20 November 2008 8:02 AM, PST | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news
Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has been visiting refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo - in a bid to draw more attention to the war-torn country.
The Pearl Harbor star met with aid officials and toured refugee bases on a trip to the Central African country, where some 250,000 people have been displaced by fighting.
Innocent civilians have had to put up with years of violence, mainly in eastern Congo, that escalated further this year when fighting heated up between the army and loyalists of rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.
And Affleck, who has made a documentary about the country's problems, is urging the world to take notice and help stop the suffering of innocent civilians.
He says, "I'm not an expert in international affairs or diplomacy, but it doesn't take that to see the tremendous suffering here. It's not something that we as human beings can, in good conscience, ignore.
"I'm really glad that more people are paying more attention to (Congo) now but I'm really saddened that it's taken this uptick (increase) in violence to make that happen."
And Affleck hopes speaking out about the problems in the area will attract others to turn their attentions to the Congo, just like pal George Clooney has done for the troubled region of Darfur in Sudan.
He adds, "My hope in being here is primarily to bring attention to the fact that there's a real lack of (aid agencies) here, a real lack of money going to these folks."
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