tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65521644214834266032024-02-20T01:06:04.167-08:00save the congo... building hope and reshaping the future!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-89731293260987899252009-05-24T11:11:00.000-07:002009-05-24T11:23:44.142-07:00At Last the UN Sides With People of the Congo: UN asks Congo to arrest army officers<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/ShmOeMTQe9I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/3tkbmf1AY7g/s1600-h/5.4+Million.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339455482573650898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 166px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/ShmOeMTQe9I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/3tkbmf1AY7g/s400/5.4+Million.jpg" border="0" /></a>UN asks Congo to arrest army officers<br /><div align="justify"><br />KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The U.N. Security Council said Tuesday that it had asked the Congolese government to investigate and arrest five high-ranking army officers known to have committed atrocities.<br /><br />The officers joined the Congolese army after leaving their rebel groups as part of a peace deal.<br /><br />The U.N. offered no specifics on the accusations against the five men but human-rights groups have said that members of the army have raped, robbed and killed civilians in recent months.<br /><br />Improving the dismal performance of the army is a key step in the process of eventually reducing the size and cost of the world's largest U.N. peacekeeping mission.<br /><br />Jean-Maurice Ripert, France's ambassador the U.N. said, "We even provided the government with the names of people whom we wished to see judged and arrested. We got a commitment from the government that encourages us."<br /><br />Ripert would not name the men but said the Security Council had asked Congolese authorities to work on improving the army, police and judiciary.<br /><br />Currently the underpaid and ill-disciplined army has a dismal reputation for raping and murdering the civilians it is meant to protect.<br /><br />Human Rights Watch, an independent international rights group, said Tuesday that soldiers were responsible for 143 rapes in the north Kivu province since January, over half the 250 rapes it had documented. It said the army had also killed at least 19 civilians in the same period.<br /><br />"Some women were taken as sex slaves by soldiers and held within military positions," it said.<br /><br />Alan Doss, the U.N.'s top official in the Congo, said the army would have to improve if plans to increase the current U.N. peacekeeping force by 3,000 troops and then try to start reducing it by 2010 were to go ahead.<br /><br />Congo has been wracked by conflict since genocidal forces from Rwanda fled into its forested mountains 15 years ago. At its height, the conflict in eastern Congo drew in half a dozen of the country's neighbors, each greedy for a share of the region's rich mineral resources. A peace deal in 2003 reduced the fighting but both the army and rebel groups still lurking in the forests continue to attack villages and mutilate and kill civilians.<br />"The Security Council cannot turn a blind eye when known human rights abusers are in senior positions in military operations they support," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior researcher in the Africa division at Human Rights Watch.<br /><br />The Security Council arrived in Liberia Tuesday to assess the state of the nation six years after the end of a devastating civil war. It is the last stop of the U.N. body's four-country tour.</div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Source: Associated Press. May 19th 2009</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hgh5suxPEmPF6L19iqBMVc7e-B_wD989HBIG2">http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hgh5suxPEmPF6L19iqBMVc7e-B_wD989HBIG2</a></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-42318714112302431052009-05-22T13:33:00.000-07:002009-05-22T13:35:06.745-07:00Save the Congo<p align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/ShcMX7y3ilI/AAAAAAAAAFo/O7wEfDzbo8I/s1600-h/Save+the+Congo+Logo+(Red).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338749488598583890" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/ShcMX7y3ilI/AAAAAAAAAFo/O7wEfDzbo8I/s400/Save+the+Congo+Logo+(Red).jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-6079068186187616092009-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:002009-05-07T10:44:25.592-07:00Congo Now<div align="justify"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SgMdaxGN2MI/AAAAAAAAAFg/E_Zoi3q6Dy8/s1600-h/Congo+Now+Logo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333138729430014146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SgMdaxGN2MI/AAAAAAAAAFg/E_Zoi3q6Dy8/s400/Congo+Now+Logo.gif" border="0" /></a>Artists, writers, parliamentarians and activists come together under the banner of Congo Now! to highlight not just the unacceptable suffering of the Congolese people, but also the country’s untapped potential, its creativity and cultural energy.<br /><br />Monday 4 May, 11am-11.45am – Congolese international and West Ham star Herita Ilunga launches the week at a community football tournament in Regent’s Park in cooperation with Christian Aid. A Question & Answer session with budding footballers will be followed by a statement and photo opportunity at the Hub.<br /><br />Thursday 7 May, 7.45pm – Congo Now! will reach its zenith in an evening of celebration hosted by the Southbank Centre, in collaboration with the All Party Group, photojournalist Susan Schulman and V-Day UK. British and Congolese musicians, writers and public figures including the celebrated Kasai Masai, singer/songwriter Safro, singer and actress Sharon D Clarke, Tim Butcher (Blood River) and Oona King will be joined by Thandie Newton performing a new monologue by acclaimed writer Eve Ensler. For details and tickets, please see the <a href="http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/all-events/productions/congo-now--45672." target="_blank">Southbank Centre</a>.<br /><br />Friday 8 May, 6pm – Doughty Street Chambers and Human Rights Watch will screen The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court, an award-winning documentary following the drama of how the world is seeking to apply the rule of law and hold to account perpetrators of unspeakable crimes in places like the Congo, Uganda and Sudan. The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the challenges of seeking justice in the Congo. Venue: 53-54 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LS. Please RSVP to <a href="mailto:events@doughtystreet.co.uk">events(at)doughtystreet.co.uk.