At 10am on Weds 5th February in Cape Town an influential group of youth and faith leaders gathered together to launch the #GomaCallForPeace – calling for the public, companies and investors to back a five-step call for peace in Eastern DRC following the fall of Goma to Rwandan-backed rebels and a mounting humanitarian crisis.
The press conference marked the beginning of an urgent appeal for the cessation of hostilities in Eastern DRC and a return to negotiations, and for African leaders and the international community to take immediate and decisive action for peace.
The fighting needs to stop. Leaders need to speak and the international community must act now for peace.
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During the conference, Bishop Martin Gordon, the Bishop of Goma, said:
“We have just experienced 10 days of hell in Goma. We could see it coming from a long way off, but the cry of the people of Goma was always “why are we being ignored and why has the international community looked the other way?”
The question for the people of Goma is what next will the international community move beyond its fine words and its clear statements? And will the international community now act?
I’m delighted this morning, along with my colleagues, to be launching the Goma call for peace. It’s incredibly timely. We are in the grips of a humanitarian crisis.
This must be a policy priority for the global community. It cannot be seen as a small conflict that’s happening in a distant part of Africa. It is something that needs to be front and centre of the global news and so today with my colleagues, we are launching the Goma call for peace.”
Mike Mpanya, Youth Activist, said:
“This is a moment of reflection not just for the DRC and the region, but a moment of reflection for the world.
“At the core of this conflict is the illicit flow of minerals. And though people around the world might not be touched by the deaths in Goma, every time you use your smartphone, you are touching a piece of Goma.
“The question we should ask is are we willing to pay in blood for these minerals? See, for those of us who are Congolese, we pay twice for electronic devices and batteries. First we pay in dollars and then we pay in blood.
“The response needs to come from us. We need to act. Not just to avert war in the region, but to plot a path to a better future. We need to actively work so that the people of Goma, the people of the DRC, have a future of prosperity, of peace, and one that empowers the sustainability of the world.
“Peace is possible. Prosperity is possible. A better life is possible for the people of Goma, but they need all of us. This is why we’re launching the Goma Call for Peace.”
Favor Ange Rohi, War Survivor and Women, Girls and Children’s Activist, said:
“When you are in this situation, you lose hope. As a young person who has experienced (war) there’s a moment where you reach a point and you see that there’s no future.
“It takes courage for the young people to go back to school. Why? Because most of the people fighting in a war zone use young people. Once that child is recreated to fight, it’s not easy for you to bring the child back.
“So I think it’s a moment where we make a call to the international community to take action and organise a moment of peace, because the war in Goma will also affect the countries around it if there’s no action that is taken.
“The biggest thing that we need for prosperity and stability is peace. If the government and the international community can call for a peace meeting with the people, we will be really grateful.”
The Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Southern Africa, said:
“We must support peace and we must do all we can to stop this horrendous wave of violence sweeping through the eastern DRC.This can only be achieved by the cessation of violence and an immediate ceasefire. I call for the immediate withdrawal of the M23 and those who support them from Gauma and the surrounding towns.”
In solidarity with those suffering in Goma and across the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the #GomaCallforPeace urges for:
- The immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and respect of the existing ceasefire agreement.
- The protection of the civilian population and an urgent humanitarian response.
- The withdrawal of those external forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo soil which are in clear violation of DRC’s territorial sovereignty. This includes the M23 rebels and the Rwandan Defence Forces.
- A resumption of dialogue in good faith between Kigali and Kinshasa believing that peaceful and diplomatic means are the only way to end the conflict which has already caused untold suffering.
- The international community to invest every effort and to consider using all possible means to bring peace to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
People in the region want only peace.
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There are three things you can do:
- Support the Goma Call for Peace by adding your name to the petition at Avaaz.org.
- Encourage your family, friends and colleagues to support the Goma Call for Peace using #GomaCallForPeace on social media. It’s simple: just forward the Avaaz.org petition.
- Email or write to your president or prime minister asking them to support the Goma Call for Peace.