Just back from a conference in Uganda in which Baptist leaders discussed the crisis, Paul Montacute, director of Baptist World Aid, appealed Nov. 4 for gifts to assist people in the eastern part of the country. The area has affected by intensified fighting between rebel troops and government forces in recent weeks.

Montacute said the catastrophe in Congo is not a new one, although it is just now garnering worldwide media attention. The struggle dates back to the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, as many Congolese find themselves squeezed between the Congolese army and ethnic Tutsi rebels.

Montacute said the Baptist World Alliance counts three member groups from the area. BWAid, the BWA's relief-and-development arm, has long cooperated with those partners to help local Baptists work with abused and violated women and children, provide school resources, fight poverty and conduct other programs.

Montacute returned Nov. 3 from the meeting with Baptists caught up in the situation. They came not only from Eastern Congo but also neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania.

Baptist facilities in eastern Congo are being used to provide shelter for displaced persons, Montacute said, but funds are desperately needed for basic needs of shelter, food, water and sanitation.

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