</a><br /><br />Friday 8 May, 9am-10am – Another Kind of Struggle: the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Democratic Republic of Congo – a discussion chaired by Dr Muzong Kodi at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, 10 St James's Square, SW1Y 4LE.</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-34436205229897055072009-04-08T09:13:00.000-07:002009-04-08T09:14:34.888-07:00I Must Not Forget<div align="center">I Must Not Forget<br /><br />A crack in the sky<br />Men woman and children demonized<br />Axes, Machetes… clenched the street<br />Cries; the crushing sounds of skulls from all ways you look<br />The unspoken was taking place:<br /><br />She is accustomed to it, a voice from a New York said<br />Friends; neighbours stand and look, to say the least<br />Blameless souls broken down by rod and by rood<br />Hacked off at a yes or a no<br />Blue helmets, without arms, stand idly<br />as blood rust, and de-colored in soil<br /><br />To this, my heart recoils from the thought of your agony<br />my soul torn by this rage inside<br />How was it possible that I was here, alive<br />when next door a carnival of carnage was taking place!</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-86283040310653690832009-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:002009-03-19T08:57:38.325-07:00Congo: Voix des Sans Voix Urgent Actions<div align="justify">Dear friends,<br /><br />Please find below an Urgent Action for three colleagues from Voix des Sans Voix who were arrested on 15th March. Please circulate it widely and send appeals to the authorities for their release.<br /><br />Veuillez trouver ci-dessous une Action Urgente pour les trois collègues de la Voix des Sans Voix qui ont été arrêtés avant-hier. Merci de la diffuser largement et d'envoyer des appels aux autorités pour leur libération.<br /><br />AI Index: AFR 62/006/2009 <br />16 March 2009<br /> UA 78/09 <br /><br />DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO<br />*Dolly Inefo Mbunga (m),<br />*Floribert Chebeya Bahizire (m),<br />*Donat Tshikaya (m), and all human rights defenders <br /><br />Human rights defenders Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, Dolly Inefo Mbunga and Donat Tshikaya were arrested on 15 March in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, by officers of the Police Nationale Congolaise , national police force. According to eyewitnesses, the men were beaten, handcuffed and “thrown” into police vehicles and then taken to the Kin-Mazière detention centre in central Kinshasa, the headquarters of the Special Services police.<br /><br />They have been held incommunicado since then, putting them at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International considers them prisoners of conscience, detained solely for their human rights activities and peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.<br /><br />The men were arrested at the offices of a national human rights network, RENADHOC (Réseau National des ONGs des Droits de l’Homme en RD Congo), just after they had held a press conference calling for a peaceful protest march and sit-in in of front the National Assembly, to protest against what they regard as unconstitutional attempts by the ruling AMP political coalition of President Joseph Kabila to force the removal from office of the President of the National Assembly, Vital Kamerhe, and other members of the National Assembly’s Secretariat. <br /><br />Floribert Chibeya Bahizire is the President of the human rights NGO La Voix des Sans Voix (VSV), Voice of the Voiceless, and Executive-Secretary RENADHOC. Dolly Inefo Mbunga is the Deputy-Director of VSV and Donat Tshikaya is a RENADHOC staff member.<br /><br />BACKGROUND INFORMATION<br /><br />The Special Services police (Direction des Renseignements Généraux et Services Spéciaux de la police (DRGS), is a special intelligence division of the national police force. The DRGS has been responsible for numerous arbitrary arrests of suspected opposition members and supporters, journalists and human rights activists, as well as acts of torture and other ill-treatment. <br /><br />RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in French, English or your own language:<br /><br />urging the authorities to release Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, Dolly Inefo Mbunga and Donat Tshikaya immediately and without condition, as they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,<br />- call on the authorities to allow Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, Dolly Inefo Mbunga and Donat Tshikaya<br /> immediate access to legal representation as well as family visits and any medical attention they may<br /> require,<br />- demand that the authorities stop the harassment and unlawful arrests of human rights activists in DRC.<br /><br />APPEALS: We need you to do 3 things:<br />Copy and Paste this appeal and send it to as many people as possible pleading to them to do the same<br /><br />Write to: Gordon Brown –the British PM; David Milliband –British Foreign Secretary; Lord Mallock Brown -British Foreign Secretary in charge of Africa; David Cameron –Conservative Opposition leader; and Nick Clergg –Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader, and urge them to call upon the Congolese authorities to release Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, Dolly Inefo Mbunga and Donat Tshikaya immediately and without condition, as they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.<br /><br />The Rt Hon Gordon Brown<br />UK Prime Minister<br />10 Downing Street<br />London, SW1A 2AA<br /><br />The Rt Hon David Milliband<br />UK Foreign Secretary<br />Ede House<br />143 Westoe Road<br />South Shields NE33 3PD<br /><a title="Email Me" href="mailto:milibandd@parliament.uk">milibandd@parliament.uk</a><br />(0191) 456 8910.<br /><br />Lord Mallock Brown<br />King Charles Street<br />London SW1A 2AH<br />Tel: 020 7008 1500<br /><br />The Rt Hon David Cameron<br />House of Commons<br />London SW1A 0AA<br />Email: <a href="mailto:camerond@parliament.uk">camerond@parliament.uk</a><br /><br />The Rt Hon Nick Clerg MP<br />85 Nethergreen Road,<br />Sheffield S11 7EH<br />Tel: 0114 230 9002. Fax: 0114 230 9614<br />Email: <a href="mailto:nickclegg@sheffieldhallam.org.uk">nickclegg@sheffieldhallam.org.uk</a><br /><br />We need you to CONTACT YOUR MP and ask him or her to write to the PM Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary on your behalf asking him to:<br />- call for the release of all prisoner of conscious in the Congo; and<br />- urging the Congolese authority to stop all forms of arbitrary arrest<br />We have a DRAFT LETTER: “Human rights = Human life” which you can alter to send to your MP, PM or Opposition leader either by post or email. Please email Vava Tampa on: <a href="mailto:vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk">vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk</a> for a copy<br />Note:<br />To find out the name of your MP (go to <a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/l/)" target="_blank">http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/l/)</a><br />a. Their email address will be the first letter of the first <a href="mailto:name.surname@parliament.uk">name.surname@parliament.uk</a> (e.g. for Gordon Brown it would be <a href="mailto:g.brown@parliament.uk">g.brown@parliament.uk</a>)<br />b. You can actually write to 2 MPs! Your home MP and your Uni MP.