Atrocity At Christmastime: The Doruma Incident

It was the day after Christmas in a remote village in the Eastern Part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At a time of the year when Goodwill towards Men is lauded an Incident of chilling proportions occurred. But sadly it ties in with events in Central Africa that have occurred over the last three decades.

What happened in the Villages of Doruma and Gurba between Christmas Day and the 27th of December is but a stark reminder of why the Various Militia Forces that Plague the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo need to be reined in and dissolved. It is believed that over 200 people have been killed and at least 20 people have been kidnapped. Sadly it is believed that over 45 People were hacked to Death in a Catholic Church.

There have been Allegations made that the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) are behind this brutal attack. This could be one of their methods to replenish their ranks after the Armed Forces of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Southern Sudan launched a coordinated series of attacks more than two weeks ago. This attack took place after the LRA walked away from Peace Talks in Juba, Sudan for the second time this year. The LRA is concerned about its senior leadership being indicted by the International Criminal Court for War Crimes.

The Tactic of murdering those individuals seeking Sanctuary in a Church is not a new concept by Insurgents in the Great Lakes of Africa. During the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 Rampaging Hutus slaughtered Tutsis and Moderate Hutus that were hiding out in several Churches. There have been attacks against Churches in the DRC during the two Civil Wars that Plagued the Country before 2002 as well.

The Reason that the LRA probably committed these attacks is that they are feeling the pressure. They are on the run after their Main Base of Operations was attacked by the Ugandan Air Force. They are on the run and need both supplies and reinforcements. There are various routes they could take. It is possible that they could attempt to regroup in the Central African Republic.

In the three decades of Violence in the region (Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC.) There have been a plethora of attacks against Houses of Worship. This goes against the Basic Christian Tenet that states that Churches are Houses of Sanctuary to those in need. In several cases the Churches have been the Main Targets for those on the orgy of Violence.

Another thing that this attack shows is the weakness of MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Congo.) Earlier this month the Security Council saw fit to strengthen its mandate. This was after allocating 3,100 more peacekeepers to be deployed to the War- Ravaged Country. Maybe this incident will cause an increase in Deployment. But I am not optimistic.

The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet and Comments on US Policy towards Africa. Confused Eagle is at morganrights.tripod.com