Civil society conference held in Brussels

A conference of civil society organisations working in central Africa was held in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss and exchange information on the region and concluded with a call for European Parliament members to commit to a more decisive and coherent policy for central Africa. Some 120 people participated in discussions around the theme 'Civil Society Facing Conflicts in Central Africa - Views From the Field', held in a meeting hall of the European Commission (EC). Civil society representatives from central Africa included Noel Twagiramungu of the Kigali-based Ligue des droits de la personne des Grands Lacs; Firmin Yangambi of the Comite pour la paix, based in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Mathilde Muhindo of the Centre des Femmes Olame, based in Bukavu, DRC; Rigobert Minani of Groupe Jeremie, DRC; Aloys Tegera of the Pole Institute, in Goma, DRC; and Louis-Marie Nindorera of Ligue ITEKA, based in Bujumbura, Burundi. Issues of solidarity between Europe and central Africa were discussed by representatives of European NGOs; by Bruno Gatta of the EC DRC desk; and by Frank De Coninck from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The half-day event was organised by the North-South Coalition for the Belgian Presidency of the EU, made up of 37 Belgian organisations and networks, in collaboration with two European networks of NGOs involved in the region, the Reseau Europe Congo and the Concertation chretienne pour l'Afrique centrale.