In August, at least 42 civilians were hacked to death with machetes in Beni, Eastern DR Congo. It was not the first time such violence has taken place, and it may not be the last. So how can the killing be stopped? Peace Direct has released a briefing on the situation in Congo.
During a recent visit to DR Congo, Claire May (Head of Programme Funding) interviewed 30-year-old Blaise, a former combatant who now works for our partner Centre Résolution Conflits (CRC) rescuing and reintegrating soldiers from the bush. Here is his story.
Daniel Tamene, our Programme Finance Manager, recently travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to visit our partner Centre Resolution Conflits (CRC). He accompanied CRC into the bush to see first-hand the negotiation process they manage every time they rescue and resettle child soldiers. Here is Daniel’s exclusive report from the field.
We have just received news from the field announcing the successful release of 23 child soldiers in DR Congo. We have been working tirelessly over the past week to ensure their safe release and return.
In a provocative recent article in The Guardian, Owen Jones argued that the horrific conflict and violence in DR Congo has only continued for so long because outsider don’t care enough to stop it. According to Jones, Western governments, media and the public have not paid attention to the atrocities taking place, nor have they called for something to be done. Here at Peace Direct, we know that local people and local organisations have their own solutions to conflict, and they have the power and skills to build their own structures for peace. The outside experts may not be so crucial as Jones suggests.
Despite insecurity and the looming threat of Ebola in DR Congo, Centre Résolution Conflits continue to risk their lives to help people affected by conflict.
Our project to build peace in war-torn Congo will receive one of the Big Lottery Fund’s largest grants for international development work
Giving child soldiers the chance of a decent life after the horrors of violent conflict is a crucial building block of long-term peace. Our partner in DR Congo, Centre Résolution Conflits, works with village leaders to makes sure former child soldiers have something to come back to.
Global poverty and violent conflict are two of the most serious problems that we face in the world today, and they are often linked. Peace Direct fund local peacebuilders around the world, helping them to implement real change – and bring an end to poverty and violent conflict.
In DR Congo sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war. Our partners Centre Resolution Conflits (CRC), are running programmes to help women recover