Congo- Africa's deadliest War that I bet you didn't even know about it...

It hurts me to read about the ongoing conflicts that transpire in Democratic Republic of Congo. To date Democratic Republic of Congo has been noted as being the place of the deadest conflict in world history behind World War II. Since 1998 a reported 5.4 million people have died in wars, conflicts, and disease and starvation. Although the war is technically over thousands continue to die daily due to the control of Congo’s vast mineral wealth. The media never talks about the Conflicts in Congo, this may be because of a few reason that myself and others have researched and came up with.

·         Reason #1-After record growth in the 1950s, a series of internationally orchestrated local conflicts have kept Africa right where the US can manage it without becoming threatened (Walters, 2008).  Moreover Between 1960 and 1974, there were nine coups and seven major conflicts in Africa, including Ghana, Uganda, Angola, and the Congo. According to Apocalypse Africa, all the coups between 1956 and today have involved the US in some capacity. The US has been known to supply weapons or money to both sides of the conflicts, in order to foster instability and dependence on American wealth (Walters, 2008).  Supposedly, the African bureau of the Department of State looked the other way as Uganda’s notorious despot Idi Amin led the murder of 300,000 of his citizens. John Stockwell, a former CIA chief and member of the Angola Task Force, explains “The CIA maintains prepackaged stocks of foreign-made weapons for instant shipment anywhere in the world.”  With those reserves, our government can influence conflicts without obvious culpability (Walters, 2008)

·         Reason 2 Congo currently holds the world’s largest reserves of Colton and cassiterite. In the coltan mining industry, Children are forced to work for pennies a day to produce Colton, a mineral used to make cell phones, video games, and laptops. DR Congo currently holds 80% of the world’s reserve of Coltan that sells over $400.00 per pound. Congo mineral war has led to the death of over 4 million people. Congo holds 80% of the worlds’ Coltan reserves, historically, the U.S. government identified sources of materials in Third World countries, and then encouraged U.S. corporations to invest in and facilitate their production. Dating back to the mid-1960s, the U.S. government literally installed the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, which gave U.S. corporations access to the Congo’s minerals for more than 30 years

·          Reason 3- In 1998, U.S. military-trained leaders of Rwanda and Uganda invaded the mineral-rich areas of the Congo. The invaders installed illegal colonial-style governments which continue to receive millions of dollars in arms and military training from the United States. Our government and a $5 million Citibank loan keeps the rebel presence in the Congo. Their control of mineral rich areas allows western corporations, such as American Mineral Fields, to illegally mine. Rwandan and Ugandan control over this area is beneficial for both governments and for the corporations that continue to exploit the Congo’s natural wealth (Ray).

·     Reason 4- The UN had a strong presence in DR Congo since the beginning of the civil wars that claimed the lives of over four million people. Unfortunately their intensions were not always the best. In 2004 a major scandal book out involving UN peacekeepers rapping young children and women in Congo. In 2005 a classified United Nations report prompted Secretary General Kofi Annan to admit that U.N. peacekeepers and staff have sexually abused or exploited war refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The worst of the 150 or so allegations of misconduct--some of them captured on videotape--include pedophilia, rape, and prostitution. U.N. report found "widespread" evidence of sexual abuse of West African refugees (Loconte, 2005).  Allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct by U.N. staff stretch back at least a decade, to operations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. A 2001 report, released by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children, found that sexual violence against refugees in West Africa was endemic (Loconte, 2005).  Most of the sexual abuse and exploitation, says the report, involves trading sex for money, food or jobs. However, some victims say they were raped, but later given food or money to make the incident appear to have been consensual – "rape disguised as prostitution” (Loconte, 2005).

             Walters, D. (Director). (2008). Apocalypse Africa: Made in America [Motion Picture].

Ray, E. (n.d.). American Companies Exploit the Congo. Retrieved 04 16, 2011, from Project Censored: http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/19-american-companies-exploit-the-congo/

Loconte, J. (2005, 01 03). The U.N. Sex Scandal. Retrieved 04 17, 2011, from The Weekly Standard : http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/081zxelz.asp

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