Trial of Thomas Lubange by ICC

Here are a few articles concerning the just begun trial by the International Criminal Court of former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga. Lubanga is specifically charged with recruiting and using child soldiers.

DR Congo warlord witness retracts

Chaos reigns at International Criminal Court trial of Thomas Lubanga

Global court starts with a fumble. Warlord grins.

Lubanga on Trial at the ICC

The trial of Lubanga is a landmark event in the development of the International Criminal Court and in the fight for justice for the most helpless of civilians—children. However, if the Congolese government’s appalling support for Bosco Ntaganda is any indication, the battle against impunity and for accountability for egregious war crimes committed in the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II will undoubtedly be long and uphill.

Congo warlord stands trial in child soldier case

Psalm 82.2-4

During my devotions this week I came across this verse.

2 “How long will you [a] defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah

3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4 Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82.2-4 NIV

The note [a] indicates the you is plural.

The ESV is similar

Psa 82:2-4
(2) “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
(3) Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
(4) Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Scripture cross references include:

1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge uprightly among men?

2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
Psalm 58:1-2 NIV

5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the innocent of justice.
Pr.18:5

17 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice or

take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Deut. 24:17 NIV

16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
Jer. 22.16 NIV

17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more

Psalm 10:18 NIV

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Isa. 11.4 NIV

12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
Job 29:12 NIV

These verses are just a few that show how we are to love our neighbor, especially the poor and needy, weak and helpless, widows and orphans.

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Folk Song: Fields of Athenry

My favorite folk song is Fields of Athenry and my favorite version is by Paddy Reilly.

This video has soom still pictures from the time of the famine.

Fields of Athenry
By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
“Michael, they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan’s corn,
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.”
Chorus:
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It’s so lonely round the fields of Athenry.
By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
“Nothing matters, Mary, when you’re free
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they ran me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity.”
By a lonely harbor wall, she watched the last star fall
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she lived to hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay
It’s so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

US Support needed for International Criminal Court

The trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the International Criminal Court has begun. This is a very important trial as  Lubanga has been accused of using child soldiers and crimes against humanity in the DRC.  Below is a press release from Global Solutions.

International Criminal Court Begins its 1st Trial of an Accused War Criminal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2009

Washington, DC – Citizens for Global Solutions congratulates the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the beginning of its first trial of an accused war criminal. The International Criminal Tribunal is the world’s first permanent court for prosecuting individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The case of The Prosecutor vs. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo brings to trial a militia commander in the Democratic Republic of Congo accused of recruiting and conscripting child soldiers. Lubanga is one of four suspects currently being held by the court. A second trial is likely to begin this year against Congolese rebel leaders Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. To date, the ICC has issued twelve arrest warrants for individuals accused of committing offenses during brutal conflicts in the Central African Republic, Darfur, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“The Lubanga trial is momentous. It is very first time in the history of humanity that a permanent international court has brought to trial one of the world’s most heinous criminals,” said Don Kraus,, CEO of Global Solutions. Kraus believes that the U.S. should now deepen its cooperation with the Court, so that U.S. officials can supply evidence and logistical support to investigations and trials currently underway in Sudan, Uganda, and the Congo.

President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute setting up the court, but the Bush administration “un-signed” the agreement in 2002. Citizens for Global Solutions calls on the Obama administration to re-sign the treaty, and to take a seat as an observer at the Court’s governing body, the Assembly of State Parties. “We also call for responsible U.S. participation in the ICC’s 2010 Review Conference, where representatives will discuss whether to expand the Court’s jurisdiction to cover carefully-defined international acts of aggression,” said Kraus.

For more information, contact Diane Hodges at 202-330-4109.

####

Notes to Editors:
Citizens for Global Solutions is a non-partisan membership organization that envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no one nation can solve alone.
418 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003-2796
Phone: (202) 546-3950 Fax: (202) 546-3749

Global Solutions has a petition to sign to urge the Obama administration to have the U.S.  sit as an observer at the next Assembly of State Parties, the ICC’s governing body, taking place in New York City February 9 – 13, and that after that, to have the U.S.  show support by re-signing the ICC treaty, the Rome Statute. Click here to sign the petition.

For more information on the ICC and the importance of the US taking part please go here.

French Aid Worker Raped in DRC

This article reports that a French Aid worker has become another of the many (probably thousands) of victims of rape in the DR  Congo.

