Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Wanted -- Young Boys

Rebel groups visit schools to abduct young boys to be soldiers.  

Commentary: War is stealing Congo's young - CNN.com.

From a village close to Rutshuru in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they had fled an attack by the rebel group, the CNDP, led by a renegade general, Laurent Nkunda. Jean said they were at school when the rebels came. The men with guns marched the boys outside and ordered them to file into a line.

"We were so scared," said Jean, "we ran into the bush."  Adamant that they did not want to fight, that they did not want to become soldiers, Jean explained how they had to hide themselves in the forest to escape being abducted. Many of their friends, though, were taken.

Can We Work with China for Peace in Africa?

It's a New Day!  We have the opportunity to work with China versus being a China-hater.

China has invested heavily in both Congo and Sudan.  Two countries with vast mineral resources needed by China, the US, and other developing countries.  But these two countries are African's most unstable countries.  These countries are humanitarian disasters.

Can the common goal of "peace" provide the opportunity for the US and China to work together? 

Obama's Opportunity to Help Africa - WSJ.com.

Given the daunting challenges before him, it would be unsurprising if bringing peace to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo was not at the top of Barack Obama's list of early priorities. But it should be. Not only because Sudan and Congo are the two deadliest wars in the world, but because they are wars that the Obama administration could actually help end.

Rahm Emanuel, the newly minted White House chief of staff, recently reminded us that in the midst of crisis, there is great opportunity. For Congo and Sudan, we see three big reasons for hope.

The first is China. Because of China's nearly $9 billion investment in the oil sector in Sudan, and recent $5 billion deal for Congolese minerals, China increasingly has a vested interest in peace and stability in these two countries. President Obama could send a powerful message and take a meaningful step by sending a high-level envoy to Beijing, early in his first 100 days, to explore ways to work together to help bring peace to these African countries. With all that divides the U.S. and China, these are issues we can and should unite on.

"Whatever it takes to stop the suffering"

I wish I knew what it takes to stop the suffering in Congo.  Below is my answer to question, what can I do to stop the suffering in eastern Congo.

I understand your desire to act and to make some positive impact.

I am struggling for a better response to the situation in eastern Congo. At this point, I am trying to make as many people as possible aware of the situation and plight of women and children in Congo especially eastern Congo. Also, this involves contacting my elected officials, and my church leadership.

I hope to do some tangible acts in eastern Congo when the conditions stabilize when it is peaceful.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Woody M. Collins

President

Congo Helping Hands

"Strengthening the Heart of Africa"

A Original Letter Received via the Congo Helping Hands' website.

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been impacted by what is happening in Congo right now. All of the articles and videos that I have seen have made me feel an obligation to help the refugees of Congo, especially the women and the children.

What can I do? I am willing to do whatever it takes to stop the suffering that is going on there. As a mother of a young child, I can not stand quiet while there are children in that country suffering from violence, hunger, and so much more.

Thank you for listening. Hope to hear from you soon.

You Should Take the Next 15 Minutes and Make a Difference!

In just 15 minutes, you can make a difference in the world.  You will feel good and probably save a life, too.  Here's how to spend your 15 minutes:

1.  Take 11 minutes and view the following video.

2.  Take 3 minutes and decide what you are going to do in response to the video.  Here are some suggestions:

  a.  Write to your elected officials.  Tell them that the Congolese people matter to you and you want the them to help stop the war in eastern Congo.

  b.  Support one of the humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) operating in eastern Congo.  For example, Doctors without Borders (MSF) who distributed the video.

  c.  Educate yourself about the war in eastern Congo AND spread the word to others.

  d.  Write to your cell/mobile phone manufacturer and tell them to use conflict-free coltan and other minerals in their processes.  Also, you can include manufacturers of laptops, game boys, playstations, and walkmans.

3.  Take one minute and decide who you are going tell about your actions.  Encourage them to do the same.

Feature from MSF:

Hundreds of thousands of people are on the run, fleeing a war raging in eastern Congo in the provinces of North and South Kivu. They are frightened. Many are sick or wounded. Others have been harassed or raped, or have had everything they own stolen.

For more than a decade, several armed groups and the army have been fighting each other in the Kivus. The violence has made it impossible for people to lead normal lives. Life isn’t just hard in the Kivus: this region is in critical condition. And things aren’t getting any better. The destiny of everyone in this region of Congo is shaped by the war. The story of their struggle to survive needs to be told.

Condition: Critical will be regularly updated by MSF over the coming year with new eyewitness accounts, photos and video of people living through the crisis in eastern Congo.

A New Mayor Takes Over Without an Election

Armed rebel groups are establishing "rebel" governments.  Armed rebel soldiers are transitioning to traditional government positions like mayor and even minister of justice.

Eastern Congo is a strange place.  It is strange that the Congo government and international community is allowing armed rebel to control eastern Congo.

Rebels Used to Boots, Not Suits, Seek to Govern Congo - NYTimes.com.

RUTSHURU, Congo — Consider it the capital — the rebel capital, that is.

From the cracked concrete steps of an expropriated government building, Jules Simpeze Banga looked out at a mass of hundreds of freshly displaced people on Wednesday morning and delivered one of his first speeches as the new, rebel mayor of this town.

“People,” he said to the crowd, his voice gaining a little more confidence with each word. “We want to help you, but you need to talk to your chiefs. Talk to your chiefs first, have them write down your names and then we will distribute food.”

