AFFLECK PENS ESSAY ABOUT CONGO CONFLICT

Last updated: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

AFFLECK PENS ESSAY ABOUT CONGO CONFLICT

BEN AFFLECK has turned journalist to write an essay on the conflict in the Congo for Time magazine.

Ben Affleck arriving to the premiere of 'He's Just Not That Into You', Los Angeles, CA - 02.02.09

The actor/director took a trip to the embattled African region last year (08), and now he's challenging politicians to do more to help the innocents caught up in the genocide.

Calling his Time article "amateur journalism," the humble star shares his thoughts about the Congo.

He writes, "The warring parties in the east can be distilled into three main groups: the Congolese army; a breakaway faction composed mainly of Tutsis, led by a former general, Laurent Nkunda; and an outlaw militia, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), led by the same Interahamwe Hutu extremists who committed the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda.

"Of late, most of the world's focus has been on the fighting between President Laurent Kabila's army and Nkunda's forces. When I met Nkunda, he made a compelling case for his rebellion, framing it as opposition to Kinshasa's co-operation with the genocidaires of the FDLR and offering a moving history of the persecution of the Tutsi.

"But, like many militia leaders, Nkunda and his men have been accused of war crimes. I met a number of child soldiers who served in his militias, and his soldiers have been accused of participating in massacres."

Affleck goes on to offer more history about the conflict, and uses photographs of rape and torture victims to visualise his essay.

He recalls meeting one woman, whose image graces the pages of his Time article: "Mary, the scarred woman in the center of the photo collage on the next two pages, told me that FDLR men raped her, set her house on fire and left her to die. She survived. Her 2-year-old daughter did not."

The actor concludes, "In interviews with Congolese civilians living under FDLR control, I consistently heard one thing: they wanted the genocidaires out. But many believe the only lasting solution will be a military one - and no Western nation has shown much interest in shipping troops to central Africa."

Source: WENN

| Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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AFFLECK PENS ESSAY ABOUT CONGO CONFLICT

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