Hopes for peace in Congo as displaced elderly face hardships

(Vatican Radio) The Congolese government and M23 rebels have signed an agenda for dialogue in peace talks in Kampala, Uganda. News reports say the agenda includes review of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of March 23, 2009, security issues, social, economic and political issues.

The recent violence between M23 rebels and the Congolese army has displaced tens of thousands of people across the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the official end in 2003 of a regional war that drew in a host of neighbouring countries, much of eastern Congo remains under the control of armed insurgencies and militia groups accused of rapes and killings. Nearly two decades of instability have left millions of Congolese dead.

Some 140,000 people were displaced in one of the most recent episodes of violence. Help Age International, an International aid agency which supports the elderly in situations of poverty and severe need, says more than 12,000 recently displaced people aged over the age of fifty are in urgent need of help. Tracey Mcclure spoke to Francis Stevenson, Help Age’s Emergency Response manager, about their efforts to assist the victims of violence in Congo…

Listen to the interview with Francis Stevension: