SCIAF calls on Scots to dig deep for Congo Appeal

Scotland's leading aid agency is calling on the Scottish public to make urgent donations to a world-wide appeal which aims to help thousands of people in the DR Congo (DRC).

SCIAF is working with 163 Catholic international aid and development agencies to support Caritas DRC which is on the ground in North Kivu providing medicines, temporary shelters, blankets, and hygiene packs to 150,000 left homeless by the recent fighting.

SCIAF has already forwarded £50,000 in emergency aid which will also help supply 32 local health organisations with medical supplies and support women who have been subjected to rape and sexual violence.

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SCIAF’s Head of Communications Mary Cullen said:

“As Laurent Nkunda’s forces draw back there is a greater opportunity to get emergency aid to those who have been isolated or dispersed in the forests following the fighting. We have seen a fantastic response to our appeal so far but this is a huge crisis where thousands of lives are on the line. Everyone in Scotland can help make a difference by digging deep and donating to SCIAF’s appeal and ensuring we get aid to those most in need.”

One Caritas aid workers in Goma said:

“The situation is dreadful; there is no supply of medicine, 800 people share one water tap, the latrines are overflowing and hygiene is virtually nonexistent.”

It is believed that up to 250,000 people have been displaced by fighting between the CNDP forces of Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese government.

SCIAF is also helping the long-term efforts for peace by calling on the UK government to exert political pressure to support an enhanced United Nations presence in the region to protect the thousands of people affected by conflict, particularly women and girls who are now even more vulnerable to sexual violence.

Crimes of rape, closely linked to the long-running conflict and presence of militias in the region are already at epidemic levels. In some areas it is estimated that 70% of women have been subject to rape and sexual violence. In the South Kivu region of eastern Congo alone 4,066 cases were reported between January and March this year – compared to 1,123 cases in Scotland in 2006/07 which has a population three times that of South Kivu. Cases of rape in Goma (capital of North Kivu) have been highlighted in recent days. With continued fighting in the region and virtual impunity for the perpetrators of rape and other war crimes it is vital women and other civilians receive increased protection now.

SCIAF’s Chief Executive Paul Chitnis said:

“Rape and sexual violence in eastern DR Congo were already major problems. Thousands of women and girls as young as three years old are targeted. The sharp escalation in violence and the impending humanitarian catastrophe is likely to exacerbate the situation. A larger, more effective UN force is vital to help protect women and young girls from these horrific attacks.

“Sexual violence must remain high on the diplomatic and political agenda at this time of renewed conflict and be addressed alongside more traditional security concerns. Recent reports have failed to address the effect of sexual violence on women, their families and the conflict as a whole. Unless this particularly inhuman and brutal form of violence is addressed immediately, it will be impossible to secure a just and lasting peace in the region.”

Thousands of civilians have been forced from their villages rendering them more vulnerable. Despite the current ceasefire called by CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda whose forces have been fighting with the Congolese army and are currently on the outskirts of Goma, the increased presence of fighters and the current disarray of the Congolese army are likely to lead to increased sexual attacks on women and young girls.

SCIAF, which recently published a major report on sexual violence in the region (click here to find out more), and provides medical, legal, and psychosocial care to rape survivors through local partners, believes more UN soldiers on the ground is the only way to provide immediate protection for the most vulnerable. SCIAF, together with its partners in the DR Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, believes it is vital that increased security is provided before a longer term peace can be established.

Members of the public wishing to make a donation to the Democratic Republic of Congo can donate by clicking here or by calling SCIAF direct on tel: 0141 354 5555.

Media enquiries:

SCIAF: Val Morgan Tel: 0141 354 5555 / Mobile: 07914 408 589

Email: vmorgan@sciaf.org.uk