The Great War of the Congo(DRC)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the DRC or Congo, is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. The DRC is located in west- central Africa. The Congo is rich in natural resources, especially immensely in mineral- rich land. The Congo has faced corruption, instability and conflict, which have kept the country from growing and developing. I am going to tell you about the Congo, how the first war of the Congo began, who is Laurent-Desire Kabila how the second war of the DRC came about and how it affected the people of the DRC. The war was stimulated by the operation of the security dilemma and the formation of a large and complex network of alliances that resulted from this security dilemma.(add reference)
The Congo is a country that has the most natural resources in the world which is cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower and timber. Nearly one-half of the population is less than the age of 15 years of age, with some three-fourths under the age 30 with a small fraction of the population is 60 or older. With the limited medical care by the state, along with poverty, violence, and disease it has limited life expectancy, which for both men and women is far below the world average. (add own words)
The first Congo war began in October of 1996, due to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi killed over 800,000 Tutsis and Pro-Peace Hutus in 100 days, after the genocide 2 million refugees retreated to Rwanda’s western border in the Congo. The refugee camp was the base for the exiled Interhamwe and the army of Liberation o...
... middle of paper ...
...preading out of control. The United Nations (U.N.) has called the Congo the rape capital of the world. Women have been attacked unpredictable scale as well as the countless brutality that the Congo people face.
The people of the Congo faced physical, psychological damage due to the violation of their human rights and the rape and other sexual violence, which contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The health care, education and legal systems are in shambles due to the ongoing violence of the war and are still a factor today. The UN still aid in trying to end the ongoing war that’s now in its thirteenth year it is the largest and longest lasting war to date with the uncontrollable attacks from the rebels. The rebels continue to kill and plunder the natural resources with impunity. The international and political support continues but their efforts have proven futile.
From the beginning of time genocide has taken place and likely is not to end anytime soon. The atrocity from King Leopold's regime is one of the most unheard of cases of genocide but also one of the most gruesome. The killing and atrocities going on in Congo were full-blown genocide. The King was greedy, did not have any care or respect for his people, and also allowed and had the practice of slavery.
As Sovereign over the people in the Congo, everyone was forced to do their share labor. In the 80s and 90s the need for rubber for the bicycle and car industry increased, this was the reason for such demand. The Congo had the worlds largest supply of wild rubber which meant a lot of money coming in for Leopold if he kept up with the need for rubber. Each person has to meet a quota of materials to keep up with the demand Leopold set. The Congo became one large...
We are proud to reveal that we have stopped rape as a weapon of war in Congo. During the period of Congo’s vicious conflict, thousands of females were victimized for rape and sexual abuse. It was estimated by the United Nations that 200,000 women and girls were victims of those atrocious crimes. There has been a constant increase of these inhuman acts on Congolian females due to of the follow suit of government soldiers and militants committing such acts. To curb the rising alarming issue, HRW held a press conference and publicly announced the strong condemnation of such inhuman acts by belligerents. Following that, the military took a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence. After years of following this issue, we have observed considerable developments in Congo and changes for a safer
Since Congo’s independence in 1960, its history has been marked by a series of political conflicts. The economy of Congo, a nation endowed with resources of vast potential wealth has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The two political conflicts (first and second Congo wars), which began in 1996, have dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, have increased external debt, and have resulted in deaths of more than one million people.
he Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has an image problem. The DCR has one of the highest incidences of poverty in the world due to many complex reasons, however the underlying factor always being political struggles. At a rate of 71.34, its incidence of poverty is “extremely high”, even in comparison with other central African countries which has lead to DCR being the worlds poorest country. This essay will explore the underlying reasons and show that the political struggles of The Democratic Republic of Congo in the 19th century until now have caused great social strain for the community. Its underlying thesis is that the Congolese people have shown a significant interest in the politics of their country which as a result has caused social problems such as ethnical rivalries, sexual exploitation and a substantial amount of death.
...ards from high exposures of toxins from the minerals that are mined. (World Vision 2013: 5). As well, recruitment of children in both regular armies and militias has been related to the conflict in Congo with children as young as eight years old becoming soldiers of war (Hayes & Burge 2003: 30-31). These child soldiers usually start as runners, bodyguards, porters, or spies and later on learn to handle weapons and serve in combat (Hayes & Burge 2003: 31). Human rights violations also extend to women and girls as young as five years old who are sexually assaulted, gang raped, sold into sex slavery, have their genitals mutilated and murdered (Hayes & Burge 2003: 30). Despite the United Nations and international aid agencies trying to put an end to human rights violations, child and human exploitation is still a huge ethical concern in the DRC (Hayes & Burge 2003: 32).
