The Deadliest War in the World

Congo needs help, and the first step toward that is focusing media attention [June 5]. The Congolese have suffered in silence and had their plight ignored for far too long. In fact, the nation seems to have a history of silence. Many people did not know about the atrocities committed during the rule of Belgium's King Leopold II, and many do not know what is going on today. Thank you for bringing attention to a place that dearly needs it. Your story was extremely moving, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. I hope readers will be persuaded to take action and help restore dignity and peace to the brave Congolese people.
Amanda Doveatt
Naperville, Illinois, U.S.

Thank you for drawing attention to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, perhaps the world's most neglected humanitarian crisis. Fewer than 2% of the deaths in the conflict are due to violent acts, while almost three-quarters are due to easily preventable infectious diseases and malnutrition. Our survey, which was mentioned in your story, found that when security is assured, death rates plummet. Halting the fighting would allow medical clinics to function, food production to recommence, markets to operate and people to return home from unsanitary refugee camps. The impact on public health is clear: tens of thousands of lives could be saved every month. But as you rightly observe, the political will does not exist to increase the peacekeeping force to a level that would make that possible. It is a shame that the decision to allocate resources in a crisis is too often based on political considerations rather than humanitarian need.
Richard J. Brennan, M.D.
International Rescue Committee
New York City
Benjamin Coghlan, M.D.
Burnet Institute
Melbourne, Australia

It is wrenching to see the people of a vast and resourceful country suffer such malnutrition, disease and terror while the U.S. and the rest of the world blithely go their own way. You have opened our eyes; now we have to open our hearts.
Kurt Frey
Cheshire, Connecticut, U.S.

My first trip to Congo was in August 1998, just days before the current war began, and I have seen the infrastructure and essential services decline ever since. How could we, the civilized world, allow this war to consume 3.9 million innocent lives? Even worse, why are so few people talking about it and even fewer doing something about it?
Woody M. Collins
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

time's story was a concise and accurate picture of the world's most lethal conflict since World War II. For more than a century, Congo has endured slavery, poverty and destruction. And the end is not in sight. Along with humanitarian aid, there must be diplomatic reconciliation between Congo's east and west, scholarships for young Congolese people to study in Europe and the U.S., and firm agreements among Congo's neighboring nations to keep their armies away. As the story noted, elections will be nearly impossible at this juncture. But at least we can now appreciate the full extent of the horror these people have experienced all their lives. As we debate U.S. involvement in Sudan, perhaps we can spare a few minutes to consider the plight of those innocent souls pictured so well by Time's reporting.
Richard B. Lawson
Mountlake Terrace, Washington, U.S.

I am worried about the impact of James Nachtwey's photos of grieving, anguished Congolese. There is a heroism about the images, but there is also a romantic artistry that blunts the pain, and they suggest too strongly the presence of attentive and receptive helpers. We Americans know far too little about Africa and pay too little attention. But would we turn so blind an eye to the death, in less than a decade, of 6% of our own population at the hands of warring parties? I hope not.
Doug Watson
Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.

Well, it's about time! I have been working in the humanitarian-aid field for several years, and every time I visit the U.S. (my country of origin), I cannot help wondering how many wars go unnoticed because they aren't mentioned on the evening news. Unfortunately, for the 3.9 million killed so far in Congo and the countless more who are dying as I write this, your story is too late.
Elizabeth M. Camp
London

Your selection of photographs from Congo is simply devastating. Why is the world so silent? The U.S. is spending billions of dollars fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but to what avail? If the Bush Administration really cares about establishing democracy around the world, it is concentrating on the wrong region.
Kris Sahay
Winnipeg, Canada

Those of us who live and work in Congo sometimes have difficulty understanding why so little attention is paid to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. I must take issue, however, with the authors' contention that the country cannot save itself. It is true that Congo needs a great deal of international support to hold elections, develop infrastructure and put an end to the insecurity in the east. But real progress will occur only when all of Congo's leaders and citizens decide to make things better for themselves. If there is one lesson we can learn from Africa's history, it is that the best solutions to the continent's problems almost always come from within.
Laura Seay
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

As a postgraduate student of international politics, I have been dismayed by the lack of interest in the human tragedy that has been occurring in Congo for so many years. The Rwandan genocide is etched in our memories, and Bosnia and Kosovo received much international attention, yet the most deadly of all recent conflicts seems to go largely unnoticed by both the left and the right. Thank you for awakening us.
Nicholas Kerton-Johnson
Bristol, England

Consumers vs. Climate Change
I was pleased to see Jim Ledbetter's essay [June 5] pointing out that individuals need help to slow global warming. I could put solar panels on my house, buy a hybrid car, collect and use rainwater and do a host of other things to curb my contribution to global warming, but the cost to do so is way beyond what I can afford. I am more than happy to do my bit, but someone has to help make it possible for me.
Ron Kernahan
Burnbach, Germany

Your article was interesting and compelling, yet in its final movements missed the point entirely and emphasized one of the underlying problems — you seem to think it should be "cheaper" to be green. The price of not being green is charged in some pretty abstract ways. How, exactly, do you put a price on melting ice caps or thawing tundra? The costs of being green most often come about in what we as a Western, capitalist culture understand best — money.
Stephen Van Scoyoc
Althorne, England

The Enron Verdicts
I appreciated the viewpoint column on the Enron verdicts by the company's whistle-blower, Sherron Watkins [June 5]. I agree with her argument that humility is a basic ingredient of a spiritual life. No matter how often he invokes Scripture, Enron's founder, Ken Lay, will never learn that stealing is wrong until he finds some of that elusive characteristic. But there is hope: some people learn that valuable lesson in prison.
Gary Roe
Santa Cruz, California, U.S.

China's New Bishops
Re "Battle of the bishops" [May 15], on China's unauthorized ordination of two Roman Catholic bishops: It is more than ironic that while China pretends to burnish its international prestige through improved diplomatic relations, it is prepared to flout ancient church law to assert its authority over all areas of the religious as well as the political life of its population. The decision by Beijing to appoint two bishops of its own while being fully aware of the Vatican's ultimate authority to do so appears to be a cynical attempt to increase the schism between the roughly 4 million Chinese Catholics who worship through the state-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the 8 million Chinese Catholics loyal to the Vatican. That is the last thing the Catholic church needs as it tries to build bridges and protect those who are dedicated to its teachings from the power brokering and politicking of Beijing.
Mel Duignan
Dublin