CRS and Catholic Bishops Urge Congress to Use U.S. Influence to Support Lasting Peace in Congo Region

Catholic Relief Services
Thursday, 3 April 2003

Yesterday's signing of an historic accord in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) established a fragile amity, but hopes to end nearly five years of war may shatter unless the United States and the international community increase their engagement to promote a lasting peace, U.S. Catholic bishops and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) told Congress.

"Financing and support for humanitarian and peace-building programs must be dramatically increased if lives are to be saved and a culture of justice and reconciliation fostered," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and CRS said today in a written testimony to the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Africa. The joint testimony was submitted by Kenneth F. Hackett, CRS Executive Director, and Gerald Powers, USCCB Director of the Office of International Justice and Peace.

Spurred by reports that Rwandan and Burundian troops have once again slipped through the borders of the DRC in the wake of the peace deal, the bishops and their international humanitarian relief agency urged Congress to maintain and invigorate its support of the region's peace process. USCCB and CRS, in solidarity with bishops in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, pressed for a worldwide vigilance and sanction of public and private entities involved in the illegal exploitation of the DRC's resources.

The testimony cites a "lack of genuine political will on the part of all parties involved in the conflict," and states that the United States is in a unique position to galvanize those involved in the conflict to persevere in the rebuilding of the country. "The historical relationship of the United States and the DRC serves as a permanent reminder of our responsibility to support the search for a just and sustainable peace, to work with the nations of the Great Lakes to promote regional security and integral human development, and to protect the lives and dignity of people who have suffered so much, for so long."

The Catholic church remains one of the few major institutions still functioning throughout the DRC, where it serves the poor, homeless, orphaned and the ailing who suffer from the disastrous effects of the war. Some reports estimate that more than 3 million people have died as a result of the war, which has raged in the region since 1998.

CRS has worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since its independence from Belgium in 1960. Program areas include emergency relief, food security, community health and peace and reconciliation work.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org