DRCongo, the Catholic and Protestant Churches propose a pact for peace

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) and the Église du Christ au Congo (ECC) have started a dialogue with Corneille Nangaa, representative of the Fleuve Congo Alliance (AFC/M23), with the aim of finding solutions to the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The meeting took place in Goma, capital of North Kivu, with the presentation of the “Social Pact for peace and common well-being in DRC and the Great Lakes”,
This initiative, however, was not well welcomed by the government and the majority politics of the Union Sacrée de la Nation (USN), which rejected the proposal insisting on the need to stick to the Luanda and Nairobi diplomatic process. Even the president’s party Tshisekedi, the UDPS, expressed opposition.
During the confrontation, the two Churches addressed critical issues such as growing insecurity, illicit extraction use of natural resources and the risk of a Balkanization of the region. According to CENCO, AFC/M23 provided reassuring, stating that they not pursue nor the fragmentation of country nor the illegal exploitation of resources.
Among the priorities there is also the reopening of the international airport of Goma and other communication routes to facilitate humanitarian assistance. Religious representatives reiterated that the solution to the conflict cannot be military, but it must pass through dialogue and negotiation between all parties involved.