09 June 2003
U.S. and France to Respond Together to Genocide in Eastern Congo
(Holocaust Museum panel cites inadequacy of U.N. peacekeeping force)
(610)
By Jamie Martin
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Both French and American experts agreed in a discussion
June 6 that the only hope to avert further mass killing in eastern
Congo is a complete political reorganization of the Democratic
Republic of Congo's (DRC) government.
In a panel discussion, "Sequel to Genocide: The Crisis in Eastern
Congo," sponsored by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, a variety of
experts in the African field debated possible solutions to the
longstanding political and social crisis in the DRC. Alan Eastham,
John Prendergast and George Rupp, all experts on U.S. government
involvement in Congo, joined Bertrand Lortholary, counselor for
African affairs at the French Embassy, in discussing what they termed
inadequate peace efforts in eastern Congo.
The panel agreed on a number of important points. First, they believed
peace will only be attained by the Congolese themselves; and second,
that the international community must work together to achieve this
goal.
Prendergast, former African affairs director at the National Security
Council and special advisor to the U.S. State Department on conflict
resolution in Africa, described the peace efforts in Eastern Congo as
"hopelessly inadequate". He said, "It's like window dressing while the
house burns down. We're fiddling around while Congo continues to
burn."
The fighting in eastern Congo continues even though all the major
warring factions signed a power-sharing agreement in December 2002.
According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the ongoing
armed conflict after 34 years of misrule under dictator Mobutu Sese
Seko and then under his rival and successor Laurent Kabila, has left
the DRC with a limited infrastructure and little means to support
basic health, food, water, sanitation and education needs.
Dr. Rupp, CEO of the IRC said, "What the Congo needs more than any
other single accomplishment is decent government. The situation in the
DRC, whether we call it genocide or not, is without question the
largest humanitarian catastrophe in our world today. It demands a
response from all of us."
The IRC estimates that 3.3 million Congolese civilians have perished
since 1994 as a result of war and the continuing collapse of social
infrastructure. In response, the United Nations, the European Union
and the French government are participating in an internationally
sponsored peace process in the DRC.
Eastham, director of the State Department's Office of Central African
Affairs, stated, "It is a mistake to take on one of these problems at
a time. Nothing will ever get done. The formation of a transitional
government [in the DRC] is the only way a long-term solution can be
achieved. The only way this can work is if all the components (French,
EU, etc.) work together," he added.
French diplomat Lortholary echoed Eastham's response by stating his
country's forces would not deploy alone and would only act under
approval from the UN. He also added, "The primary responsibility lies
within the Congolese parties themselves."
According to news reports, the French Government has mustered an
interim military force to join and strengthen the MONUC peacekeepers
in the town of Bunia, where most of the recent ethnic strife has
erupted. Formed on June 6, the French force is expected to be deployed
fully within the next two weeks.
Lortholary made clear that French forces were only "temporary" and
would be leaving by September 1 at the latest. The French action was
to save lives, he said, but ultimately, if this intervention is to be
ruled a success, "a political solution is needed," crafted by the
Congolese themselves.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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