Foreign Policy

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29 October 2008
United States Condemns Renewed Conflict in Congo

By David McKeeby
Staff Writer

Washington — As thousands flee a new outbreak of violence in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States urges government and opposition forces to stand down and underlines America’s support for United Nations peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.

“The violence that has driven tens of thousands of civilians from their homes and placed their lives at risk is deplorable,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in an October 28 statement.

Forces loyal to former Congolese General Laurent Nkunda have made gains against government forces in Kibumba and appear to be preparing an assault on the city of Goma, where 22 rebel groups, including Nkunda’s, signed a January 2008 agreement to bring peace to the war-ravaged region.

McCormack urged Nkunda to return his forces to their pre-August 28 positions, rescind his party’s call for open revolt and resume talks with the democratically elected and internationally recognized DRC government.

A 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force drawn from 18 nations, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Uruguay, has deployed attack helicopters in an attempt to stall the offensive. The United States is a leading supporter of the peacekeeping mission — the U.N.’s largest — contributing $200 million to the effort annually.

“The U.S. reaffirms its support for the United Nations Mission in the Congo, which has played a vital role in protecting civilian populations and ending violence,” McCormack said.

As many as 45,000 refugees have poured into a U.N. refugee camp outside Goma, where the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF and the World Food Programme are expediting deliveries of food aid and humanitarian supplies to meet emergency needs.

The United States is the world’s leading provider of emergency food aid and a long-standing supporter of U.N. humanitarian efforts, including $123 million in contributions to U.N. and nongovernmental relief agencies operating in Congo during 2008.

One of Africa’s largest countries, resource-rich Congo suffered nearly a decade of back-to-back wars and continuing instability that has claimed more than 5 million lives from fighting, disease and malnutrition. The United States has been an active supporter of diplomatic efforts to help Congo regain stability and consolidate democracy through its facilitation of the Tripartite Plus Joint Commission. The commission includes Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, nations that McCormack said could play a role in enhancing stability. The United States and the European Union played a role in the November 2007 Nairobi Communiqué, a U.N.-brokered agreement between Congo and Rwanda to address militant violence in the eastern Congo border region.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States has delivered more than $220 million in emergency aid since 1998, along with medical services for 10,000 survivors of the Congo conflict, help for ex-combatants returning to civilian life and programs to help Congo’s people build democracy and improve health care, education and agriculture.

“The U.S. calls on all parties to the Goma Agreements and the Nairobi Communiqué to respect their commitments and renounce the use of arms,” McCormack said. “We call on the countries of the Great Lakes region to work together to enhance stability and respect each other’s sovereignty.”

The full text of McCormack’s statement is available on America.gov.

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