While the world economy slows down considerably, one market is in full swing in the heart of Africa. The market of violence and human suffering is churning strong in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is almost shocking to see how under-reported the world’s most violent conflict is in the mainstream media. Andrew Stroehlein of the Christian Science Monitor attributes this lack of coverage due to "news editors have long assumed no one is interested in Africa, supposing their audience sees only hopeless African problems eternally defying solution and thus not worth attention." In the DRC fighting has been going on since the First Congo War in 1996. While a truce was signed in 2003, violence continues to this day and is marked by rape and other sex crimes.
Civil War in Africa is nothing new. Many African states have experienced some form of violence since the end of colonialism. The DRC’s current situation, a lack of mean and will of the elected government to curb the violence, is an extension of the problems that have plagued this region. The current conflict’s participants largely include refugees from Rwanda and the Congolese who are fighting them, with action backed by both governments. The soldiers include not only members of the military, but also warlords and private mercenaries.
The two main centers of the fighting are the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in the eastern part of the country. While there are always destructive human effects of war, these provinces experienced a staggering share of sexual crimes related to the violence. In 2006, there were 27,000 sexual assault cases reported in South Kivu alone. This figure is just the tip of the iceberg, as the vast majority of crimes go unreported. The extent of the crimes that have been committed is almost unspeakable. Fighters have systematically ripped families and communities apart using tactics of gang-rape and incest. Some of the many reported cases of rape and incest include fathers forced to have intercourse with their daughters and sisters, boys with their sisters and mothers in front of their fellow community members, at gunpoint. Many times soldiers have inserted a gun into a female’s sexual organs and then pulled the trigger. The violence is not limited to females as men are also raped. One egregious story has men being forced at gunpoint to perform sexual acts in a hole dug in the ground filled with razor blades. The list of crimes go on and on with no barriers for the human imagination and human dignity.
The question remains as to what the world will do about this conflict. So far the United States’ response has been minimal and the United Nations’ response has been sub-par. The U.S. Department of State on its website describes U.S.-Congolese relations as very strong adding that "the United States is proud to have played a role in the peace process in the D.R.C., and continues to encourage Congolese peace, prosperity, democracy, and respect for human rights." This is simply unacceptable. The State Department briefing continues to say that the US supports the democratic processes that are underway in the DRC. While it is true that the current President Joseph Kabila was elected democratically, his election has done nothing to quell the violence. Although the UN has the largest peacekeeping operation in the DRC, their efforts are not enough. President Barack Obama recently announced that as a part of his withdrawal plan from Iraq, 50,000 soldiers would remain to help stabilize Iraq and train Iraqi forces. The number of UN peacekeepers in Congo number less than 20,000 according to the New York Times. While UN forces have power to keep peace in the Congo, a more active measure needs to be taken.
The United States along with other countries needs to address this conflict and help bring it to an end. It is estimated that 5.4 million people have died since the fighting began and 45,000 people continue to die each month according to Reuters. The raw numbers of casualties do not reflect countless instances where human dignity has been violated, villages and communities ripped apart. This fighting has no end in sight.
Some citizens might contend that it is not the role of the United States to act as a world police force and that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are already taking too much of the United States’ resources. However, American involvement may be the only alternative that can bring about needed change in this war against human rights. Yet, in his inaugural address President Obama stated "To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you...to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds...we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect." One can only hope that the President and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not only bring awareness to this issue, but also act to stem and end this unspeakable human suffering.