Timely focus on the war in the Congo

CONGRATULATIONS to Caroline O’Doherty for her excellent, insightful article about the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Irish Examiner Weekend, April 26), and to The Irish Examiner for being one of the few news organisations to highlight this forgotten war.

That a war with a death toll of 4.7 million could be overlooked by the West for years is unforgivable. We have been treated to wall-to-wall coverage of the war in Iraq but, in terms of the death toll, this was a mere spat compared to what has been happening in the Congo for years.

Because it donates humanitarian aid to Uganda, one of the main protagonists in this war, The Irish government is uniquely positioned to influence the situation. It should use that influence now to get the Ugandans to pull their army out of The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our government should also raise this issue, the most serious conflict since World War Two, in the EU, the UN and any other international forum. It is unconscionable that suffering on this scale be allowed to continue.