Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC)
By: Carly Farmer and Riya Trasi
Geography/ location
Democratic
Republic of
Congo is located
in central Africa.
In 1996, DRC had
a population of
about 43,424,997
people.
Background
 DRC has experienced two wars since
1996:
 The first was a direct result of the
Rwandan genocide in 1996
 The second was a civil war that resulted
in the involvement of DRC’s, along with
seven other countries’, militia.
Current problems
 Lord’s Resistance Army
 Rebel group that is infamous for their kidnapping and raping of women
 Les Effaceurs (“the erasers”)
 Rebel group that wants to clear people out of their land for mineral
exploitation
Cause/Conflict
 Since 1998, about 5.4 million people have died from disease – half of
which are children under the age of 5 – caused by:




Destroyed healthcare system
Displacement
Lack of food security
Collapse of infrastructure
People/Sides involved
 FDLR – Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Rwanda
 Was a peacekeeping group but became rebellious
 MONUC
 Peacekeeping groups backed by UN
 Rebel groups against the civilian population
 At times each organization has gotten governmental
support from bordering nations
 Children and women are the main victims of
violence in DRC
 Children are taken to be child slaves/soldier
 Women are forced into prostitution
Dates
 First War = 1996 – 1997
 Second War = 1998 – 2003
 July 2006 – first election in almost 40 years; Joseph Kabila came into
power
 He brought the hope of a peaceful resolution to the nation, but it was hard
because of the lack of stability (both economically and politically)
Resolution
 June 23, 2004 – International Criminal Court (ICC) declares an official
investigation into the problems in DRC
 March 2006 – Thomas Lubanga officially arrested by ICC for multiple
counts of recruiting child soldiers during the Second War
 March 14, 2012 – Thomas Lubanga’s case reached a guilty verdict
Controversial “Resolution”
 The issues in Congo, however improved, are not completely resolved:
 The lack of economic stability in the country still kills millions from
disease, malnutrition, etc.
 Rebel groups are still attacking innocent civilians
Pledge
 Everyone acknowledges how the dark parts of history must never be
repeated, but nobody ever takes action. We pledge to both
acknowledge and take action towards finding a resolution.
Support
 2010 – UN released a report on human rights
violations in DRC
 Outlined the most serious violations of human
rights and international humanitarian law
 Offered a range of options to deal with the legacy of
the crimes
 Currently there are 20,000 UN peacekeepers in
DRC
 It’s the largest and most expensive UN mission
Works cited
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Feb. 2016.
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Republic
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Feb. 2016.
"Flag of Democratic Republic of Congo." Flag of Democratic Republic of Congo. Maps of World. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
"Nutrition Clinics Offer Hope in the Midst of a Drought." Nutrition Clinics Offer Hope in the Midst of a Drought - IRFC. IRFC, 12
Sept. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.
"Population, Total." Total Population Data. The World Bank, 1 Jan. 1997. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
"Q&A: DR Congo Conflict - BBC News." Q&A: DR Congo Conflict. BBC News, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.
Shah, Anup. "The Democratic Republic of Congo." Global Issues. Global Issues, 21 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
"UNICEF Photo Essay - Child Poverty in the Republic of Congo." UNICEF Photo Essay - Child Poverty in the Republic of Congo.
UNICEF. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.