<br />2) Personalize the generic letter by replacing the *red* text<br /><br />PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY, and if you need further details on the case check with the International Secretariat, or your section office or email Vava Tampa on: <a href="mailto:vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk">vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk</a></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-38305696659953918802009-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:002009-02-08T12:34:56.361-08:00Enough is Enough: Save the Congo Now<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='424' height='392' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpEoV-JzTaL-qupsLeWpF6_7_G4qWqJOBYLlZXweGXSdFzPrYjwg-ILKOiOsn6unARwelmCScy8kcnifKjJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-18578828790306184432009-01-29T09:36:00.000-08:002009-01-29T10:04:46.882-08:00SAVE THE CONGO - NEW MEDIA RELEASE<div align="center"><strong>SAVE THE CONGO – NEW MEDIA RELEASE<br /><br />FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 29 January 2009<br /><br />Conflict Risk Alert: DR Congo </strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="justify">London, 29 January 2009: Save the Congo calls upon PM Gordon Brown to use his leverage on the Rwanda leadership, the Congolese government and regional powers to end the join military operation of Rwanda and Congo which threatens to plunge Eastern Congo further into what is already an unmatched human suffering in recent history without assurance that it will solve the region’s conflict.<br /><br />President Joseph Kabila of DRC and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda have embarked on a join military operation to flush FDLR-rebels out eastern Congo. The operation has already impacted negatively on the ability of MONUC [UN mission in DRC] peacekeepers, as well as various UN agencies and aid agencies, to protect and assist the civilian population in some areas.<br /><br />Rwanda has invaded Eastern Congo twice in recent years under the pretext of disarming the FDLR; and on both occasions, investigations and reports by aid agencies and the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, uncovered and unveiled primary evidences implicating President Kagame’s close friends and military elites in series of systematic plundering of Congo’s natural resources; summary executions of as well as orchestrated campaign of sexual violence against civilians, whom they believe were aiding the government, and force displacements which have led to the human tragedy engulfing the Congo.<br /><br />In addition, Save the Congo fears a repeat of the 1996-1997 scenes as MONUC is not involved. In 1996-1997, when AFDL [alliance of Rwandan, Ugandan armies and anti-Mobutu groups under the leadership of Laurent Desire Kabila] marched into Congo, then Zaire, to oust Joseph Mobutu from a 32 years reign of power, the Hutu populations, some of whom were responsible for the 1994 genocide and some simple innocent civilians, living in refugee camps in Eastern Congo were systematically and indiscriminately slaughtered. An estimated 3 Million are said to have been killed.<br /><br />Furthermore, Save the Cong warns of a political stunt by the Rwandan authority: between 1998-2001 Rwanda invaded Eastern Congo under the same pretext [disarming and flushing FDLR out of Eastern Congo] – throughout that period, Rwandan soldiers and its offshoot RCD-Goma did not go after or clashed with FDLR but, on the contrary, Rwanda and RCD-Goma occupied rich mining areas in Eastern Congo, collaborated with FDLR-rebels and coltan, cassiteririte, gold and diamonds exploited by the FDLR were being sold in Rwanda.<br /></div><div align="justify"><br />“More bloods will not cleanse bad blood” said Vava Tampa, a Congolese born and undergraduate student at Queen Mary College, University of London.<br />"The FDLR are in Masisi but the Rwandans have instead gone to Rutshuru. We don't really know what they are doing there because our access has been blocked” - said Jean-Paul Dietrich, MONUC military spokesman<br /><br />“The world must not stand idly when armies bearing trade marks of war crimes embark on military assaults, that has no insurance of removing the cloud of war that has shadowed the region for sixteen years, in communities already gripped with humanitarian catastrophes that wouldn't exist in peaceful time to apprehend a group of individuals indistinguishable from ordinary Congolese civilian population” added Vava Tampa.<br /><br />“Wounds still fresh… nightmares of the Rwandan military activities in the Congo in recent years still haunting the civilian population… and forcing such people -the local population, to share the same paths with Rwandan soldiers at the wake of the recent Rwandan backed war by CNDP which left over 500 000 killed; over 250 000 uprooted and scenes of war crimes across the Kivus between August 28 to December 12, is, in essence, pouring their wounds with gall and vinegar – said Vava Tampa, a Congolese born and undergraduate student at Queen Mary College, University of London.<br /><br />“Given the Rwandan and Ugandan armies’ last clash over mining areas in Kisangani in 2002; fear, resentment, acute ethnic tensions and availability of tools of destructions in the Kivus; and MONUC’ inability to decisively deter those fuelling and perpetuating inhumane actions in ethnic line; the on-going join military operations, at its current form, risk to plunge the region into inter-state genocidal destruction; and unless PM Gordon Brown, who has a very significant influence upon the Rwandan and Congolese leadership, takes on a pro-active role to end the joint military operation, Eastern Congo could, once again, be transformed into huge battlefields.” – added Vava Tampa.