AFRICA/DR CONGO - Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference detained at Lubumbashi airport without reason

Thursday, 27 February 2025 local churches bishops war

CONGO, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE

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Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "We strongly condemn this serious attempt to violate the freedom of movement of a prelate of this rank," said the Congolese Episcopal Conference (CENCO) in a note of protest against the arrest of its Secretary General, Donatien Nshole, at Lubumbashi International Airport.
The statement from the President of the Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Lubumbashi, Fulgence Muteba, states: "On February 26, while returning from Dar es Salaam, where the meeting of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC) on efforts to promote peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region was taking place, accompanied by the President of the Congolese National Episcopal Conference (CENCO), Donatien Nshole's passport was confiscated for more than an hour by officials of the General Directorate for Migration (DGM) at Luano International Airport in Lubumbashi. No explanation was given for this incident."
CENCO "strongly condemns this serious attempt to violate the freedom of movement of a prelate of this rank." The Episcopal Conference "wants to stress that this type of provocation is not conducive to the peaceful pursuit of peace and social cohesion," the statement says.
CENCO "also reaffirms its commitment and determination to continue the initiative of the Social Pact for Peace and Coexistence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region, together with the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC)." "We hope that such incidents will not be repeated," the statement concludes.
Following the outbreak of war in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu, where the M23 guerrilla movement, supported by Rwandan troops, has taken over large parts of the two provinces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, CENCO and ECC launched the initiative for the Social Pact for Peace and Coexistence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region (see Fides, 4/2/2025). Delegations from the two churches met with political leaders from Congo and representatives of the rebels in Goma (see Fides, 13/2/2025) and neighboring countries. But apparently the initiative is not supported by everyone in the DRC. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 27/2/2025)