Bishop Djomo, who also serves as the Bishop for the diocese of Tshumbe in Kasai Oriental Province, praised the American government, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate, for passing the provisions on ‘conflict minerals’ in the DRC, especially in eastern Congo and the Great Lakes region. The exploitation of these minerals, he said, must serve the common good and not harm human dignity.

The Catholic Church in the DRC will make several advocacy actions and contacts with the Congolese government, the Association of Conference of Bishops of Central Africa (ACEAC), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Congolese population, to join efforts to build a more beautiful and peaceful Congo, Bishop Djomo said.

The CENCO, through its ad hoc Commission on natural resources (CNR), works with organizations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), on issues related to the exploitation of natural resources in the DRC, armed conflict, human rights violations, massive displacement of populations, poverty, and the environment.

Bishop Djomo’s statement was preceded by statements on the U.S. law from Jennifer George, the representative of the CRS in the DRC, Father Ferdinand, and the first secretary general of CENCO, Donatien Nshole.

Forum des As article

“We are working together to build a professional military that protects Congolese citizens and their human rights and protects the territorial integrity of the Congo,” William Garvelink, the U.S. ambassador to DR Congo told reporters on Monday.

Col. Thomas Crowder, Africom-commissioned director for the office of security cooperation at the U.S embassy in Kinshasa, said that 30 marines will train the battalion.

Garvelink said training had been delayed by two years due to American special forces’ commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Cease immediately all attacks on civilians.

• Take all necessary measures, including making public statements, to ensure that FDLR     forces do not commit human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war.

• Carry out investigations into war crimes committed by FDLR forces and take appropriate disciplinary measures against any member of the FDLR, regardless of rank, found responsible.

• Stop blocking the return of Rwandan refugees to Rwanda. Support the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors to allow refugees to return home.

Maybe, you are asking yourself if this is a joke. No, it’s not. Human Rights Watch has actually called on the FDLR, a terrorist organization known for its atrocities in eastern Congo for more than a decade, to “investigate” its members for war crimes.

Be assured, after the FDLR complies, they will report their findings, arrest those responsible, and make them available to the Congolese authorities, or the Rwandan authorities, or maybe send them to a more neutral venue like the International Criminal Court.

Breaking News: the FDLR respond to Human Rights Watch

Dear Human Rights Watch,

After reading your recommendations, we, the leadership of the FDLR, have decided to cease immediately all attacks on civilians.

We have carried out an investigation into our actions in eastern Congo. We have concluded that we are indeed a terrorist organization, culpable of vicious crimes, and we will turn ourselves to the International Criminal Court.

We will no longer stop Rwandan refugees to return to Rwanda. Of course, if Rwandan refugees returned home, this would cut into our main recruiting base, but be assured, we will comply anyway, because you have kindly asked us to do so.

We will even go further than you have asked us, we will also name all those among us who were involved in the Rwandan genocide and turn them to the Rwandan authorities.

Sincerely,

Ignace Murwanyashiaka, Straton Musoni, FDLR leadership

Back to reality

The FDLR is one of the most brutal rebel force that Africa has ever known. They have been branded as terrorists by the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States.

In its report, Human Rights Watch writes, “On November 17, 2009, the FDLR president, Ignace

Murwanashyaka, and his deputy, Straton Musoni, were arrested by authorities in Germany

for their role in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by FDLR forces

under their command in eastern Congo between January 2008 and July 2009. They were also

charged with belonging to a terrorist group.”

Human Rights Watch also writes in the report that, as recently as August 10, the group had a “meeting” with Ignace Murwanashyaka. The group also reveals that it had other “various individual and group meetings with FDLR commanders and low-ranking combatants.”

Yes, Human Rights Watch admits it has held meetings with the leaders of a known terrorist group.

No wonder Human Rights Watch think they can change the FDLR rebels into saints with recommendations. After all, they have looked into their eyes and seen their souls.

It is, of course, pure lunacy to think that the FDLR rebels can investigate themselves, stop attacking civilians, and become model citizens of the Great Lakes region, just because Human Rights Watch says so. This is the most naïve recommendation, and there are many, included in this report. This is like asking Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to investigate Al Qaeda members and punish them for committing terrorist acts.

This time, Human Rights Watch was careful to include in its report a detailed description of the atrocities committed by the FDLR. Its previous reports had focused on the alleged atrocities of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), barely mentioning the FDLR.

This approach has led the Congolese Government to issue strong responses to the group’s claims. The Congolese Government has said that Human Rights Watch has an “hidden agenda” in eastern Congo. With the revelations that the group has been meeting with the terrorists of the FDLR, few would blame the government for making such statements.

With the arrest of FDLR leaders by German Authorities, and the report by UN-mandated experts detailing the atrocities of the FDLR and their international support network, Human Rights Watch can simply no longer afford to issue one –sided reports on the situation in eastern Congo without further losing its credibility.

In Congo, people erupted in joy early Wednesday morning as Barack Obama was declared the winner. On the streets of Kinshasa, honking cars greeted the announcement as people gathered to talk about the win and what it may mean for the Congo, Africa, and the world.

Congolese have been following the elections with great interest since Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy. They have taken pride in the fact that he is also a son of Africa. Many believe an Obama administration will be more involved in Africa and could help resolve the conflicts which have plagued the Great Lakes region for more than a decade.

People in the Congo are also thankful to the president-elect for a bill he introduced in the U.S. Senate which provides $52.000.000 in assistance each year to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Senator from Illinois is not preferred over the Senator from Arizona because of his race, but rather because he has shown more interest in the problems affecting Africa in general, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular.

One of the first (and some may say few) bills introduced by Senator Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate is S.2125, a bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

S.2125 supports the Congolese government position that the presence of Hutu militias and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in eastern Congo is being used as a “pretext” by Rwanda and Uganda to continue their “interference” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It also refers to the millions of innocent Congolese civilians who have lost their lives because of the consequences of wars imposed on the Congo by foreign armies and their allies, “31,000 people … dying monthly”, and the war in the Congo as being “one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II”.

S.2125 also provides $52,000,000 for each fiscal year to be allocated for bilateral assistance programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The bill was introduced on December 16, 2005, in Senator Obama’s first year in the U.S Senate. It was passed by the Senate on June 29, 2006, passed and amended by the House on December 6, 2006, the Senate concurred with the House on December 8, 2006.

After it was signed into law by President George W. Bush, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act (S.2125) became the first federal legislation to be enacted with Barack Obama as its primary sponsor.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame and warlord Laurent Nkunda would prefer John McCain to win today’s election. They view the Illinois Senator with a lot of suspicion regarding future U.S policy in the Great Lakes region. Laurent Nkunda has said that he likes President George W. Bush.

An Associated Press article on Senator Barack Obama’s trip to Africa in 2006 says that the Illinois Senator thinks “it would be wise for the United States to emphasize helping Africa’s “anchor states,” countries — such as South Africa, Congo, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda — that are large, populous and with natural resources in their favor, and whose successes should spread elsewhere”. The article is featured on Senator Obama’s official Senate website.

During the trip, Senator Obama was prevented from making his planed trip to Kinshasa because of the fighting between supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba and Joseph Kabila in the capital after the first round of presidential elections in Congo.

The growing Congolese community in the United States has mobilized in support of Senator Barack Obama. Congolese Americans, many of whom have fled their native country because of war, have contributed to his campaign in hopes that he will help bring an end to not only the war in Iraq but also the war in Congo.

Concerts by top Congolese musician J.B. Mpiana will be held in Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. on November 7, 8, and 14, 2008. The main theme of the concerts is a celebration of Senator Barack Obama’s victory.