Politics mar Congo relief efforts

A volcanic eruption is the last thing this lush country - wracked by years of misrule and civil war - needed as it renews a push for peace. Nonetheless, today the lakefront town of Goma, in eastern Congo, lies in ruins. A six-foot flow of lava tore through the main street last Thursday, destroying houses, engulfing roads, burying dozens of people alive, and turning approximately 350,000 others into refugees.

And now, as UN agencies launch an emergency appeal for $15 million to purchase food, shelter, and medicines to last up to two weeks, a complication is arising: the question of who will administer the rebuilding effort in a country riven by civil war.

On one side is the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) rebels, who took over most of eastern Congo and whose fiefdom is centered here in Goma. On the other is the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has not been able to hold a presence here since the beginning of the civil war in 1998. Both sides insist they are solely responsible for the people of Goma and for rebuilding the city. Meanwhile, the government of neighboring Rwanda, which backs the RCD rebels, wants to lead relief efforts.

All of this comes just weeks before the next meeting of the inter-Congolese dialogue, a process aimed at ending Congo's civil war, which has claimed some 2 million lives. At a time when cooperation seems most appropriate, it also seems further away than ever.

"Everyone is trying to make political mileage out of this," says the head of one aid organization, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Each side is trying to bend the ear of the donor community, get their hands on the funds, and raise their own status. There is a major human catastrophe at hand, but the political leaders can't put aside their egotistical interests for even a second."

Compared with man-made disasters, such as wars, natural disasters usually generate greater solidarity and more financial donations, says Paul Stromberg, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "There is an outpouring of sympathy and money in cases of floods or earthquakes and such.... Natural disasters are simpler to grasp. You don't have to explain who is against whom and why, and there is never a need to take sides."

Or so it would seem. But in Congo, even a natural disaster can become political. Even though aid money does not go directly to the leadership of the disaster area, there are considerable fringe benefits, including prestige and power, which accrue to those cooperating with the international community. In a region where power struggles are intense, the added clout of taking the lead on such a major rehabilitation effort is priceless.

President Joseph Kabila last week declared Goma a disaster area and set up a national crisis committee. "This is being done," he said in a statement, "in partnership with the international community and humanitarian agencies." Mr. Kabila's statement did not mention the RCD, which rules Goma. The president then said he would dispatch a government mission to assess the situation and arrange for the return and resettlement of the refugees - even though the RCD has no intention of allowing such a team into town.

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