Mennonite
Central
Committee

MCC representative seeks international support for Congo

Tim Shenk
September 27, 2006

The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo need the support of the international community during their current struggle to form a democratic government, according to Epampia Mbo Wato, a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representative in the country.

Congo is preparing for a runoff presidential election in late October after more than 40 years of rule by unelected leaders. Wato, who is Congolese, spoke about this political situation during a month-long visit to churches, advocacy groups and congressional offices in the United States.

"What we want is that the international community be fair to the two candidates and accept the candidate that people will choose and work with him," Wato says.

The Congolese people have suffered greatly under decades of dictatorship and two recent wars, and Wato suggests that the United States bears some responsibility for this because of its longtime support for Mobutu Sese Seko, the late Congolese dictator.

Tens of millions of Congolese voted in parliamentary and presidential elections on July 30, and a runoff election between the top two presidential candidates will be held Oct. 29. Now the people of Congo are seeking to rule themselves, the United States and other powerful nations should lend their full support to the democratic process, Wato says.

Wato also spoke on behalf of Congo's approximately 200,000 Mennonites. Many Congolese Mennonites feel ignored or forgotten by Mennonites in the United States and Canada because of a dramatic decline in missionaries, Wato says.

There are many reasons for this decline, including a sense on both sides that Congolese churches should be autonomous and independent, Wato says. However, he adds that many Congolese Mennonites are eager for closer relationships with North American Mennonites as brothers and sisters in faith.

Wato says it was encouraging for MCC to organize international election observers -- including several groups of North American Mennonites -- to visit Congo during the July 30 elections.

"There is a popular Congolese song that says, 'Presence is worth more than money,'" Wato says. "I think this is a time when Mennonites in Congo and Mennonites in North America need to work more closely."

 

 

Tim Shenk is a writer for MCC communications.