Congo urgently needs peace talks to resume

A new round of peace talks aimed at ending what has been called "Africa's world war" were set for October. Mennonite Central Committee-supported peace workers from Congo, the scene of the conflict, were to travel to the talks in Ethiopia. However, the under-funded talks ended after just a few days.

Official talks may resume in the near future, with South Africa offering to host them. MCC plans to facilitate the trip for the Congolese peace workers. Most Congolese feel that the United States should press the United Nations to be more involved in the peace process.

While Congo may not be considered a high priority for the U.S., North American corporations profit from Congo's plundered oil, diamonds and coltan, a material used in cell phones and computers. Bakamana Mouana, a Congolese peace worker, pointed out that during the Cold War, the U.S. was allied with Mobutu Sese Seko, Congo's now-deceased dictator.

"Congo was behind the U.S.," Mouana said, "Today there is the impression that we have been abandoned."

Home to more Mennonites than any other country except the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) has struggled since the days of Belgian colonial exploitation. The current war--fueled by complex alliances as well as a struggle for Congo's resources--pits Joseph Kabila's government against rebels who control the eastern half of the country. Six other countries (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia) are also involved.

The statistics from Congo are staggering. Some 2.5 million people have died in eastern Congo as a result of the war since August 1998, according to the International Rescue Committee. Between 2 and 3 million people are displaced within Congo, with another half a million refugees outside the country. Some 16 million Congolese are starving or malnourished; 18.5 million have no access to health care of any kind. In one district of rebel-occupied Congo, 75 percent of babies die before their second birthday.

Much MCC work has focused on providing forums and training for churches around the country to foster peace and address poverty. Meetings have brought together church leaders from both government and rebel-held territories.

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MCC is also organizing distribution of $200,000 US worth of seeds and tools through local agencies in the hardest-hit areas of the country