Faith groups launch Congo prayer campaign amid crisis of violence

A coalition of religious groups on Wednesday said it would launch a yearlong prayer campaign for the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid underreported and widespread violence. Congo now hosts the deadliest conflict in the world since World War II, the groups noted. Violence has claimed the lives of at least 6 million Congolese and left roughly 7 million more internally displaced since 1994. The Congo government is currently fighting the M23 rebel group for control over the country’s vast earth and mineral reserves.

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi described the unrest as a silent genocide while addressing the United Nations on Tuesday. He called on the UN to intervene and help break the cycle of violence. He also called for an inquiry from an independent international commission, along with sanctions against groups responsible for war crimes and genocide in the country. While Congo has suffered from violence for decades, conflict within the country spiked after M23 made a resurgence in 2021.

Human Rights Watch has described conditions in Congo as dire, citing over 100 armed groups active within the country and the imposition of martial law in certain areas. Armed groups often commit massacres, abductions, and rapes with near total impunity, the organization said. The violence, coupled with poor governance, has also triggered a food crisis, it noted.

What are the details of the prayer campaign? Faith leaders planned to kick off the Congo Global Prayer Campaign on Sunday, Oct. 19, as part of an advocacy group’s annual “Breaking the Silence: Congo Week.” The advocacy group, Friends of the Congo, is leading the charge with an international call for prayer gatherings and daily prayers for the Congolese. The group also encouraged participants to send letters to lawmakers to draw attention to the country’s underreported violence.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s July report on a militant attack at a Congo church that killed dozens of people.