I salute the many brave women that are serving “in the worst place to be a woman in the world”.  But even more so do I salute all the women living there who face the prospects and eal with the aftermath of this horriblr crime on a daily basis. There must no longer be impunity for the perpetrators of this violence against women and children. All resposible must be held accountable by local and international law. The world must cry out for an end to rape as a weapon of war and the culture of impunity.

Interesting Interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the Atlantic

Here is a very interesting article which is an interview of Archbishop Desmond Tuto by the Atlantic Magazine.

The African in Him

Archbishop Desmond Tutu reflects on terrorism, torture, and what the first African American president might mean for Africa.

Quote from the article:

If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.

World Harvest Mission Uganda Blogs

Here are some blogs I found really intersting by a group of missionaries for World Harvest Mission posted in Uganda.

Paradox Uganda

BundiNutrition: Surviving and Thriving

Salt-Coated

Called to One Hope

Life Is A Journey

Called to Uganda

Kwegesiya

Koinonia

WHM Sudan

Ashley Woods Blog

Traveling

Nathan’s Notes

All in all some very good reading.

Hodge Podge of Articles on DRC

Here are some articles on various subjects concerning the DRC from a variety of sources.

Repeating the cycle: Congolese children face new draft

Goma – Saddiqi Fundi stands in a central Goma garage surveying the damage to a large truck, its frame severely damaged from driving on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s rough roads.

Fundi, 21, is an apprentice welder at the Garage Buyora, operated by Puis-Casi Kasereka Lwanzo, a Congolese businessman who trains demobilized soldiers.

As a 14 year-old, Fundi was abducted from his town near Masisi, 50 kilometres west of Goma, and enlisted into the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), a rebel army backed by Rwanda.

A war with many fronts: Congo war enters new phase

Goma – Earlier this week, Commander John Tshibango looked across a deep valley to the front lines of the war 10 kilometres outside Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Heavily-armed soldiers moved in and out of the thick trees on the opposite hillside.

Oxfam fears for Congolese civilians as fresh fighting looms

Nairobi/Goma – International charity Oxfam said Wednesday it was concerned for the safety of civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Rwandan troops entered the country to hunt down Hutu militia formed after the 1994 massacre in Rwanda.

Report: Nine Hutu rebels killed in Democratic Republic of Congo

Nairobi/Goma – Nine Hutu rebels have been killed in a joint military drive by Rwandan and Congolese troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, reports said Sunday.

Weathering the storm: Congo refugees live day by day

Goma – Rosa Nyanzira sits on a pile of volcanic rock in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, wearing two dresses and a ragged fur coat despite the scorching summer heat.

‘These clothes are all that I have,’ she says. ‘I don’t want to lose them.’

A heavy weight: treating the mental trauma of war displaced

Goma – Before the rebels came, Justine Bengehya and Simwerai Muhanaka lived quietly with their seven children outside the Congolese town of Masisi, 50 kilometres west of the provincial capital Goma.

He was a farm labourer, she stayed home to mind the children.

But that all changed on November 29, when the city of 33,000 was captured by rebel Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda and his National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP).

Congo’s murky mining trade feeling pinch of global pressures

Goma – They are both the bounty and the curse of a war-torn nation: Rich Congolese mineral deposits, observers say, are the seeds of recovery for the humanitarian disaster that has engulfed the nation since 1998.

But many say exploitation of these deposits is also driving the bloody conflict that has left over five million dead and more than a million displaced despite the official end of war in 2003.

Schoolboy reveals horrors of child soldier kidnap by rebels

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo took 15-year-old Patrick as he walked to buy soap for his mother.

Child refugees from Congo fighting snuggle together

Children who have been orphaned or separated from their parents during fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo huddled together yesterday as they rested at the Don Bosco Ngangi centre in Goma.

DR Congo: Inside the green rope

It’s firewood distribution day here in Buhimba Camp. Hundreds of women, most of whom are elderly, have lined up to wait their turn. A green rope goes up along the perimeter of the wood yard where the distribution will take place.

Shift Toward Peace, Hope for Congo

Women Survivors Open Bank Account

The women at Victoria Center have come a long way since I met them almost a year ago. They now have 10 sewing machines, a large, comfortable room where sewing classes are taught, and a dedicated sewing teacher. They are learning to sew well, and soon they’ll be able to sell the garmets they make.

And they have their own checking account. Mecrebu Bank in Bukavu has the reputation of being a solid bank with consistent services, so the women decided to deposit money donated to them in the bank for safekeeping. . . not that they have lots, but things have a way of disappearing, even under the best circumstances.

