PWPP News: Violence in the Congo

Violence in the Congo
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PWPP - Christy Gillmore on November, 20, 2010 10:26:00

Background of the devastating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo

I. Introduction- Violence in the Congo
Just about every organization working on human rights has dedicated significant
time and resources to raising awareness and providing relief to the people
caught in the midst of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The
conflict has made headlines in most major global news sources. According to most
sources, 5.5 million people have died since the beginning of the war in 1994 and
brutal rape is used as a weapon of destruction as if it were an AK-47. To
understand the devastating conflict, PWPP takes a look at the Congo’s
historical, political, social and environmental context.
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II. Background of the Conflict
After the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the Interahamwe, along with more than a
million non-military Hutus, fled to the Congo for refuge. Claiming that the
Hutus across the border posed a threat to Rwandan security, Tutsi President Paul
Kagame sent troops into the Congo in 1996, and the Rwandan army proceeded to
massacre thousands of Hutus, civilians included. Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda all
sent additional troops to the Congo in 1997 to aid Laurent Kabila, a rebel
leader attempting to depose Mobutu Sese Seko, the Congo’s (then Zaire)
dictator. Civilians were forced off their land due to the continued fighting and
into the mining areas, where digging for minerals became their new livelihood.
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III. Conflict Minerals
The violence in Congo is fueled as demand for minerals continues. The demand has
caused rebel groups and government troops to set up posts at the mineral mines.
The militarization of the mines allows for low wages and poor conditions for
miners, but high profits for rebel militias and para-military groups and for
corporations.
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IV. Coverage of Congo by PWPP Media Partners
Recent reports from Human Rights Watch, The Advocacy Project, World Vision, and
Action Against Hunger
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