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A journey into the most savage war in the world

Since the outbreak of conflict in the Congo, the War there has involved armies from 8 different African countries and has claimed the lives of over 4 million people. In this article, initially published in the Independent Newspaper, English journalist Johann Hari travels to the Congo and details the horrors of the conflict. He also explains how the conflict is driven by the developed world's consumption of resources from the region.

http://www.johannhari.com/archive/article.php?id=863

(Added: Mon May 08 2006   Hits: 188)

Congo's Elections: Making or Breaking the Peace

The Congo's first free elections in 40 years should be a major step toward ending the country's long conflict, but any missteps could disrupt the fragile peace. The election date, already postponed five times, is still uncertain. There is potential for electoral fraud, parties are relatively weak, and the main opposition group plans to boycott. The most immediate threat to stability comes from the east where the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) stands to lose most of its influence and could try to fuel chaos in hopes of undermining the polls. Disenfranchised politicians elsewhere might also challenge the results violently if the elections are not fair and inclusive. The international community and the transitional government must ensure there is adequate monitoring of the whole process, or the Congolese will suffer the consequences for years. (International Crisis Group, 27 April 2006)

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4081&l=1

(Added: Wed May 03 2006   Modified: Thu Jul 13 2006   Hits: 221)

"The War The World Ignores": A Look at War-Devastated Congo & The Country's First Multi-Party Elections in 45 Years

Amy Goodman speaks with Alexis Motunda, national secretary for Congo's main opposition party, as well as to journalist Johann Hari of the UK Independent, and the Congo Education Council's Tshimanga John Metzel. The human suffering in Congo is of a scale not seen since the second world war, and far from being a tribal war, it is a trail of blood that leads directly back to the West. Doubt is cast on the fairness of the recent elections. (Democracy Now, 7 August 2006)

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/07/1436229

(Added: Tue Aug 08 2006   Hits: 67)

A Glittering Demon: Mining, Poverty and Politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This article by Michael Deibert provides a relatively in depth overview of mining companies operating in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In particular it focuses on AngloGold Ashanti, one of the regions largest mining companies with contacts in government, communities and the many militias that ravaged the DRC's eastern provinces.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15118

(Added: Mon Jun 30 2008   Hits: 21)

A Tale of Two Genocides, Congo and Darfur: The Blatantly Inconsistent U.S. Position

As many as five million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A quarter million or so have perished in Darfur, western Sudan. Both are abominations, genocides, crimes against humanity, but only Darfur rates coverage in the U.S. corporate media, action by the United States on the diplomatic and military front, or concerted interest by the Congressional Black Caucus. The Congolese genocide, triggered directly by the U.S. and its surrogates, is masked in silence. In Darfur, "Arabs" who are indistinguishable from their Black African Muslim neighbors are demonized as enemies in the "clash of civilizations." (Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report, 18 July 2007).

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=284&Itemid=37

(Added: Fri Jul 20 2007   Hits: 101)

Beyond Victimhood: Women's Peacebuilding in Sudan, Congo and Uganda

Countries in crisis and the wider international community must do much more to support women's involvement in solving Africa's deadliest conflicts. In Sudan, Congo and Uganda, an array of women's organisations and leaders are doing remarkable work, under difficult circumstances, especially in community organisations and informal conflict resolution mechanisms. Still, women remain marginalised in formal peace processes and post-conflict governments. Donors and others in the international community all need to do much more to offer sustainable support rather than just rhetoric. It is not merely a question of fairness or equity: women make a difference in part because they often adopt a more inclusive approach toward security and address key social and economic issues that would otherwise be ignored. Peace agreements, post-conflict reconstruction and governance work better when women peace activists are involved. (International Crisis Group, 28 June 2006)

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=4185

(Added: Thu Jun 29 2006   Modified: Thu Jul 13 2006   Hits: 288)

CONGO CASE STUDY: Aimerance, girl soldier

After two years as a child soldier in Democratic Republic of Congo, being forced to fire a gun and have sex whenever the men wanted, Aimerance is back with her family in the eastern province of South Kivu. The conflict in Congo has claimed 3.9 million lives from violence, war-related hunger and disease since 1998, even though the war officially ended in 2003. (Alertnet, 7 July, 2006)

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/115253071355.htm

(Added: Wed Jul 12 2006   Modified: Thu Jul 13 2006   Hits: 94)

Congo: an everyday story of horror and grief

KINSHASA, July 24, 2002 -- Glinting orange through the green creepers, the Kombi family's mud-hut is barely visible now. Alphonse Kombi was murdered by militiamen in February. His wife, Bimosa, watched them eat his heart before they raped her, neighbours say. The trauma drove her insane. This is not an unusual story in eastern Congo, the last battlefield of the world's biggest war. Of nearly 100 people interviewed in Shabunda and the towns of Bunyakiri, Walungu and Uvira, virtually all had seen at least one close relative murdered in the past two years. Last year, the International Rescue Committee, an American aid agency, estimated that 2.5 million people had died because of the war in eastern Congo alone. In September, it will officially update the figure; but already it is predicting a death toll well above three million.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,,765628,00.html

(Added: Fri Aug 02 2002   Modified: Fri Aug 25 2006   Hits: 157)

CrisisWatch N°36, 1 August 2006

In 36 months of publishing CrisisWatch, the International Crisis Group has not recorded such severe deteriorations in so many conflict situations as in the past month. The Middle East erupted with full-scale conflict between Israel and Hizbollah in south Lebanon, and there was a major escalation in Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Insecurity and sectarian violence surged in Iraq, claiming over 100 civilian lives daily. Somalia sits on the brink of all-out civil war, which is drawing in the wider region: Ethiopian troops entered Somalia to support the transitional federal government, and Eritrea is arming the opposing Union of Islamic Courts. In Sudan, implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement was at a standstill, with rebels split, and fighting, over the agreement. The Mumbai bombings that killed over 200 had wider implications for the normalisation process between India and Pakistan. Tensions rose dramatically on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang fired seven test missiles. The situation also deteriorated in Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire and Haiti. Four situations showed improvement in July 2006: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Timor-Leste, and Cyprus. (ICG, 1 August 2006)

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=4296

(Added: Wed Aug 02 2006   Hits: 112)

DRC-RWANDA: Putting the past behind them - former child soldiers prepare to go home

UN estimates say tens of thousands of children have been abducted and forcibly recruited into various armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (12 November 2007).

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75258

(Added: Fri Nov 23 2007   Hits: 57)

DRC: Children at war, creating hope for the future

One of the most disturbing features of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been the widespread and systematic use of children aged under 18 as fighters, porters, domestic servants or sexual possessions by government forces and armed groups. It is estimated that at least 30,000(1) children were attached to the armed forces and armed groups in the conflict zones of eastern DRC, constituting up to 40 per cent of some forces. More than two years after the official launch of the national demobilisation plan in July 2004, at least 11,000 children are still with the armed forces or groups, or are otherwise unaccounted for. In particular, large numbers of girls are missing. No efforts have been made by the DRC government to trace, recover and assist these lost children. To date, little government effort and resources have been put into the reintegration of released children. In areas of eastern DRC where insecurity persists, other children continue to be recruited, including some who had only recently been demobilised and who are especially vulnerable to re-recruitment. (Amnesty International, 11 October 2006)

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR620172006?open&of=ENG-COD

(Added: Thu Oct 12 2006   Hits: 77)

DRC: Conflict causes state of permanent displacement

Intermittent clashes and frequent attacks on civilians by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have created a state of permanent displacement in the volatile central African country, an official of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said (IRIN, 13 June 2007).

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72700

(Added: Fri Jun 15 2007   Hits: 71)

DRC: Rape cases up by 60 percent in North Kivu - UNHCR

A total of 351 cases of rape were reported in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), representing a 60 percent increase from August, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on 11 October (IRIN, 12 October 2007).

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74767

(Added: Mon Oct 15 2007   Hits: 50)

East DR Congo peace deal 'agreed'

Talks on the future of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are coming to an end, with a peace deal expected to be signed on the 22nd January (BBC, 21 January 2008).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7199412.stm

(Added: Tue Jan 22 2008   Hits: 10)

Local Business, Local Peace: the Peacebuilding Potential of the Domestic Private Sector

This publication highlights the domestic private sector's often overlooked peacebuilding potential. Developed and researched with partner organisations and business people from conflict-affected countries around the world, it presents more than 20 case studies where private sector actors have taken proactive steps to address violent conflict: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Colombia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel and Palestine, Kosovo, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Caucasus and Sri Lanka. In addition, the publication highlights businesses' efforts to support formal peace processes; to address issues in the economic sphere; to build bridges between divided communities and groups; to alleviate security concerns; as well as the special role of women entrepreneurs. (International Alert, July 2006)

http://www.international-alert.org/our_work/themes/LBLP.php

(Added: Mon Sep 11 2006   Hits: 217)

Mid-Term Evaluation of Search for Common Ground (Centre Lokolé) "Supporting Congo's Transition Towards Sustainable Peace" Programme in Democrat

This report documents a mid-term output-to-purpose review to assess Search for Common Ground (SFCG)'s "Supporting Congo's Transition towards Sustainable Peace" programme, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). (14/11/07)

http://www.comminit.com/en/node/72302

(Added: Thu Nov 15 2007   Hits: 14)

Never Again is Happening Right Now in the Congo

By Jocelyn Hellig, In many parts of the developing world, fistulas are caused by complications during childbirth. However, in the eastern Congo, they are caused by violent rape. Some estimate that at least 40,000 women have been raped in the past six years. As the world already witnessed during the conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda, fierce ethnic rivalries have led to the widespread use of rape as a weapon of war, as factions seek not only victory, but also the total annihilation of their enemies. To call the Democratic Republic of Congo a "forgotten crisis" does little justice to what's happening there. It only serves to point fingers at those of us who have forgotten it. In human terms, it's the most severe of the world's human disasters. Over 4 million people have died in the last ten years from a horribly devastating cocktail of civil war, starvation and disease. But somehow, maybe due to the complexity of the situation, its duration, and an alphabet soup of warring factions, the Congo remains on the back burner of world humanitarian efforts.

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/251/never-again-is-happening-right-now-in-the-congo

(Added: Tue Jul 22 2003   Modified: Thu Sep 21 2006   Hits: 136)

Return of mining brings hope of peace and prosperity to ravaged Congo

An international scramble for the minerals of the Congo is under way, prompted by the end of the war and an imminent election. With copper prices at record highs, fuelled by demand in India and China, companies are competing to rehabilitate derelict sites. Billions of dollars will be made. The question is whether the boom will benefit the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where decades of misrule and conflict have left millions poor, malnourished and sick. (Rory Carroll, Guardian , 5 July 2006)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,,1812843,00.html

(Added: Fri Jul 07 2006   Hits: 82)

Rush and Ruin-The Devastating Mineral Trade in Southern Katanga, DRC (pdf)

Global Witness, September 2004. This Report Exposes the dynamics of the rush to exploit cobalt and copper in Katanga (south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)), and how the illicit trade in these minerals is contributing to the ruin of the DRC's economy, the environment and the livelihoods of thousands of Congolese people. There is currently a "cobalt rush" occurring in Katanga caused by record-high international cobalt prices but there is little indication this dramatic rise in trade has had any benefit to the DRC economy or the Katangan province.

