DRC Advocacy Letter Sent to President Obama
We are writing you on behalf of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ to share our concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Global Ministries is charged with the responsibility of relating to overseas churches and ecumenical organizations. Since 1889, we have had a relationship with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through our Africa office, we work with our partners in the DRC to strengthen their capacity in the areas of health, education and leadership development and advocate for just policies on their behalf in the United States and international community.
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500-0004
July 24, 2009
Dear Mr. President,
We are writing you on behalf of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ to share our concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Global Ministries is charged with the responsibility of relating to overseas churches and ecumenical organizations. Since 1889, we have had a relationship with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through our Africa office, we work with our partners in the DRC to strengthen their capacity in the areas of health, education and leadership development and advocate for just policies on their behalf in the United States and international community.
We are troubled by the persistent violence in the DRC and deeply concerned about its future. We continue to be saddened by the daily reports of thousands of people dying which almost half of these being children under the age of five. With these deaths, the future of the DRC is fading before our eyes. We are filled with compassion for our sisters and brothers in the Congo when we read about rebel groups, foreign militias and oftentimes the underpaid and poorly-trained Congolese armed forces killing, torturing, raping, enslaving, looting, and harassing populations. These atrocities call for a response from the international community. As leader of the free-world, you have power and influence to give visibility to one of the worst human rights abuses in our world.
We know you are also troubled too as you have been a strong supporter of the DRC and we continue to applaud you for the Congo bill you sponsored when you were a Senator that passed into law in 2006. We believe your position is clear about the importance of the Congo to the entire African continent. You have said, “If Africa is to achieve its promise, resolving the problem in the Congo will be critical.”
We celebrate your recent visit to the continent of Africa. In that historical visit, you outlined your hopes for Ghana and the entire continent of Africa. In your speech given in Accra, you shared passionately that you “do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart” instead you see “Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world.” You understand that the world’s future hinges on the success of Africa as a whole. Also in your speech you emphasized your commitment to what you described as “critical” areas to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy, equal opportunity for all God’s people, adequate health care, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. These areas will continue to be an unattainable reality for the Congolese people without your leadership and the support of the international community
Global Ministries would like to emphasize to your administration that lasting peace, justice and the end of the culture impunity can only be achieved when rebel leaders and perpetrators of horrific sexual violence in DRC are neutralized. In addressing the Congo, there are concrete policies that we would like to for you to pursue which would put the Congo and the Central African region on a path to peace and stability.
We call on you and your administration to support democracy and a sustainable peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by:
- No longer giving President Paul Kagame of Rwanda carte blanche to intervene in the Congo.
- Calling for a political process that leads to the democratization of the Rwandan political landscape, which would allow disaffected “Hutus” to leave Congo and go back to Rwanda to participate in political life.
- Radically changing US policy, which currently favors corporate exploitative interest and has contributed to the exacerbation of the problem in the country.
- Supporting national reconciliation in the Congo and support the rightful ownership of Congo’s wealth for the people of the Congo.
- Implementing Senate Bill S2125, with emphasis on Section 104(2)(3) regarding justice and assistance to women and girls, victims of sexual violence in DRC, and Section 105 (Withholding assistance for foreign countries if those governments are taking actions to destabilize the Democratic Republic of Congo)
Violence and injustice has plagued the Democratic Republic of the Congo for too long. The above recommendations are necessary to help chart a path of peace with justice and equality in the DRC. We urge you to use your influence to raise awareness, create accountability and ensure a peaceful and democratic future for the DRC.
Sincerely,
The Reverend David A. Vargas The Reverend Cally Rogers-Witte
Co-Executive, Global Ministries Co-Executive, Global Ministries
The Reverend Sandra R. Gourdet The Reverend LaMarco A. Cable
Africa Executive, Global Ministries Program Associate for Advocacy and Education,
Global Ministries
CC: The Honorable Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
CC: The Honorable Susan Rice, American Foreign Policy Advisor/ U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations