Hutus Call it Quits in Congo

One of my colleagues sent me an amazing story from earlier this week out of the Washington Post regarding the Hutu militia men in Congo.  They are evidently surrendering in large numbers.  This is a great development in what has been one of the continent's bloodiest wars.

Many of these men are flooding back over the border in to Rwanda.  If the underlying issues of anger, guilt, shame and rage in these men are not dealt with soon, it could lead to another bloody conflict in Rwanda.  (Click here to read more.)

One of the biggest challenges these militia men will face is psychological.  When all many have done for more than 14 years is kill, steal, rape and destroy, it is difficult to just...stop.  It is all many of these men have ever known.  Some of them were young teens when the Rwandan genocide took place in 1994.  Then they fled into Congo to escape justice.  So, for many, they have spent half their lives entrenched in a survival mentality.

I see the "rehabilitation" as two pronged:

EDUCATION

First, education is the key to helping these militia men become productive members of society. 

In South Sudan, the U.N. along with several N.G.Os have had great success in rehabilitating child soldiers.  They have to be "deprogrammed," as it were, and then given the opportunity to go to school so they can learn about math and science instead of guns and grenades.  Many of the men I met in South Sudan were in their 20s and in the fourth or fifth grades.  But they were so happy to learn something else. 

However, the men of South Sudan were constantly on the defensive; guarding their homes and livelihoods.  The men in this conflict have been the ones on the offensive.  I think the hurdles to becoming "normal," if that is possible, would be bigger for the Hutus.

Once you have left a rough life, it is easy to fall back into it if you're not given an alternative.  You must equip these men to DO something.  Give them education and a trade.  Or else, boredom will get the best of them and they may return to violence out of habit.

JESUS CHRIST

Second, these men will need something to fill the empty voids in their hearts.  The "high" that sometimes comes with feelings of power can leave one severely depressed when that power is gone. 

Now is a good chance for Christian ministries to reach out to many of these men.  Some may be headed to jail for their crimes.  Others will be absorbed in to societies that may not know who they are.  But for now, many are in refugee camps.  Without a heart change that comes with knowing Christ, it is doubtful that many can be completely rehabilitated.

I do not know for certain, but I would guess many of these militia are making their way across the border in to Rwanda from Congo's Northern Kivu province.  The interesting thing is that that region of Rwanda is the first to undergo the transformation of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Nation/P.E.A.C.E. program.  The Christians of that region have been trained and are already mobilizing to reach out in their communities. 

How interesting (and how like God) is it that these believers have already gotten ready for outreach?  Now that these refugees and militia men may be coming their way, perhaps we will see a move of God in the region.  This is something to pray about as this poses a great opportunity, but also great risk for believers in the region.

Read this story from my time in Rwanda to learn more about the Purpose Driven Nation/P.E.A.C.E programs in Rwanda.

What do you think? What's the answer to Congo's problems?  E-mail me your thoughts.