NAIROBI, Kenya (July 28, 2006) - As citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo prepare to vote for the first time in 45 years this coming Sunday, CARE urges the African Union, the European Union, the United States and other key players in the international community to seize this historical moment to renew and increase their commitment to rebuilding the Congo and ensuring the security of its people.
"The widespread lack of security is a major roadblock for the development of the Congo and for the delivery of humanitarian aid in areas such as North Kivu and Katanga," says Jeff Seed, country director for CARE in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "The DRC is the cornerstone to peace in the Great Lakes region. Continued international engagement, particularly in the form of humanitarian and security assistance, is critical in the post-election period."
The elections are a first step in a process that aims to improve the lives of millions of Congolese citizens who have already suffered enormously as a result of internal strife and international neglect. An estimated 3.9 million people died between 1998 and 2004, making the conflict one of the world's deadliest since World War II. Women and children have been specific targets of violence. Yet Congolese women have repeatedly shown their willingness to take personal risks in order to exercise their right to vote, as in the December 2005 Constitutional Referendum, when three-fifths of voters were women.
CARE staff report that the Congolese people are somewhat optimistic that the elections will bring stability, yet there is a real concern that different actors may use the elections to ignite tensions and destabilize the country. With 33 presidential candidates and more than 9,500 people running for parliamentary office, the polls are a massive undertaking. Ensuring stability during the vote and in the post-election period is critical to the country's future progress.
"The UN peacekeeping force must remain fully funded even after the elections are complete," says Michael Kleinman, Regional Advocacy Advisor for CARE in East and Central Africa. "MONUC — the U.N. mission to the DRC — is already stretched thin in a country roughly the size of Western Europe, and it is imperative that member countries continue to provide it with both troops and financial assistance."
CARE, which has been operating in the Comgo since 2001, has been carrying out programs that provide medical assistance and psycho-social support to rape survivors as well as interventions that aim to reintegrate former child soldiers into society.
"The presence of an adequate peacekeeping force can go a long way to discourage systematic acts of violence and enable organizations to provide essential services to those in need," adds Seed.
CARE has been actively engaging with policymakers in both the United States and Europe to underscore the urgent need to provide additional resources to help the country stabilize and gain the ability to develop its vast resources.
To this end, CARE has backed bipartisan legislation in the United States that requires the U.S. government to establish a clear, comprehensive policy toward the Congo. Highlights of this bill, introduced by Sen. Barack Obama, include a 25 percent increase in U.S. assistance for the Congo, a call for a U.S. special envoy to help resolve continuing violence in the eastern part of the country and a request that the Bush administration use its vote in the U.N. Security Council to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force in the Congo. The bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on June 29 and currently awaits floor action in the House of Representatives.
Read an interview with Brian Larson, former country director for the Congo, on the elections and crisis.
