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Date: July 28, 2000 
LUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of Congo (UMNS) -- "If the United States wants peace to come to the Democratic Republic of Congo, it will come. If the churches raise their voices, the government will listen. Churches, the time has come to raise your voices!"
With those words, United Methodist Bishop Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda of the Democratic Republic of Congo pled for U.S. churches to make peace in his country a priority in their prayers and public witness. In particparticular, he said, "Put pressure on Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi to withdraw from the Congo."
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a central African country the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River, has a population of about 50 million. An estimated 40 million are Christians, including a strong United Methodist Church with historical roots in the 1880s.
In an interview in early July at his Lubumbashi office, Ntambo, of Congo’s North Katanga Episcopal Area, said the ongoing two-year-old war in the Congo is "a useless war that has come from the outside."
Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi helped Laurent Kabila, now Congo’s president, overthrow dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. But these small eastern neighbors subsequently turned against Kabila and invaded Congo in August 1998, eventually occupying nearly half of Congo’s territory.
An estimated 1.7 million have been killed since the war began, according to the New York-based International Rescue Committee. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the fighting and pillaging, many of them fleeing southward to Katanga Province, which remains under the Kabila government’s control.
Rwandan and Ugandan forces have even fought each other on Congo’s soil, most notably for control of Kisangani, Congo’s third largest city. More than 1,000 Congolese civilians are reported to have been killed in battles for this strategically important and diamond-rich city.
"The war has destroyed all our development as a nation," Ntambo said, describing the loss of life, hunger, fragmenting of families, destruction of agriculture and property, disruption of student life, lack of medicine – even the ability to get to people.
"The church is giving people food to eat and spiritual comfort. We share what we have, sometimes from our own pockets," he said, gesturing toward the reception area full of people waiting to see him with requests for help, "along with what is offered by the broader global ecumenical community. Churches are growing, especially in young members. But the church also is suffering. It can’t meet all the needs."
Congo’s churches, Ntambo continued, "are active in the search for peace and are very respected." In fact, he said, "The government keeps asking the churches to pray. To pray has become a political act. For the churches, the great concern is for peace and reconciliation. The war has unified us, made us one nation with one common concern for development and peace."
The churches led in organizing the national consultation that took place in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital city, Feb. 24-March 11. Held under the auspices of the Churches of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the All Africa Conference of Churches, the consultation concluded with a series of recommendations to the Congo’s government, people and religious leaders; armed and peaceful opposition, and international community.
Ntambo said the United States has supported Congo’s people in the past, sending missionaries and supporting many students with scholarships. "We know Americans are people who care," he said. "You have a spirit of sharing, generosity and sensitivity to the suffering of people, and support democracy all over the world.
"But sometimes the United States can be misguided and support the opposite side, the side that practices injustice, without listening to the reality of the situation. We want the United States to understand before it acts."
The United Methodist Church in the Congo has been working with some of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes because of the war. Many of the refugees are unaccompanied children. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)is providing assistance for this work. Donations earmarked for UMCOR Advance #198400, Democratic Republic of Congo Emergency, can be placed in church collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583.
*Carol Fouke, director of news services for the National Council of Churches, interviewed United Methodist Bishop Ntambo Nkulu while visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo in early July.