Civil war has forced millions of Congolese to find refuge in camps like this

Nairobi—Refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) residing in Kenya, at a peace prayer gathering on Feb. 1, said they felt abandoned and urged the international community to pressure the government and rebels in their country to open peace talks in earnest.

“We feel forgotten,” said Pascal Cikambasi, a Congolese refugee who organized the peace prayers in Nairobi at which the call was made.

“The war is growing every day, but we don’t understand why we are fighting,” Cikambasi told Ecumenical News International.

More than 2.5 million people are estimated to have died in the civil war which began in 1998.

Human rights groups charge that illegal trade in diamonds is ensuring a continuous supply of ammunition to fighters. 

An investigation carried out for the United Nations in 2002 listed 85 companies based in the United States, Europe and South Africa said to be breaking “ethical guidelines” on the trade of diamonds and other precious minerals.

The report named an additional 29 companies and 54 individuals which it said were directly involved.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a’ Nzeki of Nairobi who led the prayers in the Kenyan capital urged the protagonists in the civil war to discuss peace for their people.

“This is possible. This is our prayer,” he said.

The refugees cited recent peace agreements for Sudan and Somalia and said the moment had come for peace in the DRC. A peace agreement for the DRC was signed in April 2003 in South Africa, but the rival armies have failed to disarm.

African Union leaders on Tuesday reaffirmed plans to send troops to Congo to disarm ethnic Hutu militias who had crossed over from Rwanda after participating in that country’s 1994 genocide of more than 500,000. 

The Rev. Emmanuel Muamba, coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of the Culture of Peace Network Program of the UN educational, scientific and cultural organization UNESCO, said the DRC was beset by ethical, cultural, social, economic and political problems that had plunged the country into despair.

“These issues have to be peacefully addressed as a matter of urgency by religious groups, African countries, the international community and humanitarian organizations,” said Muamba.