As a humanitarian organization dedicated to the welfare of people around the world, Refugees International enthusiastically supports the upcoming visit to Africa by you and the First Lady to review the progress with U.S.-funded efforts to advance economic development and combat HIV/AIDS and other treatable diseases on the continent. The image of Africa among many citizens of the United States is one of suffering and despair. Your decision to focus your visit on countries where progress is being made is therefore welcome.

As you are aware, however, the nations of Africa have a long history of insecurity and instability. Today, the continent holds the highest number of people displaced due to conflict in the world, and their access to basic services such as clean water, food, healthcare and education is largely inadequate. In two of the countries you are visiting, Liberia and Rwanda, you have an opportunity to address humanitarian concerns even as you focus on long-term development efforts.

In the case of Liberia, humanitarian assistance is still needed even as the country is making progress in the transition to peace and development under the leadership of President Johnson-Sirleaf. We congratulate the United States for its extensive development funding being provided by the Agency for International Development. But one humanitarian program is especially important as a complement to AID’s program: the Emergency School Feeding project of the World Food Program. This project provides incentives in the form of food assistance for families to send their children, especially girls, to school. It lacks funds at the moment, and we recommend the possibility of announcing U.S. support for this project in the course of your Liberia visit.

In the case of Rwanda, our concern relates not to the situation inside the country, but to Rwanda’s role in bringing much-needed peace and stability to neighboring Congo. Recent fighting in the area bordering Rwanda has displaced tens of thousands of people in the Kivus, while the International Rescue Committee reports that the on-going conflict and instability are resulting in the deaths of 45,000 people per month across the country.

In November 2007 in Nairobi the government of Rwanda agreed with that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a common approach to end the threat to peace and stability in both countries. The disarmament, repatriation, and resettlement of all Rwandan armed groups on Congolese soil have remained outstanding since the signing of the Lusaka cease-fire agreement in 1999, and are the key to the consolidation of peace in the Congo and the wider Great Lakes region.

Refugees International is concerned that the government of Rwanda is not fully committed to ending its support for armed factions in the eastern Congo that continue to create insecurity for civilians. Rwanda did not participate in the recent successful ceasefire negotiations in Goma, which the United States played a major role in bringing about through the personal intervention of Senior Advisor for Conflict Resolution Tim Shortley. A critical message to convey to President Kagame at this time is the importance of his government expressing public commitment to the implementation of the specific aspects of the ceasefire agreement in tandem with its commitment to carrying out the agreement reached in Nairobi. The lives of people in the Congo depend on this commitment.

Thank you for considering the recommendations in this letter. We wish you and the First Lady a successful visit to Africa.

Sincerely yours,

Kenneth H. Bacon
President