Also see (about women in conflict in Congo and Africa)
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is experiencing the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crises. Although the country emerged in 2003 from what has been called “Africa’s first world war” … or as TIME called it, “The Deadliest War in the World” — (some 3 or 4 million dead) when the former warring belligerents came together to form a transitional government, credible mortality studies estimate that over 1,000 people continue to die each day from conflict-related causes, mostly disease and malnutrition but ongoing violence as well. Six out of ten children die before their fifth birthday. Rampant corruption within the transitional government and pervasive state weakness allows members of the national army and members of armed groups alike to perpetrate abuses against civilians. With the help of the world’s largest and most expensive peacekeeping operation, MONUC, the country overcame major logistic and political challenges to hold its first free and fair elections in 40 years in July 2006. However, the country faces continued challenges including the creation or recreation of state institutions that are accountable to the Congolese people and the construction of a integrated and professional army that protects civilians rather than abuses them.
Need to see a map?
Useful background sources about Congo …
- The UK newspaper The Guardian has first-rate reports
- As usual, the good people at Wikipedia provide a helpful starting point
- You don’t have to be spooky to check out the CIA Factbook
- African Action has been agitating for Africa for more than half a century, through many name changes for the Democratic Republic of Congo
- The UN Development Program’s human development report gives a picture of life in Congo
Congo’s Resource Curse…one of the reasons for continued violence and instability is the vast amount of mineral resources available for the plundering. Coltan, in particular, is valuable because it is responsible for the miniaturization of batteries in cell phones, laptops, and other electronics.
- War, Murder, Rape. . . All For Your Cell Phone is an eye opening article for the informed consumer about the impact of Coltan mining in Congo and ways we can reduce it.
- IMF sees rapid growth in Congo minerals output explains a recent report about mining in Congo and gives the names of several companies invested in these resources.
Breaking News Stories about Congo …
Recent Provocative Articles about Congo …
- State of Emergency: The slaughter of four endangered mountain gorillas in war-ravaged Congo sparks conservationist action.
- Double-Cross in the Congo: A review of The Mission Songby John le Carre
- Time was that the g-word was unpronounceable by critics on the right or left. It is a measure of how much the world has changed since September 11, 2001, that the prospect of genocide shocks neither.
- Since last year’s historic elections, political and economic progress in Congo has stalled, while war drums are rumbling in the country’s east.
Books about Congo, Recent & Classic …
- Osita Afoaku, Explaining the Failure of Democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Autocracy and Dissent in an Ambivalent World
- Didier Gondola, The History of Congo
- Adam Hochschild, King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
- Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
- Michela Wrong, In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu’s Congo
Important National & International Organizations …
- Friends of the Congo
- International Rescue Committee
- www.congowatch.blogspot.com
- Handup Congo
- Women for Women International focuses on Congo, among other countries
Relief Web contains a section on maps, updates on countries and humanitarian situations, and policy briefings.
Get involved with Hoosier Groups making a difference …
- Bloomington-based Giving Back Africaprovides education opportunities for groups of Congolese students to meet identifiable needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- Indianapolis-based Congo Helping Handsis a non-profit Christian organization that works in partnership to improve the quality of life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through human development in health, education, agriculture, and microecomonics.
Local Experts who will be happy to tell you more …
- IUPUI History Professor Didier Gondola
- Louis Calli and Ann Marie Thomson established Giving Back Africa
- Woody Collins of Congo Helping Hands
- Osita Afoaku, director of outreach at IU�s African Studies program
- Faustin N’tala and Euphrasie N’tala are both from the DRC
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Background/News Articles
“Rape Epidemic Raises Trauma of Congo War”
“Not Women Anymore” (article contains a good brief summary of the history of conflict in the DRC)
A list of links to articles, books, websites, groups
Recent articles
“Rape, forced labor, reprisal attacks and torture surge in eastern Congo” http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2009-07-14/rape-torture-surge-in-eastern-congo
“Rapes Soar in Eastern Congo’s Culture of Impunity”
Interview with a soldier (April 30, 2009)
Research Report From Human Rights Watch, 2002
“Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone” (July 16, 2009)
A summary of recent events: “Waking the devil: the impact of forced disarmament on civilians in the Kivus” http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/drc-waking-the-devil or
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bn-waking-the-devi-drc-0907.pdf
Opinion/What Should We Do?
“There Is No Congo” (March 2009):
As of March 2008, what the U.S. is doing and recommendations on what it should be doing:
“Panel Decries Neglect of Sexual Violence in Congo”
Books
- Sites of Violence: Gender and Conflict Zones
- The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth, and Reality
- King Leopold’s Ghost
- The Dynamics of Violence in Central Africa
- On a more general note, Women and Violence
Groups
The Panzi Hospital is run by PMU Interlife, the Swedish Pentecostal Mission, the sole funder for the hospital; they promise to channel all specified donations directly to Panzi: Box 4093
SE-141 04
Huddinge, Sweden
e-mail info@spm.nu
(link from the Ms. Magazine article)
Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo http://www.rdcviolencesexuelle.org/site/en/node/35
V-DAY: joint campaign with UNICEF called “Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to Women and Girls of DRC” http://www.vday.org/drcongo
Women for Women International http://www.womenforwomen.org/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo.php
