WASHINGTON (May 20, 1997) -- Following the overthrow of the Mobutu regime by the rebel army in Zaire, Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick has called for international attention to be focused on the perilous situation in Africa's Great Lakes region.

"We are convinced that the tragic events of the past month require the immediate attention of the international community if peace is to return to the countries of the region in the shortest period of time so that lives can be saved and families can survive," said Archbishop McCarrick, chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference's International Policy Committee.

Archbishop McCarrick called on the U.S. government, through the Department of State, to remain engaged in the search for a permanent solution to the regional turmoil and the protection of innocent civilians, and that all available monetary and logistical resources be mobilized to this end.

"Regarding the Rwandan refugees in former Zaire, we join Pope John Paul II in his call to the international community that immediate and sufficient assistance be granted and that the refugees be allowed to receive this aid, unhampered, in the hope that their lives may be protected," the Archbishop stated. "Of Mr. Laurent Kabila, the self-declared president of former Zaire, we ask that the refugees be allowed to return to their homeland in dignity, safety and justice, without unnecessary obstacles or hindrances, and that he remain true to his pledge to create a transitional government that would lead to a multiparty democracy in the shortest amount of time."

The full text of Archbishop McCarrick's statement follows:

The Catholic bishops of the United States raise our voices once again, to express our deep concern over the continuing and seemingly endless violence which is occurring in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. We are convinced that the tragic events of the past month require the immediate attention of the international community if peace is to return to the countries of the region in the shortest period of time so that lives can be saved and families can survive. We urgently ask that our United States government, through the Department of State, remain actively engaged in the search for a permanent solution to the regional turmoil and the protection of innocent civilians, and that all available monetary and logistical resources be mobilized to this end.

We fear that the recent violence in the Great Lakes region is an indication of a continued campaign of regional destabilization by armed groups of militia and undisciplined military, who have committed atrocities including: the brutal murders of 17 students and a Belgian nun, at the Muramba Secondary School of Economics and Commerce in Gisenyi Prefecture in Rwanda; the seeming unwillingness of the Zairian rebels to cooperate with the United Nations mission sent in to investigate claims of human rights abuses; and the recent violent clashes in Kenge, former Zaire reported to have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including ten volunteers from the International Committee of the Red Cross. We implore the regional leadership to make every effort to stop the spread of terror throughout Central Africa. We join with the friends and families of all of the victims of this tragic period as we lift up our hands in prayer to the God Who made and Who loves this beautiful land and its suffering people.

We call on the international community to make much needed financial and logistical provisions available for the immediate deployment and protection of human rights monitors throughout the region, but particularly in former Zaire, now that the rebel army has succeeded in overthrowing the Mobutu regime. This will help to guard against further acts of indiscriminate violence and reprise attacks against innocent and defenseless people.

Regarding the Rwandan refugees in former Zaire, we join Pope John Paul II in his call to the international community that immediate and sufficient assistance be granted and that the refugees be allowed to receive this aid, unhampered, in the hope that their lives may be protected. Of Mr. Laurent Kabila, the self-declared president of former Zaire, we ask that the refugees be allowed to return to their homeland in dignity, safety and justice, without unnecessary obstacles or hindrances, and that he remain true to his pledge to create a transitional government that would lead to a multiparty democracy in the shortest amount of time.

We pray for all of the suffering people of the region, that hatred and death may cease, and that justice, peace, and reconciliation may become the new reality of their rich and fertile lands.

For media inquiries, e-mail us at commdept@usccb.org
Department of Communications | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.