The Democratic Republic of Congo is already among the world's most troubled countries. Now, an uprising threatens 'humanitarian catastrophe', yet the media's gaze has hardly flickered.
Congo rebellion probes old and terrible wounds
The Democratic Republic of Congo is already among the world's most troubled countries. Now, an uprising threatens 'humanitarian catastrophe', yet the media's gaze has hardly flickered.
<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="heart-of-darkness"><strong>Heart of darkness</strong></h2>
While images of carnage in Gaza filled the world's media, another conflict was flaring up ominously in an even more troubled country: the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the war-torn eastern provincesThe beautiful volcanic provinces of North and South Kivu, which lie on either bank the huge Lake Kivu, are where violence in the Congo is centred. Over the border in Rwanda they have a saying: 'where logic ends, the Congo begins.' of this vast Central African nation, a group of generals gathered an army and invaded the city of Goma. Now they threaten to march west.
The M23 Group are of a band of soldiers from the Tutsi minority who once formed a powerful rebel militia. Their generals claim that the government has gone back on the agreements made when they were integrated into the national army. But analysts suspect that the uprising is masterminded by Paul KagameKagame, a Tutsi who came to power following the Rwandan Genocide, is a divisive figure in the West: though Rwanda has prospered under his rule, his methods are increasingly authoritarian., president of neighbouring Rwanda.
According to Oxfam, the conflict has already displaced 120,000 people. In the seething refugee camps, there is a risk that diseases like choleraA dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water. will spread. This is 'humanitarian catastrophe on a massive scale'.
Why are these disturbing events making so few headlines? The depressing answer is that for many people, tragedy in the Congo does not qualify as news.
The Congo's horrors began in 1885 when King Leopold II of Belgium seized the entire region as his personal domain. Convincing observers that his motives were philanthropic, he set to work stripping the Congo of its rich resourcesThe DRC is a classic victim of the 'resource curse': instead of benefitting the country, its abundant riches have attracted endless exploitation and conflict. The Congolese people have reaped few of their benefits..
The population effectively became slaves. If they failed to gather enough ivory and rubber to enrich their European masters, they faced mutilation or death. Up to 30 million people were killed in one of the worst atrocities in human history.
The Congo won independence in 1960. But by 1965 US-backed army chief President Mobutu had installed a dictatorship. He ruled by stealing from his own people on such an astronomical scale that he became the world's fifth richest person.
When Mobutu was deposed, neighbouring countries waded into internal disputes, and the nation became the hub of an all-consuming regional war. Between 1998 and 2003, 5.4 million people died - the deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Today, there are sprouts of hope: elections have been held, and parts of the country are developing. But in the Kivu provinces where the M23 uprising is based, the old troubles rumble on.
Faced with such a horrendous history, it is understandable that much of the foreign media is weary of tragedies in this faraway nation. Indeed, they say, it is more newsworthy when the Congo is not in the throes of some unspeakable horror.
If catastrophe in the DRC is natural and eternal, its blighted population are condemned to misery. But the Congolese people are struggling for a better future, object activists, and the international media must stand with them. This crisis means as much as those in other parts of the world, and like them it can be overcome.
Eastern provinces - The beautiful volcanic provinces of North and South Kivu, which lie on either bank the huge Lake Kivu, are where violence in the Congo is centred. Over the border in Rwanda they have a saying: 'where logic ends, the Congo begins.'
Paul Kagame - Kagame, a Tutsi who came to power following the Rwandan Genocide, is a divisive figure in the West: though Rwanda has prospered under his rule, his methods are increasingly authoritarian.
Cholera - A dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water.
Rich resources - The DRC is a classic victim of the 'resource curse': instead of benefitting the country, its abundant riches have attracted endless exploitation and conflict. The Congolese people have reaped few of their benefits.
Congo rebellion probes old and terrible wounds
Glossary
Eastern provinces - The beautiful volcanic provinces of North and South Kivu, which lie on either bank the huge Lake Kivu, are where violence in the Congo is centred. Over the border in Rwanda they have a saying: 'where logic ends, the Congo begins.'
Paul Kagame - Kagame, a Tutsi who came to power following the Rwandan Genocide, is a divisive figure in the West: though Rwanda has prospered under his rule, his methods are increasingly authoritarian.
Cholera - A dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water.
Rich resources - The DRC is a classic victim of the 'resource curse': instead of benefitting the country, its abundant riches have attracted endless exploitation and conflict. The Congolese people have reaped few of their benefits.