No holiday

This morning I read the news that Nkunda (the former leader of the CNDP) had been arrested. And then I headed out the door. As I dodged mud puddles, and trash being burned in the streets, it gradually occurred to me that there were no shops open. I looked at my watch, wondered what time they could possibly open, and cursed myself for getting out the door too early. This is probably the only time in my life when that has occurred. And then it struck me that by now, the shops really should be open. The outside vendors were all set up, with shoe displays and peanuts available on every corner, but the doors to every shop remained firmly shut.

Roundup of Articles on the Arrest of Nkunda

Here are some of the articles covering the arrest of rebel general Laurent Nkunda leader of one of the many rebel groups fighting in the DR Congo.

DR Congo requests extradition of Nkunda from Rwanda

KINSHASA (AFP) — The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo want Rwanda to extradite Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, who they have captured and detained, a government spokesman told AFP Friday.

Asked if Kinshasa wanted to see Nkunda extradited to DR Congo for trial on war crimes charges here, Communications Minister Lambert Mende replied: “That is up to the Rwandan authorities, but we would like it.”

Warlord arrest could mean release of up to 1,500 child soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo

Save the Children is preparing for a potential release of child soldiers currently forced to fight with Laurent Nkunda’s troops and other armed groups in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Although figures are very unclear, it is thought that between three and six thousand boys and girls, some aged as young as ten, are being held by warlords in DRC, including Nkunda, who was arrested by Rwandan authorities yesterday.

With Rwandan troops now operating in DRC and the eyes of the international community focused on the country, it is less likely that militia leaders will want to have child soldiers in their ranks for fear of prosecution. If Nkunda’s troops (the CNDP), and other rebel fighters, are integrated into the Congolese army, Save the Children believes it could result in a mass release of children – up to 1,500 – many of whom will be suffering long-term psychological damage.

Rwanda arrests Congo rebel leader Nkunda

It may mean that Nkunda will be brought to justice for war crimes, though. The International Herald Tribune reports that human right groups say Nkunda was involved in mass killings while part of a different rebel faction in 2002. They also say that the CNDP has carried out several massacres since Nkunda founded the group. As a result, Reuters writes, human rights groups “said they would be watching how Rwanda and Congo dealt with Nkunda.”

Congo rebel leader Nkunda arrested in Rwanda

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) – Rwanda and Congo on Friday announced the arrest in Rwandan territory of Congolese Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda during a joint military operation against rebels on their Great Lakes border.

Nkunda has led a Tutsi rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since 2004 and is wanted for war crimes.

Behind Rwanda’s Arrest of Nkunda

The arrest of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s notorious rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda removes a major impediment to peace in one of the world’s most war-torn countries. The fact that he was arrested in Rwanda also helps the government of President Paul Kagame restore a reputation severely tarnished last month, when the U.N. accused it of arming and supplying men to Nkunda and using him as a proxy inside Congo.

Congo rebel arrest offers a glimmer of hope

The arrest of Laurent Nkunda , the renegade general whose rebels have sowed terror in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a rare example of good news from this bloodsoaked region of central Africa.

For years, Nkunda helped inflict misery on Congo’s war-torn provinces of North and South Kivu. Last year, he advanced to within a few miles of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, sparking a new round of bloodshed and forcing 250,000 people to flee their homes.

Congo rebel arrested by his former financer

Rwanda’s arrest yesterday of Laurent Nkunda surprised everyone — journalists, analysts, and even UN Special Envoy to the Congo conflict, Olusegun Obasanjo. Just last month, Nkunda — a rebel leader wreaking havoc on the Democratic Republic of Congo — was pretty cozy with the Rwanda. Now, the same country is detaining him. Awkward..?

State Department on Nkunda Arrest: “A Welcome Step”

“Africa is going to be a priority for Secretary Clinton and trying to foster cooperation by countries in the region, particularly in the region of Congo, is very important. The violence has been going on for much too long and the secretary knows that and so does the president. They are going to take a very strong interest in trying to promote peace and stability on the continent in general.”

Romans 13:8-10 Love Your Neighbor

I read this Scripture today in my morning devotions.

Rom 13:8-10 ESV
8   Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
(9) For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9

The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13: 8-10 NIV

Children and Armed Conflict DRC

Here are some articles pertaining to DR Congo at the UN Children and Armed Conflict website. (Most are from 2007 time frame) as well as related resources from other sources.

Developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Visit to Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi

DRC: Child protection must be a priority the for the new Government

DRC: Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict visiting the DRC

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict

Children and Armed Conflict Videos

Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict

Innocence of Youth Is Victim of Congo War

WatchList DR Congo Report

The war has taken an enormous toll on children and other civilians. Over 12 percent of children do not reach their first birthday, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In 2001, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) reported that approximately one quarter of all children under age five in Basankusu, Orientale Province, an area that was close to the front line at that time, had died over a 12-month period, while the normal mortality rate over the same time period for the same age group is 3.6 percent. MSF attributes the increased death rate in Basankusu and other parts of DRC mainly to an increase in infectious diseases and malnutrition due to loss of food, assets, basic services and medicine because of war-related violence. According to a local human rights NGO, Project GRAM-Kivu (GRAM), operating in South Kivu, many children in Shabunda and other areas die while hiding in the bush.

Many children who survive are traumatized by acts of vandalism and barbarity perpetuated by armed groups. They witness horrendous scenes in which their own families and friends are killed, sometimes hacked to death in front of them. Many young people have lost years of schooling. They are raised in communities with eroded family and societal structures, in camps for displaced people, on the streets, in active duty with armed groups and in other dangerous situations. A variety of natural disasters, such as the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Goma in 2002, exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and its impact on children.

Struggling To Survive: Children In Armed Conflict In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo

MONUC Child Protection

DRC – Serious violations of children’s rights with impunity continues

DRC: Child protection must be a priority the for the new Government

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (pdf file)

Human Rights Watch DRC: Some Recent Articles

Here are some recent links pertaining to issues in the DRC from Human Rights Watch

Letter to African Union Chairman H.E. Jean Ping to Address Key Concerns during the African Union Summit

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a continuing and very serious cause for concern. There has been a temporary lull in violence in the North Kivu region. But reports from the ground that Rwanda’s armed forces have crossed the border raise critical civilian protection concerns. All sides to the conflict, including the CNDP rebels and the Congolese armed forces, have committed serious violations of the laws of war. Meanwhile, the disturbing killings recently carried out by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Orientale province highlight again the inadequacy of international, local and regional efforts to protect civilians.

The African Union can press for international security assistance to DRC to be adequately financed, manned, and focused on civilian protection. Human Rights Watch was one of a number of organizations that called for the time-limited deployment of a European force late last year to bolster the UN’s efforts in North Kivu. Regrettably, these calls were ignored, and civilians in the region remain extremely vulnerable. We also see real difficulties in securing the additional UN peacekeepers that the UN Security Council approved in December 2008.

Human Rights Watch therefore urges the AU to take the following actions:
Ensure that the governments of Rwanda and DRC-and other regional stakeholders-cease supporting abusive proxy groups in the Kivus. The evidence, from UN and other sources, shows that both have actively been supporting armed groups that attack civilians.
Press for urgent international action to strengthen UN forces in the Kivus region and urge countries with effective military capacity to contribute.
Press for a full and independent investigation into violations of human rights and the laws of war committed in the Kivus in 2008 and ensure that all those responsible are held to account. We note that in late 2008 the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into atrocities committed in the Kivus. It has already issued an arrest warrant for a senior member of the CNDP, Bosco Ntaganda. The AU should demand his handover to the ICC.
Press for LRA leaders subject to ICC arrest warrants, and who surrender or are captured, to be handed over for trial.

It is also urgent that the AU help draw international attention to the complexities of the DRC’s problems, and counter the flawed notion that the situation in eastern DRC can be solved merely by eliminating the ethnic Hutu FDLR militia. The region’s problems go much further and wider than one armed group, and include economic dynamics such as illicit resource extraction. The fighting in eastern Congo has been a continuing tragedy of civilian deaths, rapes and the use of child soldiers.  © Copyright 2008, Human Rights Watch

DR Congo: Protect Children From Rape and Recruitment
Security Council Should Act to End Abuses Against Children in Eastern Congo

Human Rights Watch: DRC: ICC’s First Trial Focuses on Child Soldiers

Human Rights Watch has an article: DRC: ICC’s First Trial Focuses on Child Soldiers.

This is very significant as per this quote from the article.

“This first ICC trial makes it clear that the use of children in armed combat is a war crime that can and will be prosecuted at the international level,” said Param-Preet Singh, counsel in Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Program. “Lubanga’s UPC also slaughtered thousands, and those responsible should be held accountable for these crimes as well.”

Rwandan Troops in Congo: Nkunda Arrested

This past week thousands of Rwandan troops have poured into the DR Congo  invited to participate with the Congolese Army to seek out the FDLR (Hutu rebels) in Eastern DRC.