This project contains material from a variety of sources. Two of these sources include a newspaper article from the New York Times and a document found on the database ELibrary. The newspaper article, titled Congo’s War Turns to Brutal Killings on City’s Streets, is a primary source that was created by Norimitsu Onishi at the New York Times newspaper with the intention of informing people about the wars in the DRC. It was published August 28, 1998, the day after the events written about occurred. This document exists to inform the readers of the New York Times about the events happening in the DRC at the time of publication. The author thought that men and women over the age of about 25 would be reading this. In general, most people do not have the interest in
Lumumba was displeased with the United Nation’s attempt to combat the aggressions occurring. Lumumba wanted to do anything he could to protect the Congo, and he also knew the USSR would what the U.N. would not. The USSR also did not have any influence in Africa, so they knew they could gain from this opportunity. Lumumba had asked for USSR’s help, so the USSR provided equipment like trucks and planes.
Embroiled in “Africa’s World War” for decades now; the Congolese are no strangers to instability and violence. Located in the heart of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (commonly known as ‘Congo’) has for decades also been the centre of conflict in the formerly known ‘dark continent’.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been and unstable area for decades. Between the wars, conflicts, and armed groups nothing about the country is safe. Armed rebel militias earn millions of dollars more than the country is worth every year by selling conflict minerals. Conflict Minerals are defined as minerals that have been retrieved from areas of war or strife. These minerals could be in our electronics devices, and other products we use everyday. Government troops and militias fight to control the mines, murdering civilians, fracturing the structure of society leaving the country weak. Locals in small, poor communities are exploited or forced into the gruesome mining economy. A statistic estimates that over 50% of the mines have rebel groups stationed in them. Money earned from the sale of conflict minerals is used for personal profit and to create more violence. Minerals are smuggled out of Congo through neighboring countries, then sold to smelters around the world for refinement. Once minerals are processed in this way, it’s difficult to trace their origin. Conflict minerals easily make their way to the U.S. and all over the world in consumer products. Companies need these minerals for as cheap as they can get them. There is no clear solution to the problem, and the issue could go on for decades. The country is weak and corrupted with no where to turn. The alleged Government has worked with the rebels, trying to get whatever money they can, even if it means their own citizens being slaughtered and forced to work. There are no good guy or bad guys, nothing is in black or white, just a murky shade of gray. The entire country is just trying to do whatever it can to survive.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, fourth largest nation and second largest country in Africa, has many different kinds of natural resources such as diamond, copper, petroleum and stunning landscapes. Moreover; their laws state that women and men enjoy the same rights; they are not forced to get married, both have the right to vote and contribute in the economy. However, in reality because of the cultural traditions which indicate that men are the households and women have to obey and must take permission from their husband or their father before taking any action outside the house, women are not allowed to be involved in any meetings or own any business; they are only allowed to work. Their unequal but peaceful life; however, does not last. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been going through a civil war since the 1960s. Congo's natural and valuable resources and the government's weak ability to control the territory, the people and the army caused a rebel. Terrorists in military uniform selling the country's wealth to companies worldwide and keeping the profits to themselves; in addition to raping women daily to spread terror and keep the government under fear. Men who rape and treat women as sexual slaves are criminals for sure, but the UN organization is to be blamed too.
The Congo or the Democratic Republic of Congo is a country in Western Africa. This country acts as habitat for a range of animals and wildlife, such as indigenous plants. While rural, the Congo holds a great beauty in its simplicity and natural features. The Congo also is a home for a diverse population of people leading towards a open and enticing culture. The most interesting and important aspects of the Congo country is the languages, location/geography and economy, government, society, and overall the unique culture in Congo.
In Africa there have been many wars and problems with poverty as well as famine that lead to war. One specific war was the civil war in Congo also known as The Great War of Africa. The war in Congo lasted from August 1998 to July 2003 and left thousands of people dead or injured. The war started because of issues in the DRC which stands for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war was a long and terrifying war that ended when the transitional government of Democratic Republic of Congo took power. Africas unfriendliness has continued with the Lords Resistance Army Insurgencies and The Kivu as well as Ituri conflicts. The civil war in congo has made a huge impact on the people of africa and how they live today.
...the Congo are found in the Belgian interference in the rewriting of the Constitution, the placement of Belgian leaders around Lumumba, the U.N.’s corrupt military missions, and finally the intrusion of a multitude of nations leading to the death of Lumumba. The assassination of Patrice Lumumba and events leading up to it show how a country’s government can be destroyed by third-party intervention. Foreign meddling in the Congo, as a result of Cold War tensions and colonialism lead the country towards political turmoil.
The cornucopia of the Congo’s available natural resources comes with a heavy burden to its native people. Time after time, the indigenous people of the Congo, fall victim to exploitation, enslavement, and treachery spurred on by competition for the raw materials of the land.