We cannot turn our backs on Congo, say European leaders
International Herald Tribune
Nov 3, 2008
Britain and France yesterday called for urgent international action to prevent a humanitarian disaster in war-torn Congo.
After a two-day visit to the region, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner said there was "no excuse for turning away".
Gordon Brown, meanwhile, expressed concern that Congo could be lurching towards a repeat of the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda in which up to a million people were killed.
"I am very concerned by the situation in the Congo," the Prime Minister said on a tour of the Gulf states. "Thousands have been displaced. We must not allow Congo to become another Rwanda."
Despite the strong words, there was no call from Britain or France to send European troops to bolster the beleaguered United Nations peacekeeping force.
Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown disclosed contingency plans were being prepared for the deployment of an EU force, including a British contingent.
However, with UK forces already fighting on two fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Miliband poured cold water on the suggestion that British troops could be caught up in a new overseas entanglement.
Aid agencies warned the situation was deteriorating as tens of thousands fled the fighting and the threat of rape and murder by armed groups across eastern Congo.
"The humanitarian situation here is completely out of control," said Alpha Sankoh, ActionAid's Congo director.
"Refugees are being targeted before our very eyes - we cannot allow this to continue. The protection of women and children is paramount, particularly as so many are on the move seeking safety."
The visiting leaders called for a strengthening of the ceasefire around the eastern city of Goma and secure routes to deliver aid. "There is no excuse for turning away," they said. "The international community must support humanitarian delivery, strengthen the United Nations force and help promote and enforce agreements."
They called on Congo's government to take "proper command" of its forces and said the Rwandan government must take steps to help end the crisis.
The conflict has its roots in the genocide 14 years ago in neighbouring Rwanda, where up to a million people were killed when Hutu extremists turned on their Tutsi neighbours.
About 250,000 people are thought have fled their homes since a UN-brokered ceasefire in the region broke down.
The rebel leader, General Laurent Nkunda, has said he returned to arms to protect his Tutsi community from Rwandan Hutus who fled to Congo after the genocide.
However, his forces - which are poised outside Goma after government troops fled - also have a reputation for murder, rape and looting.
The Rwandans have been accused of supporting Nkunda, which they deny, while the rebels accuse the government of backing the Hutu militias.
The visiting leaders met Congolese President Joseph Kabila and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame in an effort to persuade them to use their influence to end the fighting.
