Summary: The Democratic Republic of Congo faces a prolonged conflict, displacing 6.5 million people and resulting in a vast humanitarian crisis. The upcoming election on Dec. 20 coincides with escalating tensions between armed groups and the government. The east is particularly unstable, with ongoing violence leading to mass displacement and appalling living conditions. For more information, you can visit the original article from The New York Times at https://ift.tt/DLezXEn
The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’ Artillery boomed as a couple scurried through the streets of Saké, their possessions balanced on their heads. “Our children were born in war. We live in war,” Jean Bahati said. They joined 6.5 million people displaced by war in eastern Congo, where a conflict has claimed over six million lives. Over 100 armed groups and several national armies are vying for supremacy across the region. Corruption is endemic, and massacres and rape are common. The conflict is now lurching into a volatile new phase. On one side is the M23, a well-organized but ruthless rebel group backed by Rwanda. On the other side is Congo’s army, boosted by a coalition of once-rival militias and a force of about 1,000 Romanian mercenaries. Mr. Tshisekedi, who is favored to win the presidential race, is aggressively stoking public hostility toward Rwanda. Over half a million people have fled their homes in just the past two months, mostly into squalid camps around Goma. The region is plagued by disease outbreaks, food scarcity, and rampant sexual violence. The shadow of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda lingers in Congo, and economic and strategic interests further complicate the situation. The M23 is hardly the only threat to peace. In the Virunga National Park, rangers are trying to hold off armed groups pressing in from every side, poaching animals and seizing land. The West is divided in its response to the conflict, and a rare hope for peace emerged with a 72-hour pause in the fighting around Goma. If Rwandan troops do not withdraw, more attacks will follow, a French military adviser said. Adblock test (Why?)
The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’ Artillery boomed as a couple scurried through the streets of Saké, their possessions balanced on their heads. “Our children were born in war. We live in war,” Jean Bahati said. They joined 6.5 million people displaced by war in eastern Congo, where a conflict has claimed over six million lives. Over 100 armed groups and several national armies are vying for supremacy across the region. Corruption is endemic, and massacres and rape are common. The conflict is now lurching into a volatile new phase. On one side is the M23, a well-organized but ruthless rebel group backed by Rwanda. On the other side is Congo’s army, boosted by a coalition of once-rival militias and a force of about 1,000 Romanian mercenaries. Mr. Tshisekedi, who is favored to win the presidential race, is aggressively stoking public hostility toward Rwanda. Over half a million people have fled their homes in just the past two months, mostly into squalid camps around Goma. The region is plagued by disease outbreaks, food scarcity, and rampant sexual violence. The shadow of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda lingers in Congo, and economic and strategic interests further complicate the situation. The M23 is hardly the only threat to peace. In the Virunga National Park, rangers are trying to hold off armed groups pressing in from every side, poaching animals and seizing land. The West is divided in its response to the conflict, and a rare hope for peace emerged with a 72-hour pause in the fighting around Goma. If Rwandan troops do not withdraw, more attacks will follow, a French military adviser said. Adblock test (Why?)