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Congo Action Center
On September 12, 2007, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback in a speech on the Senate Floor addressed the worsening situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and called for international intervention in that country. "I am very troubled by the escalating violence and urge my colleagues to join me in speaking out on behalf of those suffering in the Congo," said Brownback. "We must speak out against the ongoing violence in the Congo and commit to assisting those who are suffering there." Presently the situation in eastern Congo, specifically in North Kivu, is deteriorating. According to United Nations relief agencies, nearly 40,000 people have been displaced from their homes during the past month. Since the beginning of this year, approximately 250,000 people have been displaced. These displacements stem from tensions between the renegade General Laurent Nkunda and those loyal to the Congolese government. Brownback continued, "Sexual violence and rape is on the rise in Congo. Rape is a tool of war there, and it must not be tolerated. It is done in such a degree of cruelty and humiliation that it is hard for us to even comprehend. I visited a hospital in Goma where women could be treated for these ailments due to brutal rapes. More support is needed for these women as they attempt to heal and reintegrate into their communities." U.N. emergency relief agencies report that 4,500 cases of sexual violence have been reported since January 2007 in one eastern province. Women are brutally raped in front of crowds, their families and husbands, resulting in serious physical and emotional trauma. Because of their condition many of the rape victims become outcasts within their communities and families. Soon after his speech
Brownback sent a letter to
Secretary Condoleezza Rice urging the State Department to take more
action in Congo. by Rick LoBello, founder,
ILoveParks.com Not long after learning of
Senator Brownback's
speech I arranged to travel to Washington, DC on October 29 and 30, 2007 to support Senator Brownback's efforts and to encourage others who
might be able to help to add their support. My main message was to ask
for additional support to the letter he signed along
with Senators Feingold, Collins, Biden, Durbin and Sununu. With the help of
Congressman's Silvestre Reyes's staff, who I had contacted earlier (Reyes is my
representative in El Paso, Texas,) I was able to visit key staffers
working on foreign affairs issues at Senator Brownback's office, the
offices of Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Senator John Cornyn, and
both Congressman Mark Udall and Congressman Silvestre Reyes. Help end the war in the
Congo and help save the country's rainforests and amazing wildlife like the
mountain gorilla by contacting your representatives in Congress and the
Senate. Ask your representatives in Congress to contact
Senator Brownback and to join him in his efforts to help the Congo. Ask your
Senators to sign on to Brownback's letter or to write a special letter to
Secretary Rice with the same request made by Brownback. Make
phone calls and send emails. Here are easy links you can use.
Contact
your Representative in the House of Representative by Email
I Love Parks
Community
No matter how separate people think they are from
the natural world, the fact of the matter is that our environment and the
environments of different countries are all connected.
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Agreement to end violence in Congo Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson that he “is very encouraged by the commitment of the armed groups of North and South Kivu to end all hostilities” reflected in the ‘Actes d’engagement’ signed by these groups and the Government. In recent months, fighting has escalated between Government troops and rebels allied with dissident General Laurent Nkunda, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. The UN refugee agency estimates that over the last year, a mix of conflict, military build-up and spiralling lawlessness has displaced 400,000 people in North Kivu – the worst displacement since the end of the DRC’s civil war in 2003. In total, there are an estimated 800,000 displaced people in the province, including those uprooted by previous conflicts. Today’s deal is “an important step towards restoring lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region,” the statement said. Mountain gorillas at Virunga Park threatened by war
You can also help by making a donation to
WildlifeDirect.org. Make a donation today and receive a free
DVD from Rick LoBello.
Click here for details.
UNESCO Case Studies on Climate
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