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The Chaos in the Congo and what its all about

You may be wondering what is really going on in the DR Congo? Why is all this fighting and turmoil going on in the country? From my sources I've gathered some important information which will make you understand if not open your eyes about the whole situation. Before I go any further I just want to point out that not all of the DR Congo is in trouble in fact most of the country is peaceful. The places where the problems lie are in and around the mineral rich regions.

The region of Katanga, situated in the south east of the Democratic Republic of Congo counts as one of the most important mineral-producing regions in the world, and is rich in minerals such as copper, cobalt, and a mineral called coltan.

Coltan, also known as colombite tantalite is a highly sought-after mineral, composed of colombite and tantalite. This tantalite is used to produce the precious metal required for making mobile sim cards, DVD’s amongst other products, and the price of this mineral has risen by 2000% in the last 50 years.

Experts may claim that the use of mobile phones and the waves produced by them is damaging to our health, however it is safe to say that the conditions in which the metals necessary to make them work are much more damaging to the health of the Congolese people, as coltan proves to be at the root of many conflicts currently occurring in the country. The fact that the DR of Congo is one of the largest producers of coltan, could have you imagine that the workers that produce this product are well off. However local people are used toextracting the minerals in conditions that could only be described as slavery to make huge profits for Western companies.Knowing this you can begin to fathom the implications that the exploitation carried out by these corporations has on the less fortunate people who are not in a position to get the pay they deserve for their own products that their own country produces. You could also imagine that there would have been good infrastructure to produce coltan, giving the locals jobs and opportunities to develop the industry. However in reality the situation in the Congo reflects that of Sierra Leone and its diamonds where a westerner could go to the country and give a young boy a bag load of Leones (Sierra Leone money) for thousands or millions of dollars/pounds worth of diamonds.

Why is it that although DRC is one of the most mineral rich countries in the world, yet its population continues to live in a state of extreme poverty and the state is unable to provide most provinces with basic infrastructure and public services, especially in rural areas?

To begin with, coltan is so precious that many will stop at nothing to acquire it, leading to large scale and frenzied plunder. No less than six neighbouring countries, alongside several rebel groups, are fighting against each other in an attempt to get as much of this coltan as possible. The state of Katanga is filled with armed gangs and robbers who have come from near and far.

Some attempts have been made to reduce the corruption and violence over this precious material. Due to the fact that it is so difficult to ensure that all mining operations in the country are functioning legally, several companies who use coltan have decided to boycott coltan which comes from central Africa, preferring to use Australian coltan instead. This embargo means that local buyers who buy coltan directly from miners cannot directly supply the European and American producers, but as is always the case in Africa, traffic continues. It is clear that high-ranking political figures are involved in the negotiation of illegal contracts and embezzlement of funds for traffic of minerals to the very countries that are looking elsewhere for coltan.

They work alongside the companies, helping them to get around the control procedures, and to avoid paying taxes. The profits made end up filling the pockets of an elite group of people made up of politicians and businessmen who although small in number, are very powerful, they exploit the local population and the abundance of natural resources, with their sole aim being their own personal prosperity.

Huge quantities of coltan and other precious minerals leave the country without having been declared. According to estimations from a local source, at the end of 2005, at least three quarters of the minerals exported from Katanga left the province illegally. A report written by the Security Council of the UN reported that large amounts of coltan that had been illegally extracted from Congolese ground and smuggled by the Ugandan, Rwandan and Burundian armies occupying Kivu state. These three countries have denied any involvement in the illegal traffic of coltan; however it’s certainly interesting to note that the Rwandan army has made a total of $250 million over a period of 18 months from selling coltan, although Rwanda itself has no coltan!

This illegal transportation of minerals has caused an immense loss to Congo’s economy, and a lost opportunity to fight against poverty and promote development. Even the exportation of products which have been legally declared does not bring much increase to the country’s economy, as the minerals are not treated there before being exported. Local businessmen who sell the minerals are financially exploited by the large TNC's (Trans-national companies), and forced to accept to sell them at prices which do not correspond to their actual value.

Repercussions of the chaos

The consequences of this are huge; rebel groups torture, injure and kill innocent people in an attempt to take over and control as much territory as possible. Many children are kidnapped; some are forced to work in the mines, others are given weapons and made to kill their own people, and the rest of them are forced into child prostitution. Violence against women and prostitution have increased enormously, as the large influx of men arriving in the region to fight has meant that the demand for prostitutes is now much higher than before. The UN estimates that more than 2million Congolese people are infected with HIV.

