Preparations for the upcoming journey

In Canada’s Globe and Mail:
UN, African leaders meet to tackle Congo crisis – Nov 7
UN chief calls for ceasefire in eastern Congo – Nov 6
UN chief calls for ceasefire in eastern Congo – Nov 5
Congo refuses rebel demand for direct talks – Nov 4

In the UK’s Guardian:
Angolan troops 'reinforcing Congo army against rebels' - Nov 7

In the US’ Washington Post:
Angolan Troops Reported Assisting Congolese Soldiers – Nov 8

Dear Friends,

These are some of the headlines this week about the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There are multiple simultaneous conflicts near the eastern border of DR Congo. In January of this year, a ceasefire was agreed to by the government and over a dozen rebel groups, which ended within the past two months. In the city of Goma (see map below), where 17,000 UN troops are based, a ceasefire is still in place. The countryside remains volatile.

Many of you are familiar with my work with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). This coming January and February, I will be travelling to the DRC as a CPT reservist where I will join a new CPT team that will arrive in Goma in December. CPT has been invited by a number of local peace-building organizations, including Groupe Martin Luther King, to encourage and work with these local groups in their peace building efforts, in reducing conflict and strengthening human rights.

This will be my second trip to East Africa with CPT. In 2007 I was part of an exploratory delegation to Uganda in the Great Lakes region of Africa. We met with numerous church and community groups (primarily in and around the city of Gulu in northern Uganda) to assess the need for possible CPT work there. At the time, a shaky peace had been established between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the government. After more than 20 years of intense conflict. over a million civilians have been displaced, tens of thousands of children abducted to fill rebel ranks as soldiers, porters and “wives” to the rebels, and unknown thousands of civilians have been killed. The Juba Peace Talks, responsible for the cessation of violence in the region, are in jeopardy. Within the last few months, the LRA has resumed the use of arms and the abduction of children in southern Sudan, the Central Africa Republic and northeastern DRC (where the LRA are currently camped). While the renewed violence has not crossed the border into Uganda, instability and insecurity amongst the displaced people is a daily reality.

My first trip with CPT was in 2006 when I had the incredible experience of joining our Palestine team and its important work of documenting settler violence against Palestinians living in the city of Hebron. At the time, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza strip after multiple battles between Palestinian and Israeli forces and the abduction of an Israeli soldier, and in July invaded Lebanon after facing hostilities from Hezbollah. The tension in the air was palpable yet, the Palestinians and Israelis I met shared a common hope for the possibility of a peaceful coexistence.

As a volunteer reservist with CPT, I am responsible for raising the funds needed to do this work. Your gift of $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford, will help me be a part of this important mission at a time of heightened violence in the region. My fundraising goal is $4,000, my largest goal to date. This covers all costs associated with the trip including flights, lodging, meals, and local travel.

You can make your tax-deductible donation online at http://www.cpt.org/ or at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/fundraising_pledges/19766?m=814b0121. Be sure to list "Andrea Siemens - DRC" in the designation box. If you prefer, you can send a cheque or money order to:

Christian Peacemaker Teams
Box 6508
Chicago, IL 60680-6508

or

Christian Peacemaker Teams
25 Cecil St. #307
Toronto, Ont.
M5T 1N1

Cheques can be made out to Christian Peacemaker Teams and "Andrea Siemens - DRC" noted in the memo line.

As internet access permits, I will share my experiences in the DRC on a blog at http://www.cptjourney.blogspot.com/. Without your encouragement and support I wouldn’t be able to participate in these missions and for that I am most grateful. I hope to share photos and stories upon my return, and welcome opportunities to do so when I am in your area. Most importantly, please keep the thousands of people affected by this conflict, the displaced and separated families, the survivors of rape, the abducted child soldiers, the organizations working for change, our hosting organizations and our team in your thoughts and in your prayers.

My deepest thanks for your support!

In peace,
Andrea

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is an international, ecumenical violence-reduction organization based in Canada and the United States.

CPT does not provide material assistance and acts independently of the policies of any government. We are not a missionary society. Instead, we attempt to act toward the justice and peace of the reign of God by supporting local people who replace violence with non-violence in resolving differences. Our work around the world is inspired by our Christian faith and also by Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and peacemakers from other religions and traditions.