WHERE / AFRICA / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO /

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been ravaged for decades by the deadliest conflict since the Second World War. Since 1998, an estimated 5.4 million people have lost their lives and about 2 million have been internally displaced. Despite various peace negotiations and agreements, fighting continues in the region, with sexual violence and rape being used as weapons of war. This is a war of resources, ethnic tensions, and cross-border disputes, with much overflow of rebel groups from Rwanda and Uganda in eastern DR Congo.

The United States, along with the United Kingdom, have been linked to the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Prime Minister after independence. They then provided support for Mobutu SeseSeko, who corruptly ruled the nation forover three decades. Currently, the US is the largest donor to the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO), contributing almost one-third of the $1 billion annual budget. The US Department of State boasts strong relations with the DRC; on her first trip to Africa in 2009, Secretary of State Clinton not only went to the DRC capital Kinshasa, but also visited Goma in the eastern DRC, where much of the conflict occurs today.

TransAfrica is working on a women’s campaign in the region to bring awareness to this ongoing and often overlooked issue. Women and children are among the most vulnerable and targeted population, and while the larger conflict must be resolved and a transition to peace must be promoted, protecting women and children during that process is a high priority.