Think of someone close to you: your mother, your father, a close friend. Maybe you have younger siblings, a nephew or a niece. What makes that person different from someone struggling to survive in another part of the world, one like the Democratic Republic of Congo? There are countless places of misery and suffering, but I want to bring your attention to DRC because I think it is one of the worst places a person could live. Agree with me or disagree with me — this is what’s going on whatever side you find yourself on.
The deadliest war since World War II ravaged DRC between 1998 and 2003, and other conflicts have since terrorized different regions of the country. To date, more than 5.4 million people have been killed since conflicts began, while more than 1.3 million people have been displaced. Attempts to end violence have manifested themselves in different peace deals and cease fires, but have failed as rebel groups continue to devastate the country, especially in the Eastern provinces.
Civilians are often the direct targets of violence and exploitation. When rebel groups raid villages, they take any resources they can find and then enslave the members of the community they don’t kill to carry the heavy loads of goods. If the carriers cannot keep up with the rebels as they all march from place to place, they are brutally beaten and killed. Some villagers find themselves coerced into working in hazardous mines, where they face death through the whim of their captors, mudslides, rock collapses and exhaustion — all for less than a few dollars a day.
Women especially bear witness with their minds and bodies to these atrocities. More than 250,000 women have been raped each year in the DRC, which is proof that rape as a weapon of war has become completely institutionalized. If that raw number is not enough to show the complete chaos and impunity that plagues DRC, the breakdown comes out to 685 women raped per day, and 28 per hour. Oftentimes, more than one perpetrator carries out the rape. This occurs along with the other unimaginable and inhuman practices that take place. Thousands of children have been abducted to become soldiers or sex slaves, while countless villages and refugee camps have been raided and razed.
Conflicts have come about through ethnic hatred and grappling for control of Congo’s rich resources. Rwandan and Burundian ethnic groups have had a history of political and violent tension in Congo, and with the surge of refugees from the Rwandan genocide, conditions have been further strained. An overarching theme in past clashes, and especially now, is centered on conflict minerals.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 30 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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I'm sure your efforts will really help a region with thousands of years of strife. Now let's go protest something in the Congo, 8,000 miles away. That'll show those warlords!
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If they are to take action, your cell phone and laptop company also needs to know that this issue matters. Email them to urge them to make a conflict-free phone or laptop at the Enough Project's site at http://www.enoughproject.org/conflict-minerals
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Learn what Congolese women and politicians are saying the best way that the international community and ordinary people throughout the globe can help: http://change.org/friendsofthecongo or http://friendsofthecongo.org/Blog.php
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As an expat who lives in Congo and hears about and is impacted by this every day I thank you for writing this article. I think many people can tell you that there is conflict in DRC but don't realize how our thirst for technology is fueling the conflict. The movie "Blood Diamonds" brought diamonds fueling conflict to the general publics attention though other minerals such as coltran are not as sexy and won't be the story line for a Hollywood movie. It is only through people like you and articles like this that we can start bringing awareness of this topic to the people who can make a difference (you!).
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