Pragmora News Alert - DR Congo
  Peace for the Congo
 
JUNE 8, 2010
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On the Ground
Dr. Glenys Babcock, President of Pragmora and conflict resolution specialist, has just returned from a 10-day research trip to the DR Congo. Glenys was in Kinshasa, the capital, and in Goma, a town on the eastern border of the country which has been the centre of the conflict zone.

Glenys held in-depth discussions with diverse Congolese and international organisations. The purpose of these discussions was to gain a local perspective on the still simmering conflict and on potential peace stabilisation measures, including military, economic, social and political options. Meetings were held with the UN's top representative in the country for MONUC (the UN peacekeeping mission), The Honorable Gerardine Kasongo Ngoie, Secretary General of the national women's lawyer association, and representatives of various NGOS, such as International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Search for Common Ground and Norwegian Refugee Council.
Topline Analysis
The simmering conflict in the DR Congo today is very complex with many players with diverse, or unknown, agendas. Since the war ended in 2003, the country has been considered stable and the ongoing violence in the eastern provinces has been gradually diminishing. Over the past 6 to 8 weeks, however, there have been outbursts of violence not only in the eastern region, but also in areas of the country that had been considered stable and peaceful.

The prospects for the next 12-24 months are alarming. It appears highly likely that the conflict in the DR Congo will spiral out of control, and possibly draw in its neighbours, Rwanda and Sudan.

There are two looming changes that account for this bleak outlook. At the insistence of President Joseph Kabila, the UN will withdraw 2000 peacekeepers in the next few weeks, prior to the DR Congo's June 30 celebration of its 50th Anniversary of Independence. A full pull out of the MONUC peacekeepers is to be completed in 2011. (MONUC is the largest peacekeeping mission in the world with about 20,000 members). It is almost impossible to imagine how the Congolese army alone can maintain peace, especially when the army itself has been blamed for many incidents of violence against civilians, looting, rape, and minerals trafficking.

The second potentially destabilizing factor is the planned return of tens of thousands of people who became internally displaced in the Congo or refugees in Rwanda as a result of the war. Such post-conflict resettlements are typically filled with tension. In the case of the DR Congo, resettlement will put conflicting tribal groups together again, including resettling refugee Hutus into Tutsi-dominated communities.

Advocacy Campaiign
Over the next 6 to 8 months, Pragmora will develop an international advocacy campaign designed to help prevent more conflict, while concurrently building a foundation for stable peace where possible. The advocacy measures will be rooted in the realities of the conflict and of opportunities in the DR Congo today, and will be carefully vetted with experts both in the Congo and around the world. As always, our goal is to create an advocacy campaign that is pragmatic in its objectives and that has a realistic chance of effecting positive change.

Our campaign will provide easy-to-read information on our website about the conflict in the DR Congo, and actively promote greater awareness of the looming crisis.

We will keep you posted as new information is available.
What You Can Do Now
Dr Congo Children

MAKE A DONATION
Every donation will help Pragmora develop the Peace in the Congo international advocacy campaign faster and more effectively. Donate Now.

INVITE A SPEAKER
You can invite Glenys Babcock to come to talk to your group about the situation in the DR Congo and about pragmatic measures to bring about peace. It doesn't matter how small or how large a forum. Glenys is keen to spread the word on what she saw and heard while in the Congo, and about what can be done to reduce the chances of escalating conflict.

STAY INFORMED
Follow Pragmora on Twitter – we provide links to reputable sources that provide the latest news on the situation in the DR Congo, as well as other conflicts and troubled regions.

(Later, when Pragmora has finalized its advocacy campaign, you will be able to add your voice to the international call for Peace in the Congo.)

 
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