The Democratic Republic of the Congo needs a stronger international peacekeeping force to dismantle militia groups that are destabilizing the country, the nation’s U.S. ambassador told GlobalAtlanta Nov. 7.

“We hear in the news that the U.N. has the largest peacekeeping force in Congo, the largest ever, it's about 17,000 men and women,” said Faida M. Mitifu.  “Seventeen-thousand men can be a lot for a country of the size of Sierra Leone or the country of the size of Liberia, but for a country of the size of the DRC, it's still really a drop in the bucket.”

Even better than increasing the size of U.N. forces, she said, would be to have a “specific country that could commit to that and come and work in joint operation with the Congo forces.” She cited Great Britain’s campaign in recent years to stabilize Sierre Leone as an example of action needed in Congo.

Ms. Mitifu was in Atlanta for a workshop at Westminster Schools sponsored by the Teach Africa program. The workshop, for K-12 educators, is designed to encourage African curriculum in secondary schools.

Ms. Mitifu’s visit coincided with an international conference in Nairobi, Kenya, aimed at bringing peace between Congo and rebel forces in the eastern part of the country.  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was among the leaders attending the conference.

“We would like to see the international community take a harder stand on countries such as Rwanda who are still supporting these militias that are causing instability in Congo, because this can have even worse repercussions in the entire region,” Ms. Mitifu told GlobalAtlanta.

Despite the fighting, she said, “I see a bright future for Congo,”  because of its democratic government and vast natural resources.  Ms. Mitifu praised the Bush administration for its policies attacking AIDS and malaria in Africa and encouraging trade with the U.S.

“I hope president-elect (Barack) Obama will build on what President Bush did,” she said. “There is still much more that needs to be done.”

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