May 1, 2008, 9am-11am
Special Guests
Maryam Elahi* | Director, International Women's Program | Open Society Institute
Carla Koppell | Director, the Initiative for Inclusive Security | Hunt Alternatives Fund
Between 1996 and 2002, the Democratic Republic of the Congo played host to the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II. More than four million people died from the ravaging effects of war and its aftermath. Today, Congo is caught in an epidemic of appalling sexual violence and on the brink of its third major war.
The international community is not doing nearly enough to prevent mass atrocities
The Voices on Genocide Prevention podcast series interviews Rebecca Feeley, a field researcher for the ENOUGH Project. The subject is the current situation in Congo, particularly the massive problem of gender based violence.
Listen to the podcast here: http://blogs.ushmm.org/COC2/562/
U.S.-led efforts in recent weeks to end the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo—the epicenter of the deadliest war since World War II with 5.4 million dead and counting—have yielded a ceasefire, but the conflict is not over. The international community must follow through on recent progress with a comprehensive peace strategy for eastern Congo.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to brief the Caucus on this important and too often neglected topic. Before I begin, I, along with all of my colleagues at ENOUGH, would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Congressman Tom Lantos. Congressman Lantos was a tireless advocate for human rights. His passing is a loss not only to those of us working on these issues, but to all of the disenfranchised and oppressed people in the world who have been touched by his leadership and vision.
In the fight to eliminate genocide and crimes against humanity from the face of the earth, we cannot rely on ad hoc responses based on the whims of political will every time a crisis erupts around the globe. At some point, there must be some measure of automaticity associated with our response, built solidly upon principles of international law and hard-earned lessons from previous efforts. To that end, the world has recently seen the birth of two essential pillars in that foundation: the International Criminal Court and the doctrine of the "Responsibility to Protect.”
As President Bush wraps up his choreographed trip to Africa highlighting success stories, it's time to jump on the opportunity to build on recent progress toward ending one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last half century: the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Not only does Mr. Bush stand to gain a positive legacy in one of the most devastated corners of the world, but the United States can help the people of Congo shake off their decade-long nightmare.
President Bush left Friday on a tour of Africa to highlight successes in fighting disease and poverty, but critics say that while his administration has been responsible for advances on the continent, it is far too early for a victory lap.
Traveling with his wife, Laura, to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia, the president has chosen non-controversial countries that have turned a corner economically, with the help of U.S. aid. Bush is bypassing such conflict-ridden nations as Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Congo.
