News About Congo

Easy to Understand; Harder to Solve

 

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo sits atop one of the world's most vast deposits of diamonds and gold; yet it is also home to the world's most deadly war. In Rape of a Nation, photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale explores the connection. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/rape-of-a-nation

 

The conflicts in Eastern Congo is not hard to understand.  It's easy.  It is a conflict between armed-miltia fighting over mineral rich territory in Eastern Congo.  It's the Congolese version of street gang fighting over drug territory.

So how to we try to stop gang wars?  You cut off their sale and distribution.  That's the aim of Dodd-Frank Act.  It going to highlight when American corporations who are buying and using illegal Congolese materials.  The Act requires American corporations to identify the source of gold, coltan, and other raw minerals.  Will this work?  Maybe, but it is better than doing nothing!

 

Sarkozy Proposes an European Union for the Great Lakes Region

The leaders of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi stand at the most crucial point in their history since decolonization in 60's.  Will they continue to squander resources and business opportunities?

Congo would get lasting peace accord while its neighbors would get a "legal" piece of the pie.  Share!

Behind President Sarkozy's Africa Trip

French leaders have always been more frequent visitors to Africa than their Western peers, but President Nicolas Sarkozy looks set to eclipse them all in trips to the continent. On Thursday, Sarkozy began his fifth African sojourn in less than three years with a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a violence-plagued Central African nation that of which most Western officials steer well clear. His goal? To sell his ambitious plan economic cooperation aimed at bring peace to some of the region's embattled countries — and in the process restore French influence in Africa.

Given the mix of altruistic and self-serving motives, it's not surprising Sarkozy's trip is inspiring as equal measures of hope and suspicion. The French president kicked off his three-nation swing through the Great Lakes region in Kinshasa, where he praised President Joseph Kabila for reaching agreement in January with leaders of neighboring Rwanda to launch joint military operations against militia groups fighting both regimes from strongholds in eastern Congo. The result, Sarkozy noted, has been an a halt to the massacres that have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee the area. (See pictures of war and displacement in Congo.)

Sarkozy emphasized economic development and cooperation as the key to cementing the peace, reiterating an earlier proposal that the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi pursue agreements to share resources and pursue joint development of their energy, transport and telecommunications infrastructure. The region's prospects for peace, Sarkozy said, would be greatly boosted by creating a "single market" similar to that of the European Union.

"Structured cooperation brings the certainty that everyone will benefit," Sarkozy said in a speech to the DRC's parliament. "Why not provide more momentum to something already advancing? Why not go even further?"

Sarkozy Proposes A Bold, New, Lasting Peace Plan

French President Sarkozy has proposed a BOLD new plan!  It has merit.  He proposes that Congo share its mineral resources with Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda in return for lasting peace.

WOW, effectively there would be no reason to fight! 

Sarkozy seeks peace role in Africa

President Nicolas Sarkozy will on Thursday try to carve out a peacemaking role for France in central Africa by urging the Democratic Republic of Congo to consider sharing its vast mineral resources with its neighbours.

Mr Sarkozy will hold talks with Joseph Kabila, the DRC president, in Kinshasa to persuade him to back a controversial plan to put mines in the east of the vast country under some form of supranational authority, with resources shared with neighbouring Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Paris is keen to press for a long-term solution to battles for the control of natural resources, which have fuelled inter-ethnic conflict and destabilised much of central Africa.

In Congo, It's the Africans solving African problems with the US' Help

The US pressured the Congolese government into working with its other allies (Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan) in the Great Lakes.  Africans solving African problems with the US' help. 

DR Congo outsources its military

The Democratic Republic of Congo - a country with the trappings of sovereignty but not much modern government or control outside the main cities - is waking up to its limitations.

DR Congo has invited in foreign armies to help deal with its lawless regions. It is a joint military operation that is highly unusual in Africa.

The militaries of three foreign countries - Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan - are now operating in or around the edges of DR Congo.

But unlike in previous times, the foreign armies have not invaded against the will of the authorities in the capital Kinshasa.

They were invited in by the Congolese government to deal with rebel movements that Kinshasa admits it - and the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, in DR Congo - cannot handle.

To be accurate, the word "invited" is not quite right.

Kinshasa was persuaded by United States pressure to accept the foreigners.

The US is allied to Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan - all of which, in various ways, are opposed to the US bogeyman in the region, the Islamist regime based in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. (South Sudan is de facto quasi-independent from Khartoum after winning control of the south after a long war.)

One Down and Counting

It is time to arrest the rebel leaders in eastern Congo.  I hope this brings peace.

Great Lakes Leaders Hail Nkunda Arrest, Say Kony Next Target 

Leaders of countries in Africa's Great Lakes region have formally hailed the arrest of Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda and indicated that Lord's Resistance Army chief Joseph Kony is the next target. A meeting of the international conference on the Great Lakes region is held on the eve of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

A statement issued after a brief mini-summit of 11 Great Lakes countries describes General Nkunda's arrest as a positive contribution to regional peace. It also noted with satisfaction the thawing of relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the exchange of ambassadors between Kigali and Kinshasa.

The Longtime Cancer of African Civil Wars

Conflicts in and between Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda affect the whole Great Lakes Region.

allAfrica.com: Rwanda: Africans Better Positioned to End Wars (Page 1 of 1).

Africa's Great Lakes region has also in the recent years experienced political strife, armed conflict and population displacements with severe humanitarian consequences. The Great Lakes Region, which comprises of Burundi, Uganda the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Tanzania, have had long time cancer of civil wars.

Of course, the latter country has been a victim due to its proximity to the war ravaged areas. The regional conflict in the Great Lakes continues to affect the lives of millions of people.

The peace process in the DRC is ongoing but has largely stalled without the cooperation from the protagonists and as a result, conflict is not ending. There is however, likelihood that the fresh talks between the DRC and Rwanda may end the long-term conflict. Otherwise, there is little chance that the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas will improve.