Election Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – site of the largest internal displacement in the world
As we remember the Dominican Month for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo….
This Fourth Sunday of Advent is Election Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Just one of the significant areas of concern in the country is historic internal displacement. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there is an estimated four million displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some 1.7 million people have been internally displaced in 2018. Armed groups have instigated violence that led in 2016 and 2017 to the largest internal displacement of people in the world, affecting more people than in Syria, Iraq or Yemen.
All the signs are pointing to a major humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2019 and in the years to come: One international observer states: “The situation in the DRC is likely to be ignored as it is set to become the most urgent emergency of the year”
Petition prayer:
As we prepare for Christ’s birth in a manger, may we see the sign to all of us of the displaced, temporary shelters of the Congolese people, the largest crisis in the world. May we have the compassion to raise our voices of solidarity throughout all the Dominican Family to open our eyes to those who live as strangers unjustly forced from their land in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On this Election Day, December 23rd, may it be a process of peace and faithful civic engagement and an important step in restoring dignity to all Congolese people.