NATIONAL CONSULTATION OF THE CONGOLESE

NATIONAL CONSULTATION OF THE CONGOLESE HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CHURCHES OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND THE ALL AFRICA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES (AACC)

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are a result of a long process of consultations and dialogue that was initiated by the Religious Leaders in November1999; it culminated into the National Consultation that took place at the Cathédrale du Centenaire of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo from Feb. 24 to March 11, 2000.

The initiatives began in 1998, with the participation of Religious leaders, especially from the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Christ in Congo, the Kimbanguiste Church, the Orthodox, the Islamic Community in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC). The first meetings took place in September and October 1998 in Lusaka followed by Harare in June and finally, in October, 1999, at Centre Nganda, Kinshasa.

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo on its part met in Nairobi in November 1999 to examine the situation currently prevailing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

All these contacts led the above-mentioned religious leaders to launch the idea of a National Consultation on the state of the Nation.

For this reason, they met with the President of the Republic and certain political personalities, traditional chiefs, the Civil Society and some members of the diplomatic corp. They then went to the United States in January, 2000, where they participated in the special session of the Security Council of the United Nations dedicated to DRC. They took advantage of their trip to America to meet:

Mr. Ibrahim Fal, Deputy Secretary General in charge of African Affairs on behalf of the Secretary General who could not attend.
Dr. Théo-Ben Giriram, President of the General Assembly of United Nations.
Representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Orthodox Church and the Inter-religious Council for Peace; as well as all the permanent representatives from the United Nations.

In New York, the religious leaders also met the management staff of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, led by Reverend Randolph Nugent, Secretary General, as well as Secretary for Africa for the National Council of Churches of the United States Mr. Willis Logan. We would also like to inform you that we met one of the branches of the armed opposition led by Mr. Emile Ilunga and his staff, the facilitator Masire and the peaceful opposition group led by Dr. Kalala. Finally we met Mr. Kamanda wa Kamanda, the last foreign Affairs Minister during the late President Mobutu's regime.

In Washington D.C. the religious leaders at the same time met the staff of the Senate and the House of Representatives, representatives from the School of International Services of the American University and the lobby group of the United Methodist Church. They participated in a Church service at the Foundry Chapel of the United Methodist Church, where President and Mrs. Clinton worship regularly. The religious leaders were honorably introduced to the congregation by the Church Pastor Prof. Philip Wogaman, who not only welcomed the congregation to the service but through them invited all the American people to support the religious leaders from the DRC in their peace-seeking mission.

In Europe:

The religious leaders met in turn with:

Mr. Ajelo, Special Envoy of the European Union to the Great Lakes Region, Cabinet staff of the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Minister for Cooperation and Development, the Belgian parliamentarians, NGOs (Flamands and Wallonnes) and European NGOs, the different groups of the peaceful opposition, former dignitaries of the Second Republic as well as the armed opposition and most notably the Secretary General of the LMC Mr. Olivier Kamitatu and the Advisor Mr. Ondekane Jean-Pierre of RCD, Goma.

Upon their return to the country, at the end of these different meetings, the religious leaders quickly convened and opened the 24th February, 2000, meetings of the National Consultation. For seventeen days, the participants of the National Consultation discerned the causes of the war, identified the obstacles to peace in Congo and proposed courses of concrete solutions capable of bringing rapid and definitive change to the situation in our country.

According to the work, which was characterized by sincere exchanges and by free and total freedom of expression by participants, the National Consultation recommends:

A. To the Government of the DRC

1. That Statutory Order No.194 supporting organization of political activities, be amended to allow political parties to function normally.

2. That the CPP, REFECO, BNPS which are preoccupied with society projects stop (after the liberalization of political activities) to obtain funds from the state budget unless all Parties that are regularly constituted are subsidized by the Congolese government.

3. Set up a transitional parliament to control government action. This transition parliament will be composed of elected members where possible and of members coopted from the grassroots where elections are not possible.

4. In order to end the marginalization of some members of the Congolese society we request the Head of State to form a government open to other political opinions, led by a prime minister who is a conciliator, competent, experienced, honest and patriotic. To nominate bona fide, patriotic, competent and devoted Congolese to public positions and to public state positions.

