The Silent Genocide: The Crisis in Congo
India Sherrod
January 23, 2024
Currently, citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo begin to speak out on the unlawful and inhumane labor practices that are taking place in their mining industry and displacement of the republic.
As the unfolding of current events highlight the conflicts and wars occurring around the world i.e. the current war between Israel and Gaza. Many topics including what's currently happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo; specifically exploitation of its natural resources and human rights in the industry has been overlooked.
A 2023 published by Amnesty.org article states," Growing demand for so-called clean energy technologies has created a corresponding demand for certain metals, including copper, and cobalt, which is essential for making most lithium-ion batteries. These are used to power a wide range of devices including electric cars and mobile phones. The DRC has the world’s largest reserves of cobalt, and the seventh largest reserves of copper.¨ It also mentions ,¨ Researchers reviewed documents and correspondence, photographs, videos, satellite images and company responses. Findings at four sites are included in the report and abuses at three sites, involving forced evictions.
While this is one of the few articled publishing shedding light on the problem directly, many are unaware and uneducated on the issue as it has been labeled as a silent genocide. Lack of media coverage on major news sources are leading people to express their concern while spreading awareness about the issue on social media.
Another article published by Aljazeera presents another side of the crisis stating,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a damning report accusing the M23 militia of committing murder, rape and “other war crimes” in the volatile east the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent months.”
“In the report released on Tuesday, HRW said it had so far “documented eight unlawful killings and 14 cases of rape” by M23 fighters.” “Last year, the United Nations accused the group of executing at least 131 people in November in retaliation for clashes between M23 and rival armed groups. The UN’s human rights office then later said that 171 civilians were executed in the last ten days of November.
“In April and May, after the group withdrew from Kishishe, HRW used photos, videos, testimonies and satellite images to establish the presence of 14 mass graves in the village.”
One of what could be many militia groups has been caught in an explosion of citizens and going against the lawful order of human rights put in place to protect miners in the industry. Reports of rape, murder, and forced evictions have come forward.
What can you as a student do? You can educate yourself and your peers on the issue to make gradual changes in effort to completely eliminate the crisis. Here are a few resources: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/drc-cobalt-and-copper-mining-for-batteries-leading-to-human-rights-abuses/#:~:text=The%20expansion%20of%20industrial%2Dscale,sexual%20assault%2C%20arson%20and%20beatings.
https://earth.org/cobalt-mining-in-congo/
https://globalhumanrights.org/stories/extraction-without-exploitation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvKnn8BRRI8