Press release of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) on the war situation in the country

(CENCO) meeting in a Plenary Assembly in Kinshasa from 2nd to 6th July 2012, express their deep consternation over the war that is still raging the North and South of Kivu. This war illustrates the balkanization plan that they had repeatedly denounced in previous statements and messages. 2. For the conference, this plan is running in several forms. Economically, this plan manifests through the presence of illegal exploitation networks of natural resources. Politically, the intensification of the unacceptable presence of militias and foreign armed groups who kill, rape and pillage. They cause forceful displacement of Congolese populations and foster illegal occupation of our territory. Bishops express their compassion to the affected populations, victims of this unjust and unjustifiable war. 3. Committed as they are to the unity of the Congolese nation unity which has persistently been put to test by successive wars and rebellions, the bishops reaffirm the unity and the indivisibility of the Democratic Republic of Congo in her borders as defined from the colonial era and as recognized by the international community on June 30th 1960, at independence. It should be clear that the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo is not negotiable. 4. The bishops strongly criticize this plan of balkanization. They publicly condemn its advocates. They firmly condemn the resumption of war in the Kivu. They affirm their support for the sacrifices of Congolese and for Congolese diplomacy in defending the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 5. They invite the representatives of the people as well as the entire Congolese people to a patriotic behaviour, avoiding being acomplices to these visible plans of fragmentation and occupation of our national territory. They call on them to denounce all strategies destined at weakening of national unity, like illegal and unregulated exploitation of our natural resources. In fact, anything that seeks to create tensions among ethnic groups or even opposing provinces (against each other). The natural resources of Congo belong to the Congolese people. They must primarily be used for its development and for the welfare of its people. 6. The CENCO instantly calls upon all Congolese citizens living in the DR Congo and in the diaspora to rally together in order to defeat these destructive and enemy plans. To this effect, actions will be carried out simultaneously in all parishes of the dioceses of Democratic Republic of Congo, and at Congolese chaplaincy levels abroad, to express our categorical rejection of this plan and to crave for the grace of peace. 7. CENCO calls on all neighbouring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cease from all interferences and aggressions. They are called to be in favour of the voice of peace and Pacific collaboration so as to enable sustainable developments in the Great Lakes sub-region. 8. We the Bishops sound an alarm and launch a serious heartfelt appeal to the United Nations
Organization and to all peace-loving countries to help in putting an end to the war and the balkanization of the Congo by implementing the decisions already taken without delay. May they frankly support the Democratic Republic of Congo as it endeavours to safeguard its national unity in view of true and long lasting peace. Done in Kinshasa, the 6th of July, 2012