The country’s infrastructure has suffered a lot of damage, and so health care services are not at all acceptable. 37% of the population does not have access to sufficient medical care, 47% of the population does not have access to drinking water, and half the country’s population eat less than 2/3 of the calories they need to eat every day. Crime rates are high, and travelling by road is extremely difficult and dangerous.

The environment has also suffered from so much mining activity, which has placed Congo’s rich forest ecosystem in great danger. Congolese miners working in mineral rich regions work in difficult conditions, without the correct protective clothing or equipment, or training. Thousands of miners die every year following accidents that could easily have been avoided. No one attempts to enquire into these deaths, or into the general well-being of the miners, and no one takes any kind of responsibility for either of these. However the miners have very little alternatives to ensure their own subsistence, and so continue to expose themselves to these risks.

Bad feelings amongst the locals who suffer

The situation has brought about a deep feeling of animosity amongst the population of mineral rich regions of Congo like Katanga, as they see these potentially huge profits being stolen from their country right before their eyes, meanwhile they see no progression in their day to day lives.

Some quotations of Congolese people:

“We know that Congo is rich. But despite that…we do not even have enough food to eat. There is only one group of people who benefit from all this.”

“I don’t want to do this work. There are so many dishonest people. We work very hard for almost nothing. I do it because I don’t know what else to do. People are using us to get rich…I’ve been in this job for about 10 years, but I have nothing.”

“This is not a job. We’re slaves. We are forced to do this because there is no other work […] We thought that a job as a miner would be a bowl of honey, but it turned out to be vinegar.”

Since 2004, the Congolese government has taken a certain number of initiatives to attempt to regulate mining and eradicate corruption. However to this day, the most part of these initiatives have been introduced simply in theory, and not in practice, meaning that they have not had any impact on the extent of illegal extraction of minerals in Congo.

Political situation and the current reports of violence:

The current fighting in eastern Congo is directly related to its mineral wealth. Despite what the media may have you believe, the real culprits are not rebel leaders such as Nkunda, but western company directors and politicians profiting from exploiting Congo’s mineral wealth. Just like in the Middle East, the real reason behind this war appears to be western interest in plundering as much wealth from the country as they possibly can. The following will help you to understand who the key players are, and their roles in the events:

Joseph Kabila is president of Congo, is completely under the control of USA and European powers. He can be likened to a puppet, with the strings in the hands of western leaders. He is 'apparently' fighting against the rebel groups and working for the good of the people, however many doubt that this is really the truth. Although Kabila himself has not been officially implicated in the traffic of minerals from the country, people close to him have been, and there is no doubt that he is also involved, although. As long as he continues to obey western powers,he doesn’t really need to worry about this being exposed. However the consequences of him refusing to follow orders would be very serious for him. As well as his involvement in mineral trafficking, he is also guilty of extreme cases of genocide and war crimes against his own people, and the moment he steps out of line he knows that all of this will come out and he will have to face the consequences of his corrupt actions.

The Congolese army is under the orders of Kabila (meaning western countries) and is supposedly being sent into the war zone in the east of Congo to try and protect civilians, but are in reality using that as a cover to go in and control mineral mines, and make profits from it. They are apparently working side by side with rebel forces in order to do this. The army is guilty of the same war crimes that the rebel forces are guilty of.

General Nkunda – rebel leader, says he wishes to protect his people from Rwandan Hutu rebels, and also wishes to talk to the government about his objections to a deal made with China worth $5 billion which will allow them access to the region’s minerals. He is right in this respect , as the deal made with China will certainly worsen foreign exploitation of Congo’s minerals, with all profits going straight into the pockets of a few greedy politicians and company owners. However as for Nkunda’s involvement. It would be nice if it was this straightforward, but at the end of the day, the weapons that his forces are using have to come from somewhere, meaning that they have to be funded. Although it is difficult to be entirely sure in this kind of situation, Congolese people that I have spoken with seem to share the opinion that it’s the very same powers controlling Kabila that are also funding his oponent. This is because as long as there is conflict in the region, Congolese people are still not managing their own resources, and it’s the large western companies who benefit the most from this. As well as this, Nkunda is committing terrible war crimes, and commanding mass killing, torture, rape, and more so even if he’s right about the China thing, he’s not exactly a hero either

What you have just read has justified the statement that 'Nothing is as its seems', however one could sum the situation up by saying that people controlling Congo’s war are so hungry for material wealth that they are literally destroying the country, and making the lives of its people into what can be described as a living hell.

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