Congo crisis

three killed during protests against kabila's refusal to vacate office
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/31/world/africa/congo-protest-joseph-kabila.html

not crisis related just some amazing photos of mountain gorillas mostly in congo and some in rwanda (and Uganda - the reserve is on the border w/ DRC). i'd love to visit one day

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/01/mountain-gorillas-at-home/549962/

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2018/01/gorillas/g21_92935161/main_900.jpg?1515444786

what a place

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2018/01/gorillas/g08_92945996/main_900.jpg?1515438934

My impression has always been more:

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*dSW6nP7nemg4iG0p.jpg

mama and baby gorillas <3

it's a country of great pain and great beauty xp

a land of contrasts.................

Kabila leaving presidency after 17 years. I wonder what the catch is.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/08/world/africa/joseph-kabila-congo.html

Ebola still a problem though too

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/world/africa/congo-election-tshisekedi-fayulu.html

never ending :/

obviously any political change is likely to be fraught at best but is this necessarily a bad thing long term?

hopefully it doesn't devolve into violence. generally speaking yeah i feel like peaceful transitions of power are a sign of a stabile society. but whether it remains stable is the key.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/12/raf-veteran-admitted-killing-un-secretary-general-dag-hammarskjold-in-1961

If anyone knows of any reading that deals with the later colonial period up to mobutu's takeover I'd be grateful for some recommendations

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/12/raf-veteran-admitted-killing-un-secretary-general-dag-hammarskjold-in-1961

― ogmor, 12. januar 2019 20:26 (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The director is Danish and I hate his latest films so much and have planned to write a character assassination piece for years when I got the chance. But it sounds like he has figured out why he went wrong lately and actually made something really important. And it pisses me off :(

(Reuters) - Conflict and escalating violence have uprooted a record 6.9 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly in the east of the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.

Years of rebel conflict and recurrent natural disasters have helped fuel one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.

Most of those forced to flee their homes live in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika, according to the data collected by the United Nations.

https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/30/un-says-record-69-million-people-internally-displaced-in-the-dr-congo/

Tutsis and militias loyal to government are fighting again

Been seeing more social media posts about Eastern Congo issues but not any new ideas about what to do

What is happening in the Congo is a proxy war waged by regional and external powers...watch here 👇🏿 https://t.co/PUiKUuvoqk

— K.Diallo ☭ (@nyeusi_waasi) November 11, 2023

The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) armed forces repelled an attempted coup d'etat involving Congolese and foreign fighters on Sunday morning, a DRC army spokesperson said in a televised address..The army announces the arrest of American mercenaries. pic.twitter.com/Lfsv5FvINw

— African News feed. (@africansinnews) May 19, 2024

A fringe Congolese politician and his United States business partner in mining and cannabis ventures in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique apparently led a foiled coup in the early hours of Sunday.

Christian Malanga, 41, leader of the US-based United Congolese Party, was killed as his band of 20 armed men reportedly tried to force entry into the Palais de la Nation, the complex that is home to President Felix Tshisekedi's government.

Malanga's right-hand man was Benjamin Zalman-Polun from Maryland (US) identified in earlier reports as an American cannabis entrepreneur.

Both Malanga and Zalman-Polun were partners in mining ventures and the fast-growing electronic cigarette liquids sector.

Finally some good news

It just keeps getting better!

This makes me wonder suddenly who runs The Wagner Group now. I'm assuming it wasn't disbanded, and they've been active in DRC.

Family of American caught up in Congo failed coup says their son went to Africa on vacation

https://apnews.com/article/congo-coup-failed-attack-american-9913014d6110cab9fc994770291cd10b

This story just keeps getting weirder.

I'm sure Congo has many beautiful areas and a rich culture but but as an American, you don't just "take a vacation" to the Congo. DRC has a level 3 travel advisory from the state department (level 4 is DO NOT TRAVEL), when you apply for a visa you are briefed in all the risks you are taking in such an unstable region. What an odd selection of goons if that's what they indeed were hired for.