And also breaking news is that rebel general Nkunda has been arrested.

Here are some articles on these and related events.

UN peacekeepers not involved in military offensive against armed group in DR Congo

21 January 2009 – The joint military operation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against a Hutu militia fighting in the war-ravaged region does not involve United Nations blue helmets, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country, Alan Doss, stressed today.

Nkunda arrested

Congo rebel Nkunda arrested -Rwanda/Congo military

Big news, secret reasons

Our neighbours are here

Approximately 2,000 Rwandan soldiers have entered North Kivu this morning through Kibumba. Their deployment is part of an agreement with the government of the DRC to put an end to the presence of FDLR soldiers in the province.

Stearns on today´s events

“This marks a major turning point in Kinshasa’s attitude toward the conflict in the east. It appears (President Joseph) Kabila’s government has decided to turn on what has been an ally, the FDLR.”

Round-Up of Views on Rwandan Incursion into DRC

Congolese Reactions

Congolese reacted to the incursion of Rwandan troops into North Kivu at the invitation of DRC’s President Kabila with a mix of dismay and incredulity. The 1,500 to 2,000 Rwandan troops, who crossed into DRC Monday morning at Kibumba, are said to be there only to “observe” the efforts of the Congolese army as it tracks down the remnants of the FDLR–the militia responsible for the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Breaking–4,000 Rwandan Soldiers in North Kivu; Area Sealed from Aid Workers

Kabila Claims Obama Support; Army Chief Surprised at Call

Rwandan army helps Kinshasa end DR Congo rebellion

DR Congo warning on Rwanda troops

Inviting Rwandan soldiers into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo carries a “high risk of collateral damage”, the parliamentary speaker has told the BBC.

Concerns Grow in DRC as Joint Operation With Rwanda Continues

U.N. force demands role in Congo anti-rebel push

DRC: Peace deal between government and rebel group is a sign of hope but peace remains fragile while civilians continue to suffer

The recently agreed upon peace deal between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the National Congress for People’s Defense (CNDP) rebel group is a step in the right direction, says CARE International. Agency officials however underscore the importance of protecting civilians in an environment that remains highly volatile and vulnerable to human rights abuses.

Background:New York Times Interactive Article: Paradox of Plenty

The New York Times has a very interesting interactive article: The Paradox of Plenty.

It “recount(s) how some, mostly outsiders, built great fortunes off of Africa’s material riches — and for centuries its people as well — while it remained the poorest continent in the world.”

It features a narrated slideshow covering the topics of slavery, ivory, rubber, minerals and oil.

Inaugaral Poem

Although it has been criticized in the media, I really liked the Inaugaral Poem by Elizabeth Alexander.

Here is an excerpt.

Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.

The rest of the poem may be found here.

If we are going to ever turn things around in this world and really be fine because all else are fine the answer has already been given to us.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “love God with all your heart”.

Simple words–but practiced would turn the world upside down.

The inaugaration, watched by millions around the world, was the perfect place to remind us of that.

I think her poem was excellent to remind us of those things. It is a poem of hope. Thank you Ms. Alexander.

Tear Fund Articles on DR Congo

Tear Fund has the following articles about the DR congo:

Prayer: Peace talks resume over DR Congo crisis

Pray for the Democratic Republic of Congo

Pray: DR Congo church gives shelter to newborns

Pray: New birth in DR Congo

Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Humanitarian crisis spirals in DR Congo

DR Congo partner treats conflict victims

Tearfund targets 15,000 for DR Congo aid

Church helps vulnerable in battle for survival

Tearfund targets aid at 75,000 in DR Congo

How the church is helping in DR Congo

DR Congo crisis in pictures

Tough times for those in DR Congo camps

Partners show courage during testing time

Hospitality

Church provides shelter to the displaced

Conflict puts women’s safety in jeopardy

Thousands face misery after fleeing fighting

Congregation rallies to community’s needs

Who Tearfund is working with in DR Congo

Background to the current conflict in DRC

The Christmas story in DR Congo

BBC: DR Congo rebel faction ends fight

From the BBC: DR Congo rebel faction ends fight

Senior officers of the main Tutsi rebel group in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced a ceasefire with government forces.

New UNICEF State of the World’s Children 2009

The new UNICEF Sate of the World’s Children 2009 is out and available here.

Give: The Julie Project

The Julie Project is building a shelter for women and children victi,s of the war near the Panzi Hospital.