Brian Larson has spent the past three years as country director for CARE in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has worked extensively in the Great Lakes region. The Congo, still unstable after years of conflict, is preparing to hold elections for the first time in 45 years on July 30.
Brian Larson has spent the past three years as country director for CARE in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (CARE Photo)
Being a country director for CARE in the Congo has not only been the most challenging but also the most fascinating experience of my career with the organization. The Congo is the size of Western Europe, but has only 1,500 kilometers of paved roads. Access to some of the remote areas where we work requires travel on dodgy airlines and a day or two on the back of a motorcycle. After that you can better understand the reality of how people live and the constraints of our staff as they travel from one project area to another.
I think it is fair to say that the Congo remains a forgotten crisis. Most people are not aware that nearly 4 million people have died in the Congo since the war began in 1997 -the largest number of war-related deaths in a single country since World War II.
What are the greatest challenges CARE faces in the Congo?
The two greatest challenges are dealing with the insecurity and instability and dealing with corruption. CARE works in remote, isolated places. For example, our emergency health project in the south of Maniema Province covers an area larger than Burundi and Rwanda combined. There is no United Nations presence in this area and there were times when Congolese authorities, including the military, harassed our staff and physically intimidated them. Just dealing with corruption consumes an inordinate amount of time.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming elections?
I believe that most Congolese want to vote and have hope that elections can bring an end to the humanitarian crisis. At the same time, these people have seen the political process abused-both by people within the Congo and by external actors. They cannot help but be skeptical, although overall, I do think that hope prevails.
As the Congo draws near to the elections, however, insecurity is increasing. The fear is that those who lose in the elections may return to fighting to maintain their power base. The government and the international community must put measures in place to ensure stability and security after the general elections.
What role do natural resources play in the humanitarian crisis?
Illegal resource extraction fuels conflict and has a tremendous negative impact on innocent people in the Congo. A small number of people reap enormous economic benefits from this illegal extraction, and it is in their interest that the conflict continues. Bringing good governance to the Congo would eventually bring an end to this illegal extraction and insure that profits from the Congo's resources are invested for the benefit of her people. At the same time, other governments must also be held accountable. Many of the resources that are illegally extracted from the Congo eventually end up in the hands of Western consumers. Let us not forget that governance is not just about the Congolese government.
What are the most interesting CARE projects in the Congo?
I have two favorite programs. The first is our program that works to get children out of armed groups. The use of children in the military and militia in the Congo is horrendous and to me represents the worst form of child labor imaginable. Through our work in communities CARE has been able to make contacts with military and militia leaders and convince them to release children. We then traced the children's families and reunited them. There's nothing better than seeing the smile on a child's face when he learns that his family had been located and he is going home.
The other program was the work that CARE did with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Rape is used as a tool of war in the Congo. Two years ago I went with some of our Congolese staff to a remote area where no westerner had visited since before the war. Eighty women who had been raped gathered to meet with us. Through those conversations, I learned that not only did the women suffer the violence of the rape, they also had to suffer in silence, as there was no medical care for them and they were viewed by society as damaged goods. Many of them were thrown out of their homes by their husbands and family — as if the rape was their fault. CARE worked with the Italian NGO COOPI on a joint program to provide medical care and psychosocial support to these survivors — and to raise awareness about the larger issues within the community.
How would you sum up your perspective on the country?
While there are many positive aspects about the Congo — the dynamism of the Congolese, the music, and the natural beauty of the country — it is also complex and unstable. The international community has spent over $400 million to help the Congolese elect a democratic parliament and they must continue to provide support to ensure that the new government can fulfill its role. The Congo does not have a history of good governance and they will need help. If the international community fails to support a long-term development approach in the post-election period, the Congo will revert to a humanitarian crisis.
