Human rights expert to raise awareness about Congo crisis
Jackson Hole News&Guide, February 25, 2011

      Eighteen-year-old Josephine’s story is frighteningly typical in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She and her family heard that the rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, had raided a village nearby. The family started to flee, but her grandmother stopped and ran back for something. The rebels captured Josephine and her three brothers and shot their grandfather in front of them.
      Josephine was held by the LRA for eight months, along with numerous young hostages. During which time she was forced to become a “wife” of LRA men (a euphemism for being continually raped.) She witnessed unbelievable brutality. The rebels would sometimes tie up one young boy and force another boy to kill him with a stick or machete.
      Josephine managed to escape, showing incredible strength and courage. Still, the physical and psychic scars will haunt her forever.
      The LRA is the most deadly militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its reach has extended into southern Sudan and the Central African Republic, displacing 400,000 people. Yet little international attention has been paid to the situation over the past few years, and military interventions have backfired leading to further suffering and murder.
      On Friday, Teton County Library hosts international human rights lawyer Andrew Hudson, who will present a free talk entitled “Congo: The Forgotten Conflict.”
      “I was introduced to Andrew Hudson through a local contact who is involved with Refugees International and I jumped at the chance to host him,” Library Adult Program Coordinator Oona Doherty said. “For those who are curious about what's happening in the DRC, this will be an opportunity to get up to speed through a reliable source. Plus, having met Andrew, I can tell you that he will be a thoroughly engaging presenter.”
      “Most people in the US probably haven't heard of Congo let alone know that a conflict continues there,” Hudson said. “Compared to higher profile conflicts such as Afghanistan, Iraq or even Sudan, Congo rarely appears in the headlines. Yet the scale and nature of the atrocities should command world attention. ”
      Women, in particular, have suffered during the conflict in the DRC where armed groups have used rape as a weapon to terrorize communities, raping whole villages of women from elders to young girls.
      The crisis has gained a modicum of international attention of late, with celebrities such as British actress Helen Mirren speaking out about the issue, as well as initiatives proposed by the U.S. and the African Union to address the LRA threat. But much more aid and action is needed.
      “What is needed is a comprehensive regional strategy,” Hudson said. “UN peacekeeping missions and governments in the region need to enhance civilian protection efforts in LRA-affected areas. They also need to increase incentives for desertion and demobilization from the LRA.”
      Hudson is the New York Director of the non-profit organization Crisis Action, which works behind the scenes to mobilize organizations and experts to make a collective case to prevent conflict and protect civilians within conflict.
      In addition to describing high-level international efforts to stop the violence, Hudson will touch on how local actions may contribute to the conflict. Cell phones or their components, for example, are now being labeled Africa’s new blood diamonds. The DRC has abundant mineral reserves of coltan, used in the production of electronic devices, especially cell phones.
      “The Western public has definitely become desensitized to African atrocities,” Hudson said. “Some people talk of Congo fatigue. The way to combat desensitization is to describe individual examples and to personalize stories, but also to present recommendations about how to improve the situation and explain what people here can do to help.”

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