Churches can't be silent on D.R. Congo humanitarian catastrophe

"It is impossible to preach God's love in Jesus Christ while being silent about the effects of such a grave humanitarian catastrophe," a group of church leaders told D.R. Congo President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa yesterday.

Sponsored by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and facilitated by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the 5-person ecumenical delegation was headed by the Anglican Archbishop of Burundi Bernard Ntahoturi, a WCC central committee member and the chair of the Council of Churches of Burundi and of the Great Lakes Ecumenical Forum.

Some 250,000 people have fled their homes in the eastern part of the D.R. Congo escaping the latest outbreak of violence between the army and rebels in August. As the newly internally displaced people join about one million already displaced in the region, fears of a humanitarian disaster are on the rise.

The ecumenical delegation congratulated President Kabila for "having chosen and privileged the path of dialogue in order to achieve peace". The group plans to meet Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the coming days or weeks, as well as "other actors able to contribute to the resolution of the current crisis," which includes the Congolese rebels leader Laurent Nkunda.

Reaffirming the commitment of the churches in Burundi, Rwanda and D.R. Congo "to work together for peace, healing and reconciliation in the region," the group made an "urgent appeal to the concerned governments and the international community to protect civilians, children, women, and the elderly by applying the agreements already achieved".

Additional information on the delegation