Kudos to former Enough intern and dedicated Congo activist Greg Queyranne, whose letter to the editor was recently published in his local paper, the Edmonton Journal. In a timely piece published right before Christmas, Greg called on the Canadian consumers to be more conscientious about how their purchases may be helping to fuel a war in Congo that is having a devastating effect on women and children in particular. Greg commended current efforts in the U.S. Congress — led in the House by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) and in the Senate by Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) — to call for independent audits to trace Congo’s minerals and determine which are “conflict free.” Now, Greg argued, the Canadian government should follow suit.
The Canadian government must do its part to help end the conflict by depriving rebels of key sources of cash and weapons. Canada must show leadership by enacting legislation that would help make sure that when we buy our kids gifts during the holidays, we are not putting money into the pockets of rebels who rape girls, turn boys into soldiers and terrorize communities.
If you’re interested in learning how to write your own letter to the editor, check out this toolkit put together by the RAISE Hope for Congo team. If your letter gets published, be sure to let us know so we can highlight it on Enough Said.
Photo: Tin ore (Grassroots Reconciliation Group/Sasha Lezhnev)