Sum 41 Returns Safely

[desdemona]

Canadian Rock Band Sum 41 Returns Safely to Canada Following Sudden Outbreak of Violence and United Nations Evacuation From Democratic Republic of Congo

Sum 41 in Congo filming War Child Canada documentary about impact of war on

children

TORONTO, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock band Sum 41 arrived back in Canada

following ten days in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo,

where a sudden outbreak of violence between government soldiers and troops

loyal to a renegade commander forced their early departure from the war-torn

country.

Sum 41 was in Congo filming a War Child Canada documentary concerning the

impact of the longstanding civil war on Congolese children. Since 1998, more

than 3 million people, mostly women and children, have died in the conflict.

The United Nations has more than 8,000 peacekeepers deployed in the Congo.

During their ten-day trip, the band members met with former child

soldiers, girls who had been raped by soldiers and rebel fighters, UN and aid

agency officials, and many other Congolese victims of war.

"We went to Congo to show people what war is like, how harmful it is to

civilians, and we ended up becoming war-affected ourselves," said Steve Jocz,

the band's drummer. Deryck Whibley, Sum 41's lead singer, added, "Our being

there, hearing the bullets around us, the mortar fire, the injured being

brought in for medical treatment, it reinforced our belief that more must be

done to prevent war and protect innocent civilians."

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