Public urged to sign the Avaaz.org petition and back the #GomaCallForPeace calling on leaders to return to talks to prevent further loss of lives, the growing humanitarian crisis and risk of regional escalation.
- Youth and Faith leaders are calling on African leaders and the international community to take immediate and decisive action for peace
- The city of Goma in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has fallen to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels
- More than 900 killed in the past week following rebel control of the city according to UN estimates
- Whilst there are a complex set of circumstances underpinning the conflict, one of the key drivers is the presence of minerals that are mined in the region surrounding the city of Goma. Many entering global supply chains of companies of key industries dependent on them.
- Website www.gomacallforpeace.org launched
CAPE TOWN, February 5, 2023 – A Congolese youth leader, a female war survivor and the Bishop of Goma have come together to launch the #GomaCallForPeace – an urgent appeal for the cessation of hostilities in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and a return to negotiations. The call has been made following the fall of Goma to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels which has resulted in over 900 lives lost, a growing humanitarian crisis and increasing potential for regional escalation.
Mr Mike Mpanya, Youth Activist and Entrepreneur, said: “The crisis in Goma and across eastern DRC is not just a headline; it is a human tragedy unfolding in real-time, with innocent women, men, and children bearing the brunt of a conflict fuelled by the illicit flow of minerals that should have been a source of prosperity, not pain.
“This is not merely a regional issue; it is a moral imperative for all of us as Africans and as global citizens. We stand at a crossroads where we can choose a future not dictated by the rule of force but shaped by our shared values of human dignity, freedom, and justice. Let us not be silent. Let us stand, speak, and act—for Goma, for the DRC, and for the enduring promise of peace.”
Ms Favor Ange Rohi, War Survivor and Women, Girls and Children’s Activist, said: “An immediate end to violence is the only way forward in Goma. The Goma call for peace seeks to protect human rights and end the violence against women and children. The call seeks to bring everlasting security, stability and development in the eastern part of DRC and avoid a regional war in the Great lakes.”
Bishop Martin Gordon, the Bishop of Goma, said: “Central to the Goma call for peace is a call for a resumption of dialogue knowing that dialogue and negotiation will be the only way to bring about lasting peace in Eastern Congo. We are calling on African leaders and the international community to take immediate and decisive action for peace.”
To end the conflict, the #GomaCallForPeace sets out five steps:
‘In solidarity with those suffering in Goma and across the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we call 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.’
Backing the joint appeal was theArchbishop of Southern Africa, The Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, saying: “We are at a moment when we can choose to come together in the pursuit of peace or the international community can turn away and allow the suffering of the innocent. I join my brothers and sisters in supporting the Goma call for Peace.”
The call has also been backed by the Most Revd Ande Georges Titre, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Congo, who said: “I call for the international community to act and I add my support to the Goma Call for Peace. Immediate aid is desperately needed for those suffering most and our cries for peace need finally to be heard and acted upon.”
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said: “Dialogue is the only way to avoid further suffering in and around Goma. The World Council of Churches stands ready with our member churches to support all efforts to resume dialogue between Presidents Kagame and Tshisekedi. And we join with other faith and civil society groups in the Goma Call for Peace – praying for action that reduces violence and enables humanitarian access.”
Whilst there are a complex set of circumstances underpinning the conflict, one of the key drivers is the presence of minerals that are mined in the region surrounding the city of Goma. Man of these minerals, which underpin a range of key industries, are crossing the border from the region into Rwanda and entering the supply chains of global companies.
In order to draw attention to the role of minerals in sustaining and driving this conflict the Church of England Pensions Board has issued a call to all investors inviting them to support the Goma Call for Peace. The Pensions Board, a UK pension fund with £3.4 billion assets under management, will also be leading international investor engagement with companies operating in Rwanda and the region encouraging them to support the Goma Call for Peace.