I'm sure you are watching things fall apart in Democratic Republic of Congo. I am anxiously eying the news daily for new reports, as my plans to do an internship in Goma slowly fall apart with the country. I don't have much to add except on a note of emphasis, as my supervisor for my recent long paper recently advised me. The media continues to perpetuate 'ethnic tension' as the root of all evil here and I'd just like to add a touch of reality to this representation. "Hutu" and "Tutsi" get tossed around regularly in the media as if it explains all this inhumane violence in a post-Rwandan-genocide world, but I must say that I think these words are masks, an attempt to legitmate actions which actually have nothing to do with ethnic identity or security. What it really comes down is control of resources, and the only reason these conflicts continue is becuase it is so damn profitable for those who continue to fight.
Although the companies buying cassiterite (tin ore), gold and coltan (along with other minerals) from the DRC may claim ingnorance--they don't know where the materials are coming from or who extracted them, etc, etc--it is inexcusable. They not only implicate themselves in atrocious violence against hundreds of thousands of human beings by not finding out who they are buying from or where they got it, but they implicate you and I further down that glorious chain of globalisation. By purchasing these minerals that have been illegally extracted by various politcal causes they fund the purchase of weapons and power that make it possible for Laurent Nkunda's CNDP to send the national military fleeing into the bush behind thousands of terrified refugees. I don't have information now on what companies are purchasing minerals from DRC, and I'm now sure how accesible it is, but if I can find it I will let you know so you can boycott them and thier products. Meanwhile, keep your own eyes and ears open! (And check out The Better World Handbook for practical ways to lead a more socially responsible life)
And what of the politicians? The DRC blames Rwanda for supporting Nkunda's forces--who claim to be protecting Tutsi's--while Rwanda criticises the DRC for not rooting out Hutu forces responsible for the genocide in Rwanda. Who will step in to say stop all this useless fingerpointing and just deal with the issues?! The UN? While Ban ki Moon wanders about asking Kabila and Kagami to come together, Nkunda is asking for direct negotiations (and apparently being ignored), and the UN's MUNOC is begging for reinforcement to enact their mandate to "enforce peace" (also seemingly being ignored). Fighting ceased on Wednesday (29 Oct) when Nkunda declared a ceasefire just outside of Goma. How long it lasts is entirely dependant on whether the politicians can get their acts together and face the problem honestly and responsibly.
As the U.S. is on the verge of a critical election, the people of DRC are on the verge of utter destruction. Who we choose to lead our country will not just impact the U.S., it will impact Africa and the DRC: who do you think will make a stand for the homeless and traumatised men, women and children lost in the no-mans-land between peace and war, safety and death?