<br /><br /><strong>For further information, please contact:<br /></strong><br />Vava Tampa: +44 (0) 7960 705 829 (day or night)<a href="mailto:vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk">vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk</a>www.savethecongo.co.uk<br /><br />Vava Tampa is a Congolese born and undergraduate student at Queen Mary College, University of London; and Director of Save the Congo –a UK based Congolese youth led advocacy organisation campaigning for and promoting the restoration of peace, security, justice and human dignity in the Congo.<br /><br /><strong>Note to the editors:<br /></strong><br />The DRC is a home to vast expanses of pristine rain forest, rare animal species and a treasure trove of rare precious minerals – it houses all elements found on the periodic table. Its abundant reserves of Copper, Cobalt, Coltan -an essential component of mobile phones, laptops and game counsels, Cassiterite (tin ore), Diamonds, Hydraulic Cement, Iron, Gas, Gold, Lead, Lithium, Manganese, Nickel, Oil, Silver, Timber, Tungsten, Uranium and zinc have the potential to serve as the engine of growth in its reconstruction and eradication of poverty in the Central African region and beyond.<br /><br />Yet its one of the poorest and chaotic nations, ruined by wars, sexual atrocities and humanitarian catastrophes. One can take all lives lost in Bosnia, Rwanda 1994, Darfur, the 2005 tsunami in Asia, and then add a 9-11 every single day for 356 days and then go through Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Put all of those together, multiply by 2 and you still don’t reach the number of lives that has been lost in the Congo since 1998.<br /><br />NGOs estimate that over 6 millions have so far been killed; around 40% of all adult women have been made widows; around 2 million internally displaced; 100 000s of women and young girls brutally gang raped; and million more remain trapped between warring parties.<br /><br />The UK is the largest unilateral aid donor to the Congolese government –providing more aid than France, Belgium and US combined; and the second largest aid donor to the Rwandan government.<br /><br />The first report of the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was published on 12 April 2001<br /><br />The Final report of the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was published on 12 December 2008 (S/2008/773)<br /><br /><strong>The National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP)<br /></strong>CNDP is an armed group almost exclusively composed of ethnic Tutsis. It was established by Laurent Nkunda –a former officer of RCD-Goma which in 2003 signed the Sun City peace-deal and joined the transitional government with Laurent Nkunda as a Colonel but soon promoted to General.<br /><br />However, in 2004, with the support and assistance of close allies of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Laurent Nkunda with some (former) RCD-Goma officers and militia retreated to the highlands of Masisi Plain, Eastern Congo, under the pretence of defending the interests of the Tutsi minority in eastern Congo and formed a band coalition, CNDP, of ethnic Tutsis from Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.<br /><br />On January 22, the Rwandan authority announced that they had arrested Laurent Nkunda; four days later, on the 26th, the Rwandan army spokesperson Maj. Jill Rutaremara, when questioned by the press, said “Laurent Nkunda was in Rwanda but “not in jail.” And he would not elaborate other than saying Nkunda was “safe”<br /><br /><strong>Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)<br /></strong>FDLR is a coalition almost entirely composed of ethnic Hutus. It was formed in 2000 “after the merger of ALIR –the Army for the Liberation of Rwanda and a loose Hutu Congolese armed group<br /><br />ALIR was overwhelmingly composed of Rwandan Hutus responsible for the genocide in Rwanda but fled to the Congo as Paul Kagame’s RPF advance toward Kigali in 1994. During the 1998-2003 war, FRDL sided with the Kinshasa government trying to end Rwandan and Ugandan led scramble of rich natural resources in Eastern Congo.<br /><br />In March 2005, the FDLR announced it was abandoning its armed struggle against the Rwandan government and returning to Rwanda to form a political party but the move was not welcome nor aided by the Rwandan government and soon collapse. And have since resumed their military activities. </div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-5851878882660000392009-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:002009-01-29T09:35:36.876-08:00The Save the Congo Team<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SYHojdDU9AI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Y32m2NVdWPw/s1600-h/5.4+Million.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296770332556063746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 426px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SYHojdDU9AI/AAAAAAAAAFA/Y32m2NVdWPw/s400/5.4+Million.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-68495783373481128892009-01-27T16:12:00.000-08:002009-02-01T14:05:10.922-08:00Congo' Potentials (Cause Root of Conflicts)<div align="justify"><em>“The Congo is so rich in mineral wealth, you can’t just ignore it. You don’t want to be the last guy at this party”</em></div><div align="right"><br /><strong>-Gerhard Kemp<br /></strong>Rand Merchant Bank, Johannesburg<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(Quoted from Global Witness Report: “Digging in Corruption” -Fraud, Abuse and Exploitation in Katanga’s copper and Cobalt mines. July </span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-size:78%;">2006)</span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="right"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify">The DRC is a home to vast expanses of pristine rain forest, rare animal species and a treasure trove of rare precious minerals – it houses all elements found on the periodic table. Its abundant reserves of Copper, Cobalt, Coltan -an essential component of mobile phones, laptops and game counsels, Cassiterite (tin ore), Diamonds, Hydraulic Cement, Iron, Gas, Gold, Lead, Lithium, Manganese, Nickel, Oil, Silver, Timber, Tungsten, Uranium and zinc have the potential to serve as the engine of growth in its reconstruction and eradication of poverty in the Central African region and beyond.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>The following are some mineral indices by province: </strong></div><ul><li><div align="justify"><strong>Eastern Province</strong> (Orientale): Gold, diamond, clays, copper, iron, kaolin, niobium, ochre, phosphates, saline, bituminous schists and talc. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>North Kivu</strong>: Clays, tin stone, basnaesite, emerald, coal, granite, monazite, niobium, gold, wolfram, tantalum and calcareous. