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Akron, Pa.
MCC, peace workers hopeful despite failed peace talks for “Africa’s World War”


Unnoticed by most North Americans, a new round of peace talks aimed at ending what has been called “Africa’s World War” were set to begin in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, October 15.

Several Mennonite Central Committee-supported grassroots peace workers from Congo, the scene of the conflict, were to travel to the talks, lobby for reconciliation and to channel accurate information back home.

However, the underfunded peace talks ended after just a few days. This failure highlights the need for greater outside understanding of the three-year war and the vast humanitarian crisis it has triggered, say Congolese peace workers and MCC staff.

Home to more Mennonites than any other country except the United States, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) has struggled since the days of brutal Belgian colonial exploitation. The current war – fuelled by complex alliances, as well as a struggle for Congo’s diamonds, oil and other 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), as well as various foreign rebel militias, are also involved.

The week peace talks were set to begin, Bakamana Mouana, a Congolese Quaker and director of an organization that encourages interaction among various ethnic groups, visited MCC offices in Akron, Pa. He spoke eagerly of his desire to travel to Addis Ababa and encourage reconciliation. “We have to work together,” he said. “If not, Congo will die.”

Bakamana Mouana lives in the capital city of Kinshasa, where hunger and poverty are not as intense as in the eastern half of the country. Still, he said, “To get food is a problem. Some families rotate who will eat. One child eats one day, another the next.”

Statistics from Congo are staggering:

2.5 million people have died in eastern Congo as a result of the war since August 1998, according to a recent study by the International Rescue Committee. This figure is greater than the total number of people who have died in all other conflicts around the world during this same time.

Between 2 million and 3 million people are displaced within Congo, with another half million refugees living outside the country.

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 eastern Congo, 75% of babies die before their second birthday; other districts have infant mortality rates of 40%.

Congo’s road system has been nearly destroyed. Rivers are filled with debris, hindering boat traffic; decade-old airplanes provide the only transportation between cities in Congo, a country the size of western Europe.

Despite the overwhelming problems, Bakamana Mouana and MCC staff express hope for the future. They point to the energy and resilience of the Congolese and the potential role of the church in peacemaking.

Much MCC work has focused on providing forums and training for Mennonite and other Protestant churches around the country that want to foster peace and address poverty. Meetings have brought together church leaders from both government and rebel-held territories. An MCC worker is also helping to develop a peace curriculum for use in schools.

MCC is also organizing distribution of $200,000 US worth of seeds and tools through local agencies in the hardest-hit areas, and is exploring more possibilities for aid. Bruce and Ann Campbell-Janz, recently returned from a term with MCC in Congo, also point to longer-term efforts such as job creation and health.

Official peace talks may resume in the near future, with South Africa offering to host them. MCC plans to send peace workers to these talks as well.

 – adapted from a report by Rachel Beth Miller, for MCC

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Last modified November 30, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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