A Cry from the Congo

This evening members of JustSpace joined a peace vigil in Centenary Square in the centre of Bradford. Our purpose was to highlight the plight of the people of the Congo, and to stand in solidarity with those affected by the ongoing conflict. I was invited to say some words, and simply begged that we contact and hassle our representatives and ask 'why is the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world allowed to watch and do nothing when hundreds are being killed, thousands of women and children are being raped and tens of thousands are being displaced?'

Ben and Kongosi Mussanzi came back to Desmond Tutu House and gave a passionate and clear account of what has happened to the Congo since it was ruled by King Leopold of Belgium in 1885. The news of the CIA involvement in the death of its one legitimate leader in 1960 comes as no surprise. This is a country that has been racked by war ever since that time.

It is not a war between Hutu and Tutsi's though some would like to blame it on tribalism - it is a war about diamonds, coltan, cobalt, uranium and about oil. Every time we use a mobile phone, we should think of the minerals within, probably mined in the bloodied, war torn regions of the Congo. This is a war about us, and our resource driven world.

Two young Congolese demonstrated their anger at the meeting, understandably, they want vengeance. But Ben and Kongosi showed a different way, rooted in their deep Christian faith. They work with the victims of war, those traumatised and broken. They do not seek revenge, but seek ways of peace and forgiveness. I give thanks to God for their miraculous witness.