News About Congo

The Congo Ammo Connection

Zimbabwe got 53 tons of ammunition.  Congo was suspected.  However, there is no proof.

Interestingly, Congo does not the capability to produce weapons or ammunition.  So, if Congo (or someone in Congo) was involved then it was a just a proxy, again.

IC Publications.

A UN weapons expert said Tuesday that there was no evidence that ammunition flown from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zimbabwe in August originated from China.

"It's possible, but we have no clues," Jason Stearns, a member of a panel of UN experts that produced a report on weapons transfers to and from war-torn Congo, told AFP.

He said media stories quoting the UN report issued last week as saying there was "credible information" that Zimbabwe may have received Chinese arms via Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo were incorrect.

The report addressed to the UN Security Council said the experts were aware of "large amounts of ammunition arriving in eastern Congo without any notification by exporters to the (UN) sanctions committee," and that the Congolese army "may also be exporting weapons and ammunition to other countries in the region."

Congo Makes the "Top 10" Humanitarian Crises, Again

Would you want to make Dave's Top 10 list, every year?  Probably not!  Congo is a repeat winner.

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Aid work 'increasingly hazardous'.

Aid agencies are struggling to help those most in need as operating environments become increasingly hazardous, a medical charity said.

In a list of "top 10" humanitarian crises, Medecins Sans Frontieres said conditions in Somalia, DR Congo and Sudan were particularly challenging.

BBC NEWS | Africa | New mandate for DR Congo UN force

The UN Mission to Congo (MONUC) gets 3,000 more soldiers and a broader authority.  Will this new mandate make eastern Congo safer? 

BBC NEWS | Africa | New mandate for DR Congo UN force.

The UN has extended the mandate of its peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo by a year, boosting its authority to protect civilians.

The peacekeepers have been struggling to contain recent fighting between government troops and rebels that has forced more than 250,000 to flee. They have been criticised for failing to contain the violence. The new UN mandate provides for the deployment of about 22,000 soldiers and police, and observers.

A UN report issued last week accused both Rwanda and DR Congo of directly helping rebel groups.  The new mandate approved by the UN Security Council directs Monuc to focus on the protection of civilians.   It calls on the mission "to concentrate progressively during the coming year its action in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo," reports said.

Tutsi Rebels and Nkunda take action against Congo

Ceasefire appear to be failing in light of actions by Tutsi rebels and Tutsi leader Nkunda.

Congo rebels threaten action as peace talks flounder | International | Reuters.

KINSHASA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Congolese Tutsi rebels threatened on Sunday to advance into U.N.-monitored buffer zones in eastern Congo after refusing to sign a declaration ending hostilities with the government, the rebels and mediators said.

Following several days of U.N.-backed talks in Nairobi, Kenya, the rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda also declined to recommit to their own unilaterally declared ceasefire in Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province.

This raised fears of a collapse of a fragile truce and of a renewal of fighting which had already driven more than a quarter of a million civilians from their homes since late August, triggering a humanitarian emergency in North Kivu.

Uganda aiding Rwanda allies in Congo war

The UN says rebel leader Nkunda is being supported via Uganda.

The East African - Uganda aiding Rwanda allies in DRC war.

A recent United Nations report cites testimony and allegations that Uganda is aiding Rwanda’s allies in the calamitous fighting taking place in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Uganda has helped ship Rwandan army uniforms to the DRC rebel group led by Gen Laurent Nkunda, according to the UN panel of experts that compiled the report.

Rebel fighters are said to use razors to remove the Rwandan flags on the shoulders of these uniforms.

A former combatant told the UN experts that he saw Vincent Mwambusta, Gen Nkunda’s uncle, bring a truck filled with Rwandan uniforms through the Uganda border crossing.

Ammunition for Gen Nkunda’s pro-Rwanda rebel force, known by the French acronym CNDP (Congres Nationale pour la Defence du Peuple), has allegedly been shipped through Uganda, the panel adds. It cautions, however, that it has not been able to corroborate those “numerous” charges.

Eastern Congo is STILL the news

Your prayers are STILL needed for eastern Congo.

Affleck, Jagger launch Congo campaign.

UNITED NATIONS (UNTV/CNN) - Aid agencies are warning of alarming poverty and disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The United Nations Development Programme said in a report released Wednesday, that nearly half the population may not live to be 40 years of age due to widespread disease, hunger and poverty.

Actor-director Ben Affleck and rock star Sir Mick Jagger have launched a media campaign meant to raise money for and draw attention to the situation in Congo.

