In Congo, Staggering Death Toll and a Move Toward Peace
NEW YORK, Jan 25 (OneWorld) - More than 1,000 people continue to die every day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of armed conflict fueled predominantly by the world's thirst for gold and diamonds.
"The conflict and its aftermath, in terms of fatalities, surpass any other since World War II," said IRC president George Rupp. "Congo's loss is equivalent to the entire population of the state of Colorado perishing within a decade." The U.S.-based humanitarian organization, which has been working in the Congo since 1996, said that interviews with 14,000 households across the country showed that the conflict continues to leave as many as 45,000 dead every month.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been facing political and social unrest since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. For about 32 years it was ruled by a U.S.-backed military dictator. He was forced to step down in 1997 as democracy activists organized a powerful mass movement. However, peace and prosperity remained a distant dream for most Congolese as the new government faced confrontation with armed movements of rebels involving six other nations. The United Nations accused warring sides of prolonging the conflict as they looted natural resources. The DRC (formerly known as Zaire) is one of the world's top diamond producers. It is also very rich in gold, copper, and timber, and has half the world's supply of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and computer chips that has occasionally sold for as much as gold. "The multi-sided war is driven by greed, not ideology," wrote journalist Adam Hochschild, author of the bestselling treatise on the DRC, King Leopold's Ghost. "The worst fighting sometimes shifts location with the rise and fall of commodity prices," he explained in a 2003 edition of Amnesty International Magazine. As the latest IRC survey covers the ten years ending in April 2007, it does not even account for much of the most recent violence, which began to escalate in the volatile North Kivu province in December 2006.
The survey shows that nearly half the fatalities were among children under the age of five, who comprise about 19 percent of the total population, and the vast majority of deaths resulted from preventable non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia because people had no access to medical treatment. On Wednesday, as a result of UN-led diplomatic efforts, the Congolese government and rebel groups active in the eastern part of the country reached a peace agreement that has raised some hopes for a decline in violence. Pledging continuing support to end the suffering of the population there, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the agreement as an "important step," and said he was "very encouraged by the commitment" on both sides of the conflict. In recent months, intense fighting between government troops and the rebel forces of the dissident General Laurent Nkunda forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). UNHCR officials say over the last year, at least 400,000 people have been displaced due to a mix of conflict, military buildup, and spiraling lawlessness.
When it truly ends, recovery from the conflict will be a protracted process, cautioned Brennan and his colleagues. "When war destroys a country's economy and infrastructure, there's no quick fix," said Brennan in urging the Congolese government and the international community to provide immediate assistance to the worst affected. "Sadly, the humanitarian crisis in Congo continues to be overlooked and funding remains disproportionate to the enormity of need," he added in a statement. "We hope this week's peace agreement in North Kivu will mean an end to the hostilities and a restart of reconciliation and recovery efforts." ....................................................................................
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