From 1994 - 1996, the Law Group maintained a field office in Goma, North Kivu, from which field officers provided valuable support and training to human rights activists in Eastern Congo. Following the opening of a field presence in Kinshasa in 2000, the Law Group is expanding its field activities by re-establishing a field office in Eastern Congo, to reinforce the small human rights community's efforts in the face of a deteriorating human rights situation, and strengthen their participation in the country's transition process.

The Law Group is currently seeking candidates for a Program Officer position, to be based in Bukavu, in South-Kivu. Together with a team of national program and administrative staff, the Program Officer will be responsible for a variety of training, mentoring and technical assistance projects aimed at building the capacity of civil society in Eastern Congo. The Program Officer will serve both as a trainer and constant resource to local NGOs, and ensure the day-to-day running of Law Group programs in the East, while maintaining relationships with
NGOs, UN agencies and local authorities.

How to Apply: To apply, send resume or curriculum vitae and cover letter by mail, fax or e-mail (MSWord and WordPerfect 7.0 attachments) to: Bukavu - DRC Program Officer Search International Human Rights Law Group 1200, 18th Street NW, Suite 602 Washington D.C. 20036 Fax: +1 202 822 4606

Where have, according to figures released by humanitarian agencies, some 1 million people been massacred over the last year? Where have more than 2 million people been 'displaced' i.e. made refugees within their own land? You wouldn't think that so many humans could suffer so without an international clamour in the media. Unless, of course, those people are African, and more specifically, Congolese.

The new self-appointed president, Joseph Kabila, son of the late Laurent Désiré Kabila, may appear more peaceful than his father, but he is unlikely to prevent the various contenders in the the war from heading to renewed confrontations. The quarrelling and fighting over the wealth of that country continues to boil.

But at the same time, is there hope? Is there some solace in the fact that the country that has drawn into its vortex of terror the armies of Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Uganda, some of these troops have begun to withdraw?

What will that leave behind? Hardliners are said to be in control of Kinshasha, unwilling to engage in dialogue with the various factions. The country's infrastructure - such as it has been - is torn apart. "Transition", "reconstruction", or even "reonciliation" remains a distant dream.

People often say that Africa's suffering is caused by its poverty. What Congo suggests is that the suffering - and poverty - are both caused by the potential wealth of its natural resources - or rather, by the fight for control over that wealth.