Congo: Stand For Peace - Save Our Souls

Opened on October 31, 2008 | Contact Petition Author

TO: The British Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown We the undersigned call upon the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his government not to turn a blind eye to the on-going military escalation in eastern Congo, mass displacement, humanitarian crisis, famine and the use of gang rape and other forms of sexual violence against women and young girls because of their ethnicity, political allegiance or simply to gain control of rich mining area. We further urge the Prime Minister to personally: * Condemn in the strongest terms the on-going military escalation and deplore the human suffering, mass displacement, killing and catalogues of sexual atrocities against women and young girls; * Call upon all warring parties to immediately stop attacks on hospitals, schools and churches and their surroundings and to recognize and regard such sites as safe zones; * Ensure that the civilian population is respected and protected in all circumstances, in accordance with the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets and thus avoid indiscriminate attacks; * Call upon all warring parties in this war to immediately end campaigns of sexual atrocities, ethnic cleansing and to fully respect and observe humanitarian laws and internationally agreed human rights; * Demand that Mr. Paul Kagame -President of Rwanda, and Mr. Yoweri Museveni -President of Uganda, immediately cease all forms of support to Laurent Nkunda and his militia group; * Insist that health professionals, human rights defenders and Aid workers and their supplies are given unhindered access to all war affected areas; * Make it clear that, in the event that the above demands are not met, the UK will impose targeted diplomatic, economic and political measures against all those implicated in this conflict. We thank you for your support, The Save The Congo Team.