North Kivu is again a crucible of conflict in Congo. Since fighting resumed between the insurgents of Laurent Nkunda and the national army in December 2006, over 370,000 civilians have been displaced in the province. Since May 2007 and due to the failure of the latest attempt to integrate Nunda’s troops into the army, the crisis has deeply worsened.
The UN attempts to impose a ceasefire and appoint a special envoy to mediate have also failed. President Joseph Kabila’s 15 October decision to suspend the offensive operations and his subsequent call on all Congolese armed groups in the region to present themselves for disarmament or army integration is welcome news, though the fighting continues. There is no real dialogue with Nkunda. A comprehensive initiative needs to be launched urgently to de-escalate the crisis and address the root causes of the conflict.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes around the Eastern Congolese city of Goma as fighting between the rebels and government forces intensifies. The current wave of violence highlights the complex nature of the conflict in Eastern DRC; each part blaming the other for the recent escalation of violence.
The internally displaced people are increasingly dividing themselves along ethnic lines, with non-Tutsis fleeing into areas controlled by the FARDC and the Tutsis moving primarily into Nkunda-controlled areas, raising concerns about the potential for ethnically targeted massacres. These people have been traumatized by the ongoing violence, and frequently arrive at IDP sites with almost nothing, having been ‘taxed’ and looted along the way. ...
“The situation for civilians is desperate, and it threatens to deteriorate further if nothing is done to stop the fighting. All the parties that signed the Goma peace agreement should adhere strictly to their obligations, including the protection of civilians and respect the Nairobi agreement and the rights of Congolese to leave in peace.” said Jeff Mitshabu, CEO of ARWA Australia
The heavy fighting, the worst since the ceasefire was signed sometimes ago, started in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province before spreading to the territory of Masisi and then to Kalehe territory in South Kivu. Since January 23, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC, has recorded more than 250 ceasefire violations both in North and South Kivu.
Each round of fighting resulted in fresh displacement of civilians. The exact numbers are difficult to estimate as those returning home are frequently forced to flee again, and the UN believes that more than 1.2 million people are now displaced in North and South Kivu.
ARWA is calling on your good will to help the people of Eastern DRC.
Should you wish to support our work, please contact us on 0400130543, 0408 775 110 or 0404 920 606 or visit our website. Any donation is welcome.
ARWA Australia would like also to thank you for your generosity and solidarity to the people of the Eastern DRC.
Click below to download the PDF.
A team of ARWA executive is heading to the DRC to help mount the temporary shelters and to start the work on the Katuba maternity project. This team will be in the DRC from the 26 of January to the 13th of February 2008.
The African Relief & Welfare Agency has received a generous donation of building material for temporary shelters from the Flying Elephants LLC Band in Tokyo. These materials consist of 75 panels (these are the vinyl panels with aluminum frames which might be ideal for roofing or tent type structures), 60 sheets of vinyl (these are meant to last a long time, over 10 years. They range in size but are mainly about 3.5 meters by 5 meters in size).
In partnerships with the Christian Women Social Welfare Association, ARWA is to erect temporary shelters for the internally displaced people in Katanga. Mr. Braden Bahr Building Operations Director from Flying Elephants LLC will oversee the work and help build the shelters in Katanga in about 8 weeks time.
ARWA and the Christian Women Social Welfare Association (Congo) have launched the Katuba Maternity and Health Care Community Project to build a 35 bed infrastructure in Katuba. ARWA believes that integrating development with relief can relieve immediate suffering while bulding community capacities.
This concept of development is turned into action through supporting partner agencies to work with poor communities that are taking their own path to development, through community self help, self reliance and local participation in the implementation and management of activities.
Dr Esther Charlesworth, Kevin O’ Brien and Sam Crawford from the Architects Without Frontiers of Australia have kindly agreed to provide the architectural design of the facility as part of their contribution to the project.
ARWA is please to announce that the re-development of arwa.org.au is completed.
We are now better placed to keep you up-to-date with information about our work, events and activities.
The official launch of ARWA took place on Saturday (3-Jun-2006) at Marrickville Town Hall, NSW. Mary Kostakidis (patron of ARWA) was the master of ceremony. Special speaker at the launch was the Attorney General of Australia, Mr. Philip Ruddock. Other speakers included Jeff Mitshabu, Prof. Andre Kabamba, Stella Lufu, Felicia Boateng and Con Goletsos. Special guests included Mr. Laurie Ferguson (Fed.MP) and Mrs. Philip Ruddock.
Mr. and Mrs. Ruddock with the members of ARWA
Mary Kostakidis and the guests.
Philip Ruddock with the guests
Philip Ruddock with the guests
Mary Kostakidis, Con Goletsos and the guests.
Mr. Laurie Ferguson (Fed.MP) with the ARWA members.
Mary Kostakidis, Philip Ruddock and Jeff Mitshabu
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Ongoing fighting in the eastern part of the DRC:
ARWA Annual Report 2006-2007
Temporary shelters for internally displaced people in Katanga
Launching the Katuba Maternity and Health Care Community Project
Relaunching arwa.org.au
ARWA officially launched by the Attorney General of Australia Mr Philip Ruddock.