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>South Kivu</strong>: Gold, tin stone, amblygonite, silver, basnaesite, emerald, bismuth, diamond, diatomite, monazite, niobium, wolfram, zinc, tantalum and calcareous.</div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Katanga</strong>: Copper, cobalt, uranium, niobium, gold, platinum, lithium, talc, tantalum, wolfram, zinc, clays, bismuth, cadmium, tin stone, coal, iron, granite, emerald, sapphire, diamond, silver and calcareous. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Maniema</strong>: Gold, tin stone, amblygonite, lithium, clays, copper, diamond, iron, kaolin, manganese, niobium, lead, talc, tantalum and wolfram. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Equator:</strong> Diamond, gold, iron, calcareous, kaolin, clays, copper, granite, niobium and ochre. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Eastern Kasai</strong>: Diamond, clays, gold, chrome, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, kaolin and talc. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Western Kasai</strong>: Diamond, clays, gold, chrome, nickel, cobalt, platinum, copper, iron, kaolin, lead and saline. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Bandundu</strong>: Diamond, kaolin, petroleum and clays. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Kinshasa</strong>: Clays, silica and kaolin. </div></li><li><div align="justify"><strong>Bas-Congo</strong>: Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, vanadium, asphaltic sands, gold, diamond, manganese, marble, granite, rock salt, iron, clays, gypsum, pyrite, talc, silica, kaolin, baritone and calcareous.</div></li></ul><p align="justify"><strong>Congo Waters:</strong></p><ul><li><div align="justify">The Congo River, the second longest river in Africa after the Nile and the second largest flow in the world after Amazon, is another source of potential for Africa: it has one-sixth of the world's hydroelectric potential; and can power the whole continent!</div></li><li><div align="justify">With more than 700 fish species, 500 of which are endemic, the Congo River (Basin) ranks second in the World in fish diversity, after the Amazon.o Lake Tanganika, the third largest fresh water lake in the world by volume and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Serbia, </div></li></ul><p align="justify"><strong>Land & rainforest:</strong></p><ul><li><div align="justify">The Congo has vast agricultural potential; if unleashed, this potential could significantly reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, which affect more than 70% of the African population.</div></li><li><div align="justify">Congo’s fertile fields and tropical forests cover an area bigger than United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany combinedo Congo’ fertile fields can feed the whole of central and part of southern Africa</div></li><li><div align="justify">Congo’ rainforest is the second largest on Earth; only the Amazon is larger, remain almost intact and unexploited and houses a wealth of biodiversity found no where else on the planet; and plays a vital role in regulating climate, both locally and globally</div></li></ul>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-50002005530642208102009-01-27T15:59:00.000-08:002009-01-27T16:00:36.614-08:00Congo Holocaust<p align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SX-f_ezB8cI/AAAAAAAAAE4/heNkwa0-sCE/s1600-h/Congo%27s+Wealth+(frm+Khalil).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296127599758668226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 285px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SX-f_ezB8cI/AAAAAAAAAE4/heNkwa0-sCE/s400/Congo%27s+Wealth+(frm+Khalil).jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-68350062329936427042009-01-27T15:49:00.000-08:002009-01-27T15:58:41.810-08:00Why Congo Matters?<div align="justify">Congo represents the promise of Africa as much as its misery. She matters because:</div><ul><li><div align="justify">Over 6 Million have been killed since 1998, bloods still running like water yet the troubles rarely make daily headlines and the country is often low on major aid donors’ list of place to help<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">The use of children, some as young as 9, as soldiers, porters, domestic servant and sexual slaves by armed groups are all too common<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">1,250 Congolese die every day because of war-related causes - the vast majority succumbing to diseases and malnutrition that wouldn't exist in peaceful times<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">In-spite of peace-deals, elections and 17 000 strong UN force, mass execution, war crimes, child-abduction, arbitrary arrests, orchestrated campaigns of gang-rapes, sexual mutilation and mass human rights violations are all too common<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">Around 3 Million are internally displaced; some of which have been displaced since 1998 and re-displaced over and over<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">Women and young girls have been systematically target and gang raped on blood chilling scale unmatched in recent history<br /></div></li><li><div align="justify">Eastern Congo has been transformed into what can only be termed as concentration camps – nothing but gang rapes, ethnic motivated persecutions, summary executions, famines and mass human rights violations</div></li></ul>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-1961268494238183562009-01-27T15:47:00.000-08:002009-01-27T15:49:20.819-08:00<p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SX-dX_YyG6I/AAAAAAAAAEw/BO-5PBGjEaI/s1600-h/Civilians.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296124722288925602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 284px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SX-dX_YyG6I/AAAAAAAAAEw/BO-5PBGjEaI/s400/Civilians.gif" border="0" /></a></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-6709308763681916082009-01-21T07:32:00.000-08:002009-01-21T07:34:53.555-08:00Press Release: President Sarkozy's three principles to end the scramble of Congo’s natural resources by its neighbours!!!<div align="center"><strong>Press Release<br /></strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 21st January 2009<br /></div><div align="left"><strong></strong> </div><div align="justify"><strong>President Sarkozy's three principles to end the scramble of Congo’s natural resources by its neighbours!!!