Contacts:
Dr. Alafuele M. Kalala
Mr. Rohan Carney
Phone: (202) 463-9373
Fax: (202) 463-9374
Email: cdzcrm@freewwweb.com

Washington, DC - The Rally for a New Society (RNS) calls upon all parties (the DRC government, the Rwandan government, the ethnic and political constituencies, etc.) involved in the Congolese conflict to exercise constraint and avoid any unnecessary escalation of violence.  The parties need to get to a negotiating table as soon as possible.  There will be no military solution to the problems in the Congo and the region.

Congo holds the key to peace and stability in the region (Central Africa and the Great Lakes).  The problems of the Congo can only be successfully dealt with through the democratization of the country and the building of strong and judicious institutions that will safeguard the interests of all the people of the Congo.  It will be self-deceit for any party or group to expect to safeguard its interests through military victories, however brilliant or temporarily decisive they may seem.

The RNS beseeches all parties to the conflict to abide by international law, particularly international humanitarian laws, show respect for human rights, respect human lives and human dignity, and avoid at all costs crimes against humanity.  The people of the region and the Congo in particular have suffered too long and too much.  Wanton destruction achieves nothing and more often than not is counter-productive