November 7, 2009
liveblogging: Congo 101
Major Hurdles
1- The current government is barely in control of the conflict areas. It can neither contain nor take appropriate action.
2- Spillover effect; conflicts in neighboring Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Chad, and Sudan ease rebels’ access to arms
3-DR Congo is a very big country with a wide range of languages and culture, making local unity against militias very difficult
4- Operation Kimia II has made the situation worse
(Some of this is intimidating – As it has been explained to me, and this is a crass analogy – any one who has seen the tv show The Wire – Congo is like The Wire on major major steroids. More details as to what is going on there soon).
Current Situation
-Nkuna, leader of hte most influential rebel group, CNDP has been arrested; good step towards cooperation
-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently visited and drew attention to the rampant rapes taking place in Eastern Congo; she called for justice and protection of the women and pledged US $17 m in aid for sexual violence victims. Her presence will hopefully invoke an American authority and fear among th econgolese leaders; they might just take action to make America, their big donor, happy.
Since Hillary Clinton has been in Congo there has been arrests pertaining to rape.
-Operation Kimia II is in progress, but so far has mixed results.
More soon!