<br /></strong><br />(21 January 2009) – Save the Congo deplores President Sarkozy’s recent call of a joint mining enterprise in the North Kivu, Eastern Congo, which would allow the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) and Rwanda to exploit the rich mineral resources for mutual benefit.<br /><br />Recent UN investigations and reports have uncovered evidence directly implicating President Kagame’s close circle in financing Laurent Nkundabatware’s armed militia and stockpiling Congo’s Cassiterite (tin ore) Gold, Coffee, Diamond, Colten (an essential component of mobile phones, laptops and game counsels) and Wolframite (from which tungsen is derived)<br /><br />"President Sarkozy's plan would exacerbate the present human tragedy, compounding its ills, and rewarding those who perpetrate such awful crimes against humanity... and against women and children" said the Director of Widows for Peace through Democracy, Margaret Owen.<br /><br />In its first report published in 2001, the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have delivered groundbreaking reports unravelling large volumes of primary evidence implicating President Kagame’s close circle in the systematic plundering of Congo’s natural resources; and in its final, published on 12 December 2008, the Panel have yet again unraveled primary evidence directly implicating Rwanda’s military elites in supplying Laurent Nkundabatware with men, foods and medical assistance whilst waging a war which left around 500 000 killed; over 250 000 displaced between August 28 to December 12; and scenes of war crimes across North Kivu.<br /><br />“As other parties, the Rwandan Army, in recent years, have made war crimes, deployment of sexual atrocities against women and young girls, systematic looting of Congo’s natural resources and mass human rights violations against the region’s population a hobby” said Save the Congo Director Vava Tampa.<br /><br />“President Sarkozy’s plan of a joint mining enterprise by the very same individual partially responsible for human tragedy engulfing the Congo risk breeding more hatred and fear, deepen ethnic disharmony that has paved the way for the human tragedy that has gripped the Congo; and kept the Great Lake region and beyond hanging under the cloud of war for the past sixteen years” he added.<br /><br />“President Sarkozy’s zeal to help restore the much needed peace in the Congo is very welcome, but we urge him not to place peace before justice. And to follow the leads exposed by the UN appointed Panel of Experts and take all appropriate judicial and other measures against individuals and cooperation fuelling the conflicts or harbouring those fuelling the conflict” said Vava Tampa, Director of Save the Congo.<br /><br />For further information, please contact:<br /><br />Vava Tampa +44 (0) 7960 705 829 (day or night)<br /><a href="mailto:vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk">vava.tampa@savethecongo.co.uk</a><br /><a href="http://www.savethecongo.co.uk/">http://www.savethecongo.co.uk/</a><br /><br />Margaret Owen +44 (0) 7770 945 916 (day or night)<br /><a href="mailto:director.wpd@googlemail.com">director.wpd@googlemail.com</a><br /><br />Note to the editors:<br /><br />The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to vast expanses of pristine rain forest, rare animal species and a large potential for wealth in the form of an abundance of highly valuable minerals and natural resources. Yet is it one of the poorest and chaotic nations, ruined by war, sexual atrocities and humanitarian crisis that is estimated to have claimed over 6 millions of lives since 1998; left around 40% of all adult women widows; around 2 million internally displaced; 100 000s of women and young girls brutally gang raped; and million more remain trapped between warring parties.<br /><br />The first report of the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was published on 12 April 2001<br /><br />The Final report of the UN appointed Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was published on 12 December 2008 (S/2008/773)<br /><br />On Friday French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave the broad outlines of a project to bring peace to the Nord-Kivu region in the east of the DRC, French daily Le Monde reported on Sunday.<br /><br />The first element in the proposed peace initiative would involve a joint mining enterprise for the Nord-Kivu region which would allow the DRC and Rwanda to exploit the rich mineral resources for mutual benefit.<br />The other points involve land distribution in the Nord-Kivu province and also political representation for the Tutsi minority in the area.<br /><br />For further information, please visit:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/109/article_2672.asp">http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/109/article_2672.asp</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2009/01/17/la-france-prepare-une-initiative-de-paix-pour-l-est-de-la-republique-democratique-du-congo_1143111_0.html" target="_blank">http://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2009/01/17/la-france-prepare-une-initiative-de-paix-pour-l-est-de-la-republique-democratique-du-congo_1143111_0.html</a></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-38475364517126374242008-12-31T09:04:00.000-08:002008-12-31T09:15:46.131-08:00a reflection on the ashes of the Congo<div align="justify">a reflection on the ashes of the Congo</div><div align="justify"><br />As another year breaks and some of us prepare to celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, for millions in the Congo death has become their only friends. Their lives no longer mean anything to anybody. Not to those killing them like flies; our brothers and neighbours helping to kill them or those we call the international community. Highlighting their suffering or speaking against those responsible for their ordeal and those harbouring those responsible has become blasphemous. </div><div align="justify"><br />For many of them 2008 was the sixteenth year of life under rains of artilleries, compulsions of lashes, searing of bloodstained machetes, deployment of sexual atrocities as a weapon of war and the spiralling HIV AIDS and Fistula epidemic caused by orchestrated campaigns of sexual atrocities against women and young girls.