The Episcopal Church remains concerned by reports out of the Democratic Republic of Congo describing the violence and terror residents are experiencing after the recent incursion into Goma and the surrounding areas. We pray for all those affected by the conflict, including civilians, clergy and parishioners throughout the Anglican Church in the region. We are grateful for those speaking up for peace, including the Africa Anglican Primates in the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa.

We affirm the locally initiated Goma Call for Peace framework, which calls for an urgent humanitarian response, the protection of civilian populations, and efforts by the international community to bring peace to the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Office of Government Relations in recent weeks hosted key faith leaders from the area for meetings in Washington, D.C., and in New York with our representative to the United Nations, to bring the severity of the situation to the attention of United States and international officials. The Episcopal Church will continue advocating for an end to the current uptick in violence, the protection of the Congolese population, particularly women and children, and for a lasting peace in eastern DRC.

The Goma Call for Peace

In solidarity with those suffering in Goma and across the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we join Anglicans in the DRC in calling for:

1. The immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and respect of the existing ceasefire agreement.
2. The protection of the civilian population and an urgent humanitarian response.
3. The withdrawal of external forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo who are in clear violation of DRC’s territorial sovereignty. This includes the M23 rebels and the Rwandan Defence Forces.
4. A resumption of dialogue in good faith between Kigali and Kinshasa, believing that peaceful and diplomatic means are the only way to end the conflict, which has already caused untold suffering.
5. The international community to invest every effort and to consider using all possible means to bring peace to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.