Congo crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/world/africa/congo-kasai-kabila-militia-graves.html

In the town of Nganza, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the dead have been decomposing for months. Now it may be too late to identify them. The ground that covers them has turned almost smooth again. The only sign that there are people buried here are the government soldiers in red berets and aviator sunglasses, posted nearby with AK-47s.

They are deployed not for protection but to stop anyone from investigating witnesses’ claims that the security forces went door to door here in March, gunning whole families down in their homes and then closing the doors behind them.

The slaughter in Nganza was part of a wider conflict that has engulfed the Kasai, a region in the center of this vast country, where government forces are fighting a militia opposed to President Joseph Kabila. The violence, rooted in political and economic grievances, was ignited last August when troops killed the group’s leader, a hereditary chief who went by the name of Kamwina Nsapu (pronounced ka-MEE-na SA-poo) meaning “black ant.” His followers, many of them children, retaliated, and the conflict spread like wildfire.

The Roman Catholic Church, one of the few institutions in the country that provides reliable statistics, estimates that at least 3,300 people have been killed in the region since October. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced internally or are flooding into Angola.

did you know that ilx does not have a thread for rwanda?

this ep of afropop worldwide is v relevant imo and devastating: http://afropop.org/audio-programs/kizito-mihigo-and-the-politics-of-music-in-post-genocide-rwanda

This interview with Andrew Mitchell, former Secretary of State for International Development, was revealing of the UK government's attitude to Paul Kagame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N046fZRGK3U

Gavin Davies: "In the last two elections he's been over 90%, is that a true reflection of public support for him?"

Andrew Mitchell: "I really think it is".

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