Situation Deteriorating in the Congo

Personally, I am still on a bit of an emotional high following Obama's victory on Tuesday night. Unfortunately war, violence against women and children, torture, rape, murder and many other human rights abuses have not stopped in response to the election. There is still much work to be done, though I hope electing Obama is a step in the right direction.

One area in serious need of help is the Congo. The recent cease-fire between the government and rebels has apparently collapsed. Children are either wandering alone, probably orphaned, but searching for parents, or they are being conscripted and forced to become soldiers. According to UNICEF, as many as 60,000 children have been displaced in the last week. It is hard to imagine the situation being more dire.

There are 17,000 UN peace-keeping forces in the Congo--more than anywhere else in the world--but they are virtually powerless to stop the war and the human rights abuses. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a very large country--roughly the size of western Europe--with almost non-existent infrastructure. Given the global financial crisis, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for 3,000 more troops is not likely to be met in the near future. That leaves the few troops and the few organizations that are there to deal with the many hundreds of thousands of refugees. UNICEF is doing important work there, and other organizations are beginning to provide some aide.

We need to do more. Please consider doing something--anything--to help alleviate the suffering in the Congo. Donate money to UNICEF or some other organization providing aide; write your government and encourage them to take what steps they can to stop the violence; pray. The Congolese people need all the help they can get.