5. To guarantee fundamental freedom and human rights by ending arbitrary arrests of human rights activists, journalists and political leaders as well as police harassment at control posts on roads and waterways.

6. To return properties that were honestly acquired by former dignitaries in order to restore confidence and create a commission for the restoration of goods in place of OBMA (Office of Ill Gotten Properties).

7. To immediately abolish exceptional institutions like the State Security Court and the Military Order Court and to restore ordinary military laws in conformity with the military code of justice.

8. To form a strong republican army on which all the Congolese recognize and which comprises worthy and credible elements of the Ex Forces Armé‚es Zairoises.

9. Demand the revision of the Lusaka Agreement as provided for in Article III point 26 of the said Agreement, to correct the obstacles that it contains, especially:

The fact that this accord does not dissociate inter-Congolese problems from inter-state problems.
The mission accorded to the belligerents to proceed to the disarmament of the armed militia and the genocidal Forces is naturally likely to perpetuate confrontation in DRC.
The fact that this Agreement asks the belligerents to keep their front line positions as it was the day the cease-fire is enforced, automatically sanctions the division of the Congolese territory.
The ignorance at the time of negotiation of the Agreement, of other Live Forces of DRC (implicated in the war as being the unarmed opposition), the Civil Society and the Forces d'auto-defense Populaires.
The non-identification of Burundi as a party in conflict and its non-implication in the Lusaka Agreement.
Absence of sanctions in the case of non respect of the clauses of the Agreement.
The taking into account of the presence of foreign troops of aggression on the Congolese territory as an obstacle to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue.

B. To the Armed Opposition

To be filled with the patriotic feeling in order to get out of the hold of the aggressors and their silent partners.

To cultivate a spirit of tolerance and confidence.

Immediately lay down arms out of consideration of the will of the Congolese people and to dissociate themselves from their allies.

C. To the Peaceful Opposition

Cultivate a sense of patriotism.

Move from an obstructive to a constructive opposition.

Renounce the personalization of political debate and highlight the confrontation of ideas based on realistic society projects.

Renounce the practice of resorting to foreigners in order to gain ground in power or to resolve national problems.

D. To the Congolese People

To cultivate a sense of patriotism, abnegation as well as a sense of public interest.

Cultivate the virtues of dialogue, listening and mutual acceptance of our differences among Congolese in order to safeguard unity in diversity, and between our country and other foreign countries.

Prohibit the commission of acts that alienate national interests to the advantage of foreign powers.

The refusal henceforth, of resorting to arms in order to support any claims whatsoever.

E. To the International Community

To condemn without procrastinating the aggression from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda of which the Congolese people are victims.

The immediate deployment of the Intervention and Peace Keeping Forces of the United Nations to the borders of DRC in conformity with Resolution 1234 of the Security Council in order to see it that all foreign troops retreat, beginning with those of aggression.

The strict and unconditional respect of territorial sovereignty and integrity of the DRC in conformity to all international legal instruments, notably the UNO and OAU Charters.

The immediate and dynamic implication of UN and OAU in the application of Resolutions 1234 and 1291 of the Security Council of the UN.

The facilitation of the amendment process of the Lusaka Agreement in conformity to Article III of the said Agreement keeping in mind the obstacles which it contains.

The promotion of sincere dialogue between the conflicting parties.

The acceptance of the principle of joining the accepted facilitator of the Congolese Dialogue, the Religious leaders, organizers of this National Consultation, to assist him.

The creation of an international commission of inquiry on the massacres perpetrated in DRC during the war of aggression and the reparation of the prejudices suffered by the same.

For the aggressor countries to free the Congolese prisoners and detainees.

The organization of an International Conference on peace and security in the Great Lakes Region.

The setting up of a development and democratization plan for the Great Lakes Region and especially so, in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda in order to end the instability essentially caused by poverty and the appropriation of all powers by the minority Tutsi.

F. To the Religious Leaders

The Church must remain at the center of the village

The Religious leaders, in their pastoral mission must make a follow-up of this Consultation through political, economic, social and cultural operators

Creation of a permanent Inter-Religious Council for justice, peace and national reconciliation.

Kinshasa, March 11, 2000