By Ian P. Wilson
The ill-fated Ugandan and U.S.-assisted mission Operation Lightning Thunder launched in the jungles of eastern Congo December 14, 2008 was supposed to be the end of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). (more…)
BY Hellen Abak
When George Bush announced the formation of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on February 6, 2007, many Africa observers weren’t at all surprised – pointing to the growing dependency of the U.S. on African oil. (more…)
Friends of the Congo (FOTC) recently posted a letter on their blog in response to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s recent series of articles on the Congo.
The letter covered a lot of ground, and responded to Kristof’s central question of why the millions dead in Congo had not commanded the same attention given to Darfur and outlined several ways Americans can help end Congo’s genocide. (more…)
Olara Otunnu was interviewed on New York public radio in January. The 8-part show is available on youtube, or directly from WBAI FM NY’s archives. (more…)
While U.S. corporations – cellphone, video game, and computer manufacturers in particular – continue to profit from Congo’s riches, more than 5 million Congolese people have died due to resource-related conflicts in the last decade alone – with neighboring countries Uganda and Rwanda playing a major role in the conflict.
Congolese student activist and spokesperson for Friends of the Congo Kambale Musavuli offers real solutions to Congo’s crisis and explains why the “conflict minerals” approach misses the mark and why Western nations like the United States must change course in order to effectively resolve Congo’s long-running conflicts.