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/natres/minerals/2004/09rushruin.pdf

(Added: Thu Oct 07 2004   Modified: Thu Feb 08 2007   Hits: 176)

Same Old Story

Global Witness, June 2004. A background study on natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This report marks the beginning of an extensive project that will examine natural resource governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_get.php/193/Same%20Old%20Story%20Global%20Witness%20DRC%20Report%20release%20date%206%20July%202004.pdf

(Added: Thu Aug 26 2004   Modified: Thu Feb 08 2007   Hits: 175)

Separating ex-combatants and refugees in Zongo, DRC: peacekeepers and UNHCR's "ladder of options" (PDF)

Lisa Yu, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, 'New Issues In Refugee Research', Working Paper No. 60. This case study highlights the imperative of preserving the humanitarian nature of refugee camps and explores the legal and operational dilemmas that arise from attempts to do so. It examines whether peacekeepers can or should be used in this type of operation, concluding that while Zongo should be considered a success, the lessons to be gleaned are piecemeal. (PDF-403KB)

http://www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/3d57a9ef4.pdf

(Added: Thu Oct 16 2003   Modified: Wed Jan 10 2007   Hits: 169)

Struggling to survive: children in armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (pdf)

In 2006, DRC continues to endure the world's deadliest humanitarian crisis, with more than 38,000 people dying every month as direct and indirect consequences of the armed conflict. Approximately 45 percent of these deaths occur among children under age 18. In addition, children are targets of human rights violations committed by armed forces and groups on a daily basis. Despite outward signs of progress in DRC, such as the creation of a power-sharing transitional government, the presence of the United Nations' largest peacekeeping operation and billions of dollars granted by donors for postconflict reconstruction, children are subject to killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abduction, denial of humanitarian assistance, attacks on schools and recruitment and use of children. In addition, various other violations, such as forced displacement and torture, also continue to be committed against children and their families. (Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, April 2006)

http://www.watchlist.org/reports/dr_congo.php

(Added: Thu May 18 2006   Modified: Wed Feb 14 2007   Hits: 88)

The call for tough arms controls: Voices from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has cost millions of lives. Hundreds of thousands of people have been shot dead. Millions have died from the indirect consequences of war. What the figures do not reveal is the personal suffering of individual people, families, and villages. That is why in November 2005 the Control Arms campaign interviewed some of those who have suffered. In 2006, beginning in January, a series of debates on disarmament are due to take place at the United Nations. There will be technical arguments and diplomatic negotiations. The purpose of this report is to add to these discussions the voices of at least some of the people who bear the cost of the world's continuing failure to control the arms trade.

http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/briefingnotes/doc_controlarms_drc_060109

(Added: Tue Feb 07 2006   Modified: Thu Sep 07 2006   Hits: 143)

The Kilwa Appeal - A Travesty of Justice

The Kilwa trial, which opened before a military court in December 2006, concerned a massacre in October 2004 in which at least 73 civilians were killed by soldiers of the 62nd Brigade of the Congolese Armed Forces, with logistical support from the Australian/Canadian mining company, Anvil Mining.

http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/644/en/the_kilwa_appeal_a_travesty_of_justice

(Added: Wed May 28 2008   Hits: 7)

The UN's 2006 List: Ten things the world should hear more about

Every year, the U.N.'s Department of Public Information unveils its list of the world's 10 most under-reported stories. Those for 2006 are as follows. Liberia: Development challenges top agenda as the nation recovers from years of civil strife. Lost in migration: Asylum seekers face challenges amid efforts to stem flows of illegal migrants. DR of Congo: As the country moves boldly towards historic vote, humanitarian concerns continue to demand attention. Nepal's hidden tragedy: Children caught in the conflict. Somalia: Security vacuum compounding effects of drought. Protracted refugee situations: Millions caught in limbo, with no solutions in sight. South Asian earthquake: Relief effort saves lives, stems losses, but reconstruction tasks loom large. Behind bars, beyond justice: An untold story of children in conflict with the law. From water wars to bridges of cooperation: Exploring the peace-building potential of a shared resource. Cote d'Ivoire: A strike away from igniting violence amidst a faltering peace process. (UN, 15 May 2006)

http://www0.un.org/events/tenstories/

(Added: Fri May 19 2006   Modified: Fri Sep 01 2006   Hits: 351)

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