</div><div align="justify"><br />The on-going inactions of major aid donors to countries implicated in this human tragedy, the inability of blue hamlets on the ground to protect civilians in the face of war crimes and sexual atrocities and the failure of the species of man running Kinshasa to decisively deter those perpetuating these inhuman acts and secure Congo’s borders have generated fury and extreme views in many in the diasporas and at home - fury which often finds its voice in placards, emails, articles, debates, speeches and behaviours toward others. </div><div align="justify"><br />Given the above, how do we go forward? What platform should we use? Which path should we follow? And what each and every one can do to in our quest of peace, security, justice and human dignity for the Congo? </div><div align="justify"><br />The urgency of the situation, I believe, requires that we, the grand sons and grand daughters of the warrior men and women who fought for equal rights of all God’s creatures in the Congo, pioneer a new cultural approach towards all living creatures and the way in which Congo is run. </div><div align="justify"><br />A cultural approach rooted in the principles of non-violence, tolerance and commitment to the universality of justice, security, peace and rights: a cultural approach that is not single minded; that does not speak the supremacy of a non inclusive value or express views that do not submit to a reasonable public discourse. </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong>Why a non violence approach one may ask!</strong> </div><div align="justify"><br />Because more blood will not cleanse bad blood! Rather, would breed more hatred and fear, deepen ethnic disharmony that has paved the way for the human tragedy that has gripped the Congo; and kept the Great Lake region and beyond hanging under the cloud of war for the past sixteen years. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Also, because peace and violence have an inverse relationship: when one increases the other decreases. Hence the more violent we become, the far away we get from restoring peace. </div><div align="justify"><br />Surely, we all reserve the right to be angry about the human tragedy engulfing the Congo and the inactions of major aid donors to countries implicated. This anger, however, as the Great Ghandi once said, can be useful and powerful as electricity if it is used intelligently and wisely; and can equally be deadly and destructive when abusively used or channeled through ethnic or religious rhetoric and the politics of fear. </div><div align="justify"><br />Hence, as electricity when channelled intelligently and wisely serves the goods of humanity, we need to channel our anger, frustration and energy intelligently and wisely to save the Congo. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">This requires that we guard against tribal and religious rhetoric that leads to equivocation that honours the divine image in some but not in others; and the politics of fear which paves the way for conflict. </div><div align="justify"><br />The new cultural approach requires that we adopt an adequate language and cultivate an inclusive and compassion spirits. It requires us to have an awareness of the world and history… it requires us to strive to win the hearts and minds of the good willed people of the world… explore paths that others have not or refused to explore… it requires that we influence the flow of events… directly engage influential actors in the world... pursue the highest good… and seek reconciliation. </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong>How would the above help Congo overcome a human tragedy overwhelming her? (One may ask!)</strong> </div><div align="justify"><br />The answer is simple: the inherent dignity of all members of the human family is the foundation for lasting peace, security, justice and human dignity. </div><div align="justify"><br />To achieve the inherent dignity of all members of the human family, we need to pioneer or adopt a non-violent cultural approach towards all members of the human family that is rooted on the universality of rights, justice, security and rights as briefly elaborated above. </div><div align="justify"><br />Further more, in history, changes in face of great injustice have always occurred when the victims renounce or abstain from the art of retaliation and embark on an improbable journey: to win the war of the minds. It’s a journey which Ghandi took for India, Dr. King struggled for in the US, Mandela followed in South Africa! It’s a journey that helped Obama win the US election! </div><div align="justify"><br />They abstained not because they were coward but because they unlocked a divine teaching that all religion in the face of the earth confess: “not to do to others what we would not like be done on us”. Hence they chose never to perpetuate the pain and humiliation they have endured onto others. </div><div align="justify"><br />Its through such journey –abstaining from the art of retaliation and winning the war of the minds- that walls of ideology and politics that had set community, regions and countries in once hidden and now open opposition have been torn down! Its a journey that has; and could once again bring free and liberated people from every corner of the world to save the Congo! </div><div align="justify"><br />Such a stance is the only way of saving oneself from achieving power without conscious; victory without lasting security; brilliance without wisdom and politics without principles which have been our history since 1965. </div><div align="justify"><br />But ultimately, the success of the new cultural approach (advocated above) in restoring peace, security, justice and human dignity in the Congo rest upon our ability and perseverance to never put off the quest of saving the Congo for another day! </div><div align="justify"><br />To never again place peace before justice or instead of justice! To never again let any one who had made mass killing, arbitrary arrests or deployment of sexual atrocities as weapon of war his hobby or any one whose mismanagements or affiliations have helped to descend the Congo into chaos decide the future of his or her community, region or country again! </div><div align="justify"><br />Happy New Year </div><div align="justify"><br />Vava Tampa.<br />Chair, Save the Congo</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-23133683164830634832008-12-30T05:01:00.000-08:002008-12-30T05:40:05.417-08:00Congo: Sony, Barclays Bank, Anglo American and De Beers<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='414' height='371' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyXDRwS0x6im2q8DK0U0Z42TJafGnYioyvdZ_eD3fpOwBK-Uyi44EhwDMmCQ3RXEeKNCJPZBGQ7s7oUkRSwuw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-42220030724090032752008-12-28T12:50:00.000-08:002008-12-28T12:55:25.648-08:00Merry Christmas and happy New Year<div align="justify">Hello everyone,<br /><br />What an eventful year this has been?<br /><br />While we are hyping praises to the almighty Lord for guiding us through this memorable year, let us also pray for score of thousands of people in eastern Congo whose unyielding hope is the return of peace across their villages and cities.