Kayanja declares three days of prayer, fasting for DRC peace

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In the wake of the deteriorating peace in the eastern DR Congo (DRC), Kampala city-based Miracle Centre Cathedral Rubaga senior Pastor Robert Kayanja has declared three days of prayer and fasting to invoke God's intervention.

"We are calling upon peace-loving Ugandans and Congolese and Rwandans, Tanzanians, Kenyans and East Africans in general including South Sudanese to pray for our brothers in DRC," Kayanja said.

Kayanja, who is also the founder of the Robert Kayanja Ministries, declared the three days of fasting and prayer from Thursday to Saturday (February 6-8, 2025) in a special night prayer session hosted at the Cathedral on February 5, 2025.

"Congo has been having insurgencies and wars ever since we grew up. From the time of their independence, they have not had a peaceful season without wars. So we are praying and we are asking God to intervene," Kayanja in a prayer session which coincided with special anointing said.

He added: "We have heard that the presidents of the East Africa Community and SADC (South Africa Development Community) are meeting in Tanzania on Saturday about the same issue. They have met before. Meetings have been taking place before, but it doesn't seem that they are yielding lasting peaceful fruits. So, we are asking God that this time when they meet, they will not leave that hall until they have concluded giving the Congolese the peace they deserve."

The M23 (March 23) rebels sweeping takeover of the North Kivu capital, Goma recently and rapid advance towards the Southern Kivu capital, Bukavu, has worsened the situation in eastern DRC with over 900 people killed and thousands wounded.

Humanitarian organisations have reported record displacements prompting the international community's call for restraint.

The DRC government has since sustained accusations of Rwanda supporting the rebel movement.

"It is a shame that in this 21st century, Africans are still killing themselves as they did before the colonialists came. We are having the same issues. And so, it is my prayer that all peace-loving Africans, Europeans and entire humanity, seek God to intervene in this issue of Congo," Kayanja said.

 He added: "When we see people killed by Africans for African crimes, it is a shame. It is like we can't solve our problems. We need external interventions. But I believe for the first time in the history of Africa today we have capable leaders to solve this."

He highlighted President Yoweri Museveni as a good example of a strong leader who has unified Uganda from a sharply divided past.

Kayanja rallied East Africa and Africa to use Uganda as a good lesson (example) of living in peace as a unified country because of leadership.