exploitation and


smuggling of minerals. Just some time ago he convinced most of the soldiers of his ethnic group to defect from the national army and create a new rebel movement. Some of the soldiers loyal to him have returned to the regular army, but he still has enough fi ghters on his side. They have occupied a relatively large area in


the Masisi and Walikale territories. Other territories also


affected Ntaganda


like Rutsuru and Lubero are because


allied


himself with local militias and even with Rwandan rebels who in the near past were his enemies. As a result of fi ghting between the regular army and Ntaganda’s faction, thousands of people have now fl ed from their villages and are wandering all over with small children and without immediate help.


An international humanitarian


organization spoke of around two million displaced people in the two provinces of North and South Kivu since January this year. Many of our congregations in the areas concerned by the fi ghting are affected. Some have fl ed to remote congregations of ours which now have diffi culties taking care of them. Before yesterday (May 6), 47 wounded civilians and soldiers were brought to our Bethesda Hospital in Goma and the doctor in chief there says that 10 more are waiting and surely many others will follow.


As you have been doing in the past,


we again ask you to remember us in your prayers. Because in the past we always felt ourselves to be within a communion of brothers and sisters in the faith who prayed for us, we were able to come this far without losing hope. Even though we here in the city of Goma are not directly affected by the hostilities, except for the shortages of foodstuff, we feel very much the burden of powerlessness to do something to help so many people, among whom are exhausted and overloaded women with belongings and small traumatized children who can hardly walk. We try to dialogue with the local government to see how to help the situation, but the fact that the new national government has not yet been sworn in after the elections is a big handicap for us. However we hope this will happen in the near future and the international community should work more closely with the new government to bring Ntaganda to court. Even though bringing him to the International Court for trial may not be the fi nal solution to instability in our area, it should at least be a strong message to those who have caused so much suffering to innocent local populations.


Greetings to all of you,


Kakule Molo President


Baptist Community in Central Africa May 7, 2012


Kakule Molo (in the front), president of the Baptist Community in Central Africa, at the


Nzulo Camp in the DRC Photo courtesy of the World Council of Churches


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