Catholic News Service
03/31/2006

Click here to read the entire article.

Below is an excerpt of an article from the Catholic News Service:

BALTIMORE, Md. (Catholic Online) – Catholic Relief Services joined with 15 other U.S. humanitarian organizations in a letter urging U.S. Senate to pass the Democratic Republic of Congo Relief, Security and Democracy Promotion Act of 2005.

The bill, which was introduced by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), and co-sponsored by Sens. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Mike DeWine (R-OH), aims at getting the U.S. government to become involved to help end the crisis in this region. Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are scheduled for June 2006.

This bill would make it the official policy of the U.S. to promote a fair and transparent electoral process in that country and require the U.S. government to “promote humanitarian relief, security, democracy and transparent management of natural resources to help end the conflict in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and move the country towards peace and stability.”

…

According to a CRS statement, one of the world’s costliest conflicts since World War II in terms of loss of human life has been waged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The six-year war involving eight nations and a number of rebel groups has left as many as 4 million dead – mostly from disease and starvation, the result of dislocation/displacement of civilians from their homes and fields, and the lack of health services, CRS said, noting that the unrest has been called Africa’s first world war, and has disrupted the lives of more than 50 million people.

…

Violent conflict persists today and has escalated recently as a result of the failure to disarm Rwandan Hutu militiamen and the continued existence of armed groups – sometimes supported by outside countries – that control geographic areas and access to rich mineral resources.

Joining CRS in signing the letter to the Senate were: Africa Faith and Justice Network; Air Serv International; American Refugee Committee; Amnesty International USA; CARE; Food for the Hungry, Inc.; Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations; Friends of the Earth; Global Witness; International Crisis Group; International Medical Corps; International Rescue Committee; Lutheran World Relief; Oxfam America; Refugees International; and World Vision.