A loud cheer. The crowd broke up. And Mr. Banga exhaled as if he had just ducked a bullet.

Mr. Banga is the closest thing in war-ravaged eastern Congo to a white-collar rebel. And like his cohorts, he is clearly underprepared and overwhelmed.

The humanitarian needs here in rebel-controlled territory are staggering, after weeks of heavy fighting and wave after wave of displacement. But administrative résumés are thin. Most of the higher-ups seem much more comfortable in swamp boots than in suits.

What is the International Community Waiting On?

The UN Mission to Congo (MONUC) is unmanned for the crisis in eastern Congo.  The Congo Army does not have the strength or courage to defend its country.  So the rebels control the tempo and the land.

In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of Congolese are displaced from their homes.  They have no means to support themselves.  Also, aid organizations can not support them either.

Oxfam: Nations failing on Congo crisis - CNN.com.

(CNN) -- Nations are abdicating their responsibility by failing to provide enough military aid to the U.N. mission in the war torn Democratic Republic of Congo as it struggles to stop brutal violence, the head of Oxfam International in the Congo said Thursday.

"There appears to be no urgency in the international community's talks on the crisis, but this is a deeply urgent situation. The world is failing in its responsibility to protect the Congo's innocent civilians," Juliette Prodhan said in a written statement.

"There has been an increase in incidents of forced labor, rape and widespread brutality," according to assessments carried out by the humanitarian group over the past week, Prodhan said. "Armed men from all sides prey upon those who have sought 'sanctuary' from the fighting in North Kivu (province)."

Rebel General Nkunda Agrees to discuss UN Peace Initiative

We pray that Rebel General Nkunda's supports and agrees to the UN peace initiative.

Latest News - Radio Netherlands Worldwide - English.

General Laurent Nkunda, the leader of rebels currently fighting government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), says he supports a UN peace initiative for the east of the country. His announcement comes after reports that fighting has broken out near a village to the north of the DRC city of Goma.

General Nkunda met the United Nations special envoy, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday morning. After the meeting, the general said he was prepared to discuss a cease-fire with the DRC government. He also said he was prepared to open a humanitarian corridor for aid.

DRC: Check! Now, It's Rwanda's Move

The Congo tries a new and brillant move in the game of chess.  Rebel forces are pitted against the Congo government.  The goal is to bring peace to eastern Congo which would allow the government to control its the vast mineral resources in eastern Congo. 

Congo agreed to allow Rwandan intelligence agents to track down Hutu militias in eastern Congo.  That's an outstanding move. Check! 

How will Rwanda respond to this overture?  Rebel General Nkunda backed by the Rwandan government has always contended that he was in eastern Congo to protect the Tutsis from the Hutus.

If the Congo agrees to work with him and Rwanda to track down the Hutus who killed almost a million Tutsis during the Rwandan Genocide in the spring of 1994, THEN will the Tutsis and Hutus leave eastern Congo?  Or will they think of some other reason to stay in eastern Congo to control its vast mineral resources?

RFI - Kinshasa accepts Rwandan intelligence to track down militias.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is to allow Rwandan intelligence agents to enter its territory to track down Hutu militias in the violence-torn Kivu region. Rwandan Foreign Minister Rosemary Museminali told RFI that the two countries had a good meeting this weekend, despite tensions over conflict in the area. And she said that Rwandan presidential adviser Rose Kabuye, currently in jail in France, is "a victim not a perpetrator".

What Will Make You Give a Damn

How many people read the article? 

I am not sure but only three had voted on it. A simple question, was favorable or unfavorable?  I was the fourth person to rank it as favorable.  BUT why did my fellow geeky friends not voted on it?

The tech community are the very people who should give a damn. 

A bloody connection to the Congo in every pocket . . . | Tom Foremski: IMHO | ZDNet.com.

We live in a global community where there is little happening in the world that we aren’t all connected with in some way. The current global financial crisis underlies that point but also, the bloody conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The “civil war” that has killed millions and displaced millions of people is largely financed by the Congo’s massive resources of mineral wealth. This includes gold and diamonds but also coltan, a mineral from which tantalum is derived–an essential component in capacitors…which are an essential component in cell phones and any other digital device.

About 80 per cent of coltan comes from the Congo and although there are sanctions against supplies from the Congo, those supplies that are easily laundered through a multitude of traders. Everyone along the supply chain makes a profit as the money goes back into the armies fighting to control the richest mineral regions in the Congo.

And it is not just coltan, the electronics industry also creates huge demand for cassiterite, from which tin is derived, and used to replace lead in electronic boards.

85 percent of schools are CLOSED

More than half of the population of the Congo is below the age of 15.  Congo is a country of children.

In eastern Congo, an estimated 150,000 children are out of class to the violence.  Most of the schools are closed.  Remember, there is no hotlines or websites for children to keep up or make up for those missed days.

This is another strike against children and Congo.

IRIN Africa | Great Lakes | DRC | DRC: 150,000 children miss school as violence continues in the east | Children Education Conflict | News Item.

NAIROBI, 14 November 2008 (IRIN) - Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has forced most schools in Rutshuru territory to close, leaving an estimated 150,000 children out of class, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.

"Most children have been displaced," Jaya Murthy, UNICEF communications specialist, told IRIN. "Other children are in the area but unable to attend school." 

Since violence intensified two weeks ago, 85 percent of the 310 schools in the territory have suspended classes, while school buildings have been occupied by displaced civilians and the Congolese army.