History
The Democratic Republic of Congo ("Congo")
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a place of incredible beauty and diversity marred by twenty years of war and underdevelopment that has resulted in the deaths of over five million people. It has been a battleground for over forty different rebel groups and nine foreign militaries empowered by their violent control over the resources and communities in the east. Armed groups have dominated the extraction and trade of resources like tin, tantalum, and gold that end up in our cell phones and automobiles by raping, murdering, and terrorizing hundreds of thousands of Congolese.
However, recent national, regional, and international efforts have improved the situation in eastern Congo, resulting in fewer rebel groups, a more effective UN peacekeeping force, and incentivized legal extraction and trade of resources, especially to the West. The US Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 supported this progress through greater accountability for American companies that source from the Great Lakes Region (GLR) of Africa (nearly every company with electrical components in their products), ultimately reducing the monetary support necessary for armed groups to continue to terrorize eastern Congo. |
Read a Brief History of the Democratic Republic of Congo
"Formerly the Belgian Congo, this territory was inhabited by ancient Negrito peoples (Pygmies), who were pushed into the mountains by Bantu and Nilotic invaders. The American correspondent Henry M. Stanley navigated the Congo River in 1877 and opened the interior to exploration. Commissioned by King Leopold II of the Belgians, Stanley made treaties with native chiefs that enabled the king to obtain personal title to the territory at the Berlin Conference of 1885...." Read more: Congo, Democratic Republic of the : History, Geography, Government, and Culture | Infoplease.com |
Democratic Republic of Congo, Crash Course History:
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UN Reports
UN Group of Experts reports to the UN Security Council regarding the Congo.
UN Group of Experts reports to the UN Security Council regarding the Congo.
Radio Broadcast
Radio Okapi, the official radio of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo (MONUSCO)
Radio Okapi, the official radio of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo (MONUSCO)