AMECEA: Chairman: “We Issue Urgent Appeal to SADC and EAC To Resolve Crisis In Goma”
Bishop Charles Kasonde AMECEA Chairman and bishop of Solwezi Diocese, Zambia
Andrew Kaufa smm
The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa, AMECEA, has joined hands with other Catholic voices in Africa, in expressing concern over the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city Goma, as southern and east African leaders meet in Dar es Salaam to engage the warring sides in seeking resolution to the conflict.
In a solidarity letter signed by the chairman of AMECEA Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, AMECEA expresses unwavering stand with the DRC government and the people of the eastern region of the DRC, in particular the city of Goma “during this painful and challenging time.”
“At the same time, we issue an urgent appeal to the leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) as they convene for their joint summit on February 7, 2025,” reads the statement adding, “The people of the Great Lakes region – particularly those suffering in the DRC – need your unwavering commitment to peace, stability and the protection of human dignity.”
Rt. Rev. Kasonde who is the bishop for Zambia’s Solwezi Catholic Diocese, reiterates AMECEA’s belief in the power of dialogue, compassion and collective effort, recommends to SADC and EAC the prioritization of human rights and the dignity of every human being, the securing of peaceful political resolution to the conflict, provision of humanitarian assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the strengthening of regional unity to tackle the root causes of the conflict.
In a message from the Association of the Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC) to the people of God in the region and people of good will dated 6 February 2025, the resurgence of violent clashes in the city of Goma in the DRC, “have resulted in numerous human casualties, massive displacement of the populations, increased vulnerability of those in distress, the erosion of trust among individuals and communities, and the looming threat of a humanitarian catastrophe reminiscent of the darkest pages of our sub-regional history.”
In the ACEAC message, the regional body of Catholic bishops which comprises of the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda is calling on its political leaders, to work towards resolving the crisis, for the people in the sub-region to stand together, for human solidarity through organizations, and for all who are exploiting the chaos to refrain from fuelling disorder thorough toxic propaganda and misinformation.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) has also issued a statement to express concern over the worsening security situation in eastern DRC.
“IMBISA condemns all types of violence and joins the voice of the universal and regional Church and the Congolese Episcopal Conference in solidarity in condemning all types of violence that have led to loss of human life and suffering resulting from the conflict,” reads IMBISA’s statement on the war crisis.
Recent CNN and BBC reports describe the current humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC as worsening, with over 25 million people faced with food insecurity, 7 million internally displaced and nearly 3,000 people killed after the rebels’ seizure of the city of Goma.
