Has Kabila Been Chastened and China Thwarted?
When rebel leader Laurent Nkunda launched his offensive against the people of the Congo in the Fall of 2008, one of his demands was that the Congolese government renegotiates its $9 billion deal with the Chinese. We reasoned on these pages that the root of Nkunda's demand had two possible sources: 1. He was trying to curry favor with the West because he knew the West was against the deal or 2. He was in fact being backed by the West via Rwanda to send a message to President Kabila that he needs to get back on the plantation for he had strayed too far in signing such a far-reaching deal with the Chinese.
Now that President Kabila has been apparently chastened (he has allowed Rwandan troops on Congolese soil due to Western pressure, mainly the US), we learn via the Financial Times that the West has ratcheted up its pressure for Congo to renegotiate its deal with the Chinese. Led by the Paris Club, International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the West is unleashing its multi-lateral institutions on the people of the Congo.
One would have to have his/her head in the sand not to see the geo-strategic game being played out on the backs of the Congolese people. Nearly six-million dead, hundreds of thousands of women systematically raped as a weapon of war, and crushing poverty are not sufficient for the vampires sucking the blood of the people of Congo. People of conscience and good will throughout the globe must come to the side of the Congolese people as they weather the onslaught from an international cabal crushing them like grapes. We can no longer be silent in the face of such depredation. Break the Silence and take action now>>>
posted by Blog Scholar @ 8:37 AM
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Do SOMETHING FOR THE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONGO: help put pressure on president Kabila, the Congolese government and the Congolese Parliament to take urgent action to compensate victims of sexual violence crimes in East of DR Congo. The petition can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/26180.html
Peace in Congo Requires More Than Just Pictures of Kabila and Kagame Together
http://mjpcongo.org/08122009ENGLISH.aspx
MJPC: Efforts to eradicate sexual violence in Congo should be reflected in state budgets.
Congo should put its money where its mouth is in the fight against sexual
violence in east of the country
While the Congolese Parliament examines the draft annual budget for 2010, the MJPCurges the Government to translate its words with deeds in the fight against sexual
violence in eastern Congo. More recently, the UN declared Eastern Congo "The Rape Capital of the World"
"While commending the government for adopting measures to end this tragedy, the MJPC regrets to note that such a commitment is not reflected in the state budget.
"It is regrettable that the history of budget allocations in the Congo does not show a serious action in the fight against sexual violence in Congo. This struggle
should not be limited only in statements," said Executive Director of the MJPC, Amede Kyubwa.
"Despite many claims that the Congolese government is committed to eradicating sexual violence, Eastern Congo has been in a state of chaos for over a decade, yet year
after year, the government adopts budget without any allocation whatsoever in connection with the fight against sexual violence," notes Mr. Kyubwa.
"It's really sad for some half a million victims of sexual violence who are unable to take their lives and desperately need government help to rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, the government has not yet taken steps to help " The MJPC maintains that the recent announcement that the United States will spend 17 million dollars to help victims of rape in the DRC creates good conditions for asking the Congolese authorities important questions such as:
· Why the Congolese government has never allocated budget for half a million victims of sexual violence in Congo?
· Why the magnitude of the problem has not yet awakened to the Congolese authorities feel that they have a moral obligation as government to help the victims?
"If the fight against the endemic sexual violence in eastern Congo is one of the pressing concerns of the Congolese government, it must then be reflected in its
annual budgetary allocations.
Among other things, the MJPC calls on the Congolese government to establish a compensation program to help people who have survived sexual violence in eastern Congo to rebuild their lives.A petition in favor of this program can be signed here: http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/26180.html These people need medical attention, counseling and psychological support and children born of rape need to go to school.
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About MJPC (Mobilization for Justice and Peace in DR Congo)
The MJPC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working to add a voice in promoting justice and peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the east
where thousands of innocent civilians, including children and women continue to be victims of gross violations of human rights while the armed groups responsible
for these crimes remain unpunished
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For more information on MJPC and its activities, visit http://www.mjpcongo.org or call Amede Kyubwa @ 1 916 753 5717. or by e-mail: info@mjpcongo.org
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A website calling for Kabila to Rehabilitate Lemera Hospital has been launched
MJPC has launched a website calling for President Kabila to rehabilitate Lemera Hospital destroyed in 1996 after being used as launching site of the war that led Laurent D. Kabila to power. The site www.hopitaldelemera.org also seeks to remind the world that the Congolese government has not yet taken steps to rehabilitate the hospital which was destroyed in serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. It urges people to take action to remind President Joseph Kabila to rehabilitate this hospital by signing an online petition http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/31274.html
According to Amede Kyubwa, Executive Director of MJPC, "Avenue Roi Baudouin", ex-trois "Z" during the Mobutu regime, now known as "Avenue of Lemera" in Kinshasa, the equivalent of America's Main Street known as "Pennsylvania Avenue" probably would not have been known as "Avenue of Lemera" without Lemera Hospital. Even the the most prestigious presidencial ship would not have been renamed "Bateau Lemera" if the completely destroyed hospital of Lemera had not been used as launching site of the AFDL war. A dozen pregnant women, several patients who could not move from their beds and several medical workers were cowardly and brutally killed. The hospital was completely destroyed after being looted.
The launch of this site coincides with the 13th anniversary of the destruction of the hospital once considered one of the largest hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a capacity of 300 beds, facilities covering over 40 hectares, a team of over 10 physicians including Dr. Denis Mukwege, known for his pioneering work in treating victims of sexual violence, a budget of over 2 million dollars, the hospital built by the Swedish Pentecostal missionaries represented the pride of South Kivu and served a population of around 4 million inhabitants.
The organizers of the campaign believe that although it remains unclear at this time on whether President Joseph Kabila who was also a senior officer in the AFDL army led by his father, had attended the official ceremony of launching the war in Lemera Hospital, it is quite logical to say that he came to power because of circumstances created in Lemera. The hospital remains n catastrophic conditions 13 years after its destruction despite of attempts to use a few buildings remaining. As a consequence, the populations it served are dying without access to basic medical care because there is not another hospital around Lemera to serve as an alternative.
The petition to remind President Kabila to rehabilitate the Lemera Hopsital can be signed at www. http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/31274.html. Additional information about the Lemera Hospital is available on the website launched www.hopitaldelemera.org
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