They have also released a short film titled "Gimme Shelter." The film will help raise money for emergency humanitarian assistance. It was shot last month in the strife-torn North-Kivu region of Congo.

Cooperate or lose your financial aid and go to jail

The conflict in eastern Congo should be brought to an end immediately.  As stated in the recent UN report, it is a proxy war between armed rebel groups backed by Rwandan against Congo armed forces, Congolese backed-armed rebel groups.  Unfortunately, poor Congolese citizens are routinely caught in the middle.

Mr. Kagame of Rwanda and rebel leader Nkunda both should be given a short timeline to act.  If the fighting continues, financial aid to Rwanda should be stopped immediately.  Next the International Criminal Court should start issuing arrest warrants for the guilty parties.

The role of the Congolese government requires constraint, too.  A sovereign government has the right to protect itself and its citizens from hostile forces.

   

Ways to end the crisis in Congo | Stop paying for murder | The Economist.

Co-operate or lose your cash

The UN maintains its biggest peacekeeping force in the world in Congo, 17,000 strong, but has struggled to impose order on chaotic North and South Kivu. The force should be beefed up, at least temporarily, with fresh soldiers from European Union countries, as the UN’s secretary-general has requested. But new troops can deal only with the symptoms of the conflict. The UN report gives foreign governments the authority to tackle its roots. That is best done by putting pressure on both Rwanda’s Mr Kagame and on his Congolese counterpart to rein in the proxy fighters and honour peace agreements signed nearly a year ago.

Outsiders have powerful levers. Rwanda’s government, in particular, depends heavily on Western aid; in the past five years it has received more than $1.6 billion. That should stop until Mr Kagame starts to restrain General Nkunda and his militia. The Dutch and Swedes have given a lead, cancelling their aid to Rwanda in protest against its government’s backing of the murderous general. Other governments, notably Britain’s, which is Rwanda’s single biggest backer, should do likewise until Mr Kagame changes his ways.

Can We Hold the Rebels Accountable?

Civilians and humanitarian workers should be placed off limits by the rebel groups.  Violations need to the documented and the responsible parties brought to justice.

If the MONUC does not do anything else, they need directly and indirectly protect the civilians and humanitarian workers.  The rebels and armed groups need to held accountable. 

Vanguard Online Edition - DR Congo peace talks resume in Kenya.

A rebel-declared ceasefire in North Kivu seems to be holding, but aid workers say a humanitarian emergency is still raging and many families are out of reach of aid workers in zones controlled by Nkunda’s rebels or pro-government militias. Nkunda’s CNDP has denied killing civilians but said it cleared out Mai-Mai militia from the town.

The head of the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo also issued a warning to the rebel leader that ill-treatment of civilians could be classed as war crimes and told him to stop. “Exactions are continuing” in territory controlled by Laurent Nkunda’s National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), Alan Doss told a press conference in Kinshasa. “I have asked Nkunda to put an end to these exactions,” Doss said, singling out the town of Kiwanja, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the regional capital of Goma.

What Life Looks Like as a Displaced Person

For 1.2 million lucky people, this is their life as captured by Ben Affleck's short film "Gimme Shelter".

Affleck, Jagger launch humanitarian effort - CNN.com.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and rock luminary Mick Jagger launched a media campaign meant to raise money for and draw attention to people displaced by recent fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Speaking at the United Nations Wednesday, Affleck announced the release of "Gimme Shelter," a short film he hopes will raise $23 million in humanitarian assistance for the war-ravaged African nation. Jagger did not attend the ceremony at the U.N.

Here's how most people die in the Congo

When you think about the war in Congo, you think of opposing armed groups shooting at one another.  True but here's how most people die in the Congo without being shot.  This is especially true of the young children five years old and under.  

Scores dying from disease in Congo conflict - CNN.com.

(CNN) -- The number of young children dying from preventable diseases like malaria and diarrhea has increased dramatically because of war in eastern Congo, an aid agency announced Wednesday.

Displaced people fleeing the violence are living in poor conditions as they walk for days through the forests to get to camps in and around the provincial capital of Goma, World Vision said.

Hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from preventable diseases, the aid group said. "You can imagine if you've got young children who are really vulnerable, that walking and sleeping under nothing, walking through the forest [will affect them]," said Anna Ridout, part of World Vision's emergency team in Goma.

Cold and damp conditions lead to respiratory distress, she said. Some of those pushed from their homes suffer extreme cases of diarrhea caused by bad sanitation, which leads to dehydration, Ridout said.