Catholic Bishops in DR Congo Meet Rebel Group to Push for Peace amid Political Opposition

According to the CENCO Secretary General, the series of consultations is to continue until the return of peace in the troubled country.

“AFC/M23, represented by Corneille Nangaa, explained to us the reasons for their action. It's not for me to say because I'm not their spokesman, but at this stage I can say that listening to them has motivated us even more to work towards this pact,” Mons. Nshole said.

He continued, “We understood that there are many things that could be settled if the Congolese were to sit down around a table.”

The two parties also discussed the concerns of the Congolese people, notably the illicit exploitation of DRC’s raw materials and the fear of balkanization given the fragile security situation in the eastern part of the country.

The CENCO Secretary General relayed the assurance of the rebel coalition that they are not involved in the dynamics of balkanization or illicit exploitation. “They explained to us how things are going in these areas,” Mons. Nshole said.

In their capacity as religious denominations, CENCO-ECC appealed for the reopening of Goma International Airport and other routes to facilitate assistance of the people who are experiencing a worsening humanitarian crisis.

On January 27, the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebels announced that its forces had taken over the capital of Eastern Province of the DRC, Goma, Reuters reported.

“Rwandan-backed rebels marched into eastern Congo's largest city Goma on Monday (January 27), and the U.N. said they were supported by at least some regular Rwandan troops, in the worst escalation of a long-running conflict for more than a decade,” the January 27 Reuters report indicated.

According to Mons. Nshole, there will be no military solutions to the crisis in DRC.

“It was also an opportunity to plead for the opening of Goma International Airport and the port, but also to obtain an end to the war as soon as possible, because we remain convinced that the solution to this crisis is not military,” Mons. Nshole said.

Unfortunately, however, the dialogue approach taken by the Catholic and Protestant churches to restore peace in DRC has not been welcomed by a section of politicians in the country.

The Union sacrée de la Nation (USN), the ruling party's majority platform, has vigorously rejected the dialogue approach, describing it as “individual”.

Long before the Union sacrée de la nation, the UDPS/Tshisekedi presidential party had also opposed this move, citing the need to adhere to the Luanda process under the aegis of the President of Angola, João Lourenço and the Nairobi process under the aegis of Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of Kenya.