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On Monday, rebel forces known as M23 had overtaken the city of Goma in Eastern D. R. Congo. Initially it was also reported that they had seized the nearby city of Sake. However, conflicting reports now state that there has been resistance in Sake and it is unclear whether this city was successfully seized. Eastern Congo has a long history of regional conflict due to its deposits of gold, tin, coltan and tungsten. Representatives from the United Nations suggest that Rwanda and Uganda are backing the rebel forces; however, representatives from both countries are denying these allegations. The leader of M23 is demanding peace talks with Joseph Kabila, current President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Again, reflective of the not so past history, it is estimated that over 100,000 Congolese are displaced and fleeing Eastern Congo due to the ongoing fighting. Congo’s civil war, which raged on from 1998 – 2003, resulted in an estimated 3-4 million Congolese losing their lives and was the United Nation’s largest peacekeeping mission to date. While there is still a United Nations presence in DRC, it has been reported the United Nations did little to stop the M23’s takeover of the strategically located Goma. In the UN’s defense, they stated troops were reluctant to resort to combat to avoid the loss of life of innocent civilians. Goma reportedly was taken over quietly and with little resistance.
Goma is located nearly 1,000 miles from the capitol city of Kinshasa in the Eastern most provinces. There is little or virtually no infrastructure between the two cities in Democratic Republic of Congo.
MLJ Adoptions, Inc. was the first international adoption agency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we opened our Congo program in 2009. Since opening the program we have weathered many situations and have dealt with political unrest from the very beginning. MLJ continues to monitor the ongoing conflict through our foreign staff on the ground in DRC, the U.S. Embassy and State Department postings and news releases.
Unfortunately, during times of political unrest and warring factions, the most vulnerable of any society are the most as risk, the children. Political unrest and war result in poverty, illness, death and orphaned children. Children who should be spending their time in school and playing are instead fleeing conflict, being displaced, losing their parents and many times fighting for survival.
While no one can tell what the future will bring, MLJ will continue to provide adoption services in the Democratic Republic of Congo unless adoptions are suspended. After all, the need for adoptive parents only grows as the orphaned population grows and the conflict continues.
For more information about MLJ Adoptions’ international adoption programs, please click here.
Sonja Brown
Sonja Brown works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Samoa. Sonja is also proud to work directly with our Individualized Country Program families who are adopting from countries where no adoption service providers currently operate.
Sonja Brown
Sonja Brown works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Samoa. Sonja is also proud to work directly with our Individualized Country Program families who are adopting from countries where no adoption service providers currently operate.