Clergy, Laity in Kisangani, DR Congo, Plan March in Solidarity with Victims of Violence

In the statement, the Vicar General calls upon the people of God to “come in great numbers with your offerings in kind and in cash, destined to the victims of this tragedy.”  

In their statement that was circulated March 14, members of the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Kisangani (ASSEPKIS) said the sanctity of life and human dignity have been “deeply violated” in Ituri. 

“The people are forced to flee in all directions. We are witnessing the forced and massive displacement of people from their usual living environments to places where living conditions are generally very precarious. These are sites of increasing numbers of displaced people and host families who are often already in difficulty,” the Catholic Bishops said. 

They added that victims of the tragedy have lost basic social services including food security, health care, decent housing and access to education.

ASSEPKIS members said pastoral services have also been “deeply stabilized” due to the displacement of some Priestly and religious communities, as well as lay pastoral agents, from their usual apostolic environments.

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The Catholic Bishops called on the armed groups operating in the region to stop the atrocities.

They further urged the Congolese government to “urgently address the phenomenon of armed groups and assume its responsibilities as guarantor of the security of its people and urgently impose the peace to which the province of Ituri also aspires.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.