<br /><br />There were times when we could celebrate Christmas and New Year without any flake of a concern that our brothers and sisters back home are not in arms way. But times are different now. As we speak now, our brave compatriots don’t even know how tomorrow story will pan out.<br /><br />Let us send a resounding message that those yawning faces mater to us and they are still in our prayers.<br /><br />Our culture or way of life could be different but we share a singular story. We may come from different ethnic backgrounds but we are sons and daughters of the same nation.<br /><br />They may be Tutsis, Hutus, and Swahilis or from other parts of the country but it doesn’t mean that we can not find a common ground allowing us to live peacefully our lives without wars.<br /><br />Partnership at these difficult times is the only way to put our country back together. Let us not base our judgement on hate because it doesn’t allow one to be impartial but we should always put the cause of peace first.<br /><br />The aftermath of these atrocities that took place in eastern Congo could easily sway us to take a strict and aggressive stance against a particular ethnic group but if we do, then nothing will change and we will be back here, talking about the same thing.<br /><br />Let us remember that ‘we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection’.<br /><br />While we are pressing for justice to be served for the victims of those horrible crimes and prosecution for the instigators we should also take aggressive steps toward uniting the nation that we all love.<br /><br />Merry Christmas and happy New Year<br /><br />Ms. Denise Kongo<br /><br />Events Director<br />Save The Congo</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-15456078992143037002008-12-22T18:01:00.000-08:002008-12-22T18:39:57.286-08:00JUST TV: Stand for Peace Demo │21st Nov│Marylebone St → Rwandan Embassy → Downing Street<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='357' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyA5TDVkdIBvDm-r8RnPpuC1nxyJ-WTbHUNsHOKmp_LIwR75RF-YKMhMBQt8af_rl3Z4NQGEie0orQoLRDRXA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-6830005988407357342008-12-12T15:04:00.000-08:002008-12-12T15:06:56.892-08:00<p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SULt_YeI2DI/AAAAAAAAAD8/fTmAWOCpq-U/s1600-h/jpg012small%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279043386388043826" style="WIDTH: 394px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SULt_YeI2DI/AAAAAAAAAD8/fTmAWOCpq-U/s400/jpg012small%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="justify">Dear friends,</p><p align="justify">Above is a reply we have received from Downing Street in regard to the petition we handed in on Friday 21st Nov.<br /><br />We thank you greatly for the support and assistance you have given us thus far; and look forward hearing from and working with you in the near future.</p><p align="justify">Kind regards,</p><p align="justify">Vava Tampa<br /><br />Chairman<br />Save the Congo</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-83440727747232885802008-12-12T14:21:00.000-08:002008-12-12T15:13:08.803-08:00Stand for Peace Demo │21st Nov│Marylebone St → Rwandan Embassy → Downing Street<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='426' height='355' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyw8VD2-1D9mBN3b7A5E44Rjv_1OMKKG8fUss9CwxbmIpn_JBx7KO8yxgDVuv_4RLbdC3w8K0OsWk7Tbc9XkQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552164421483426603.post-68023452019228101992008-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:002008-12-14T05:38:31.592-08:00About Us<div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279015416086936370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 169px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_upZuKkMsDT8/SULUjS-sOzI/AAAAAAAAADQ/py0ac-PwdAw/s320/5.4+Million.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><em>Save the Congo</em></span> is a non-profit student led advocacy platform campaigning and promoting the restoration of peace, security, justice and human dignity in the Congo</div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em> </div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em> </div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em> </div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Our Objective…</span></em><br />Our supreme objective is to lobby and bring together humanitarian organisations; human rights defenders; student groups; environmental advocate, wild life defenders; MPs; Journalists; actors; artists; religious organizations and the good willed people of the world to campaign and promote the restoration of Peace, Security, Justice and Human Dignity in the Congo</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em> </div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em> </div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">What We Do… </span></em></div><ul><li><div align="justify">Highlight the scale, effect and implications of the wars, sexual atrocities and humanitarian crisis engulfing the Congo </div></li><li><div align="justify">Recruit, Empower and Mobilise students and the good people of the World to use their influence, rights and resources to campaign and promote the restoration of Peace and Security in the Congo</div></li></ul><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></em></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Give your time…</span></em><br />Join our team of volunteers to brainstorm solutions to organizational problems such as spreading the word, fundraising and reaching out or forging links with student groups and human rights defenders.<br /><br />Your expertise or resources can actually help push the work of Save the Congo forward. Give your connections…<br /></div><div align="justify">Your connections – it be with your pastor, artist, manager MP or Student Union can help immensely to break the silence</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Below are few ways others are helping to campaign for Congo:</div><ul><li><div align="justify">Screen a documentary about the Congo in your school, college, universities, community hall or church (we would provide you the material, all necessary assistance and we’d send one of our volunteer to support you)</div></li><li><div align="justify">Ask your college, university or union to pass a Motion on the wars and sexual atrocities engulfing the Congo</div></li><li><div align="justify">Write to your MP and MEP </div></li><li><div align="justify">Organize an event, i.e. 5K, Tournament, Dinner, Living room Meeting, and Concert etc. </div></li></ul>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0