News & Current Events in the Congo
This page links to several outside news sources.
The news links and commentaries on this page are for you to become aware of the ongoing events in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
MONUC condemns resumption of Fighting in Ruthsuru (English)
MONUC condemns resumption of Fighting in Ruthsuru (French)
ABC News Nightline
Read Ben Affleck's Guest Essay on ABC News relating what he has learned about Congo during his three recent trips. This is an excellent summary of events in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ben Affleck's photo journal and videos during his recent Congo trips with ABC Nightline.
ANITA POWELL, Associated Press
Ben Affleck returned to Congo in November 2008 and investigates conditions in the IDP camps. Article: "Ben Affleck tours refugee camps in war-torn eastern Congo, says more aid money needed"
Quote from Ben Affect in article by ANITA POWELL, Associated Press as stated online: Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota:
"I'm not an expert in international affairs or diplomacy, but it doesn't take that to see the tremendous suffering here," he told The Associated Press on Thursday in Goma, the regional capital. "It's not something that we as human beings can, in good conscience, ignore."
Again, our sincere thank you to Ben Affleck for using his gifts to help people in the most dire circumstances. We believe that when people bring awareness and advocate for action, change can happen.
Bill Moyers Journal - April 2008 - A video of broadcast "Hope in the Congo" which is a report of Congo's history and the continued death of 45,000 Congolese people from starvation and disease.
Part 2: Audio-Video Podcast with photos - 3 minutes - A second report showing the challenges of food aid workers and the food shortages of Congo after the war.
Excerpts from: 100 Years of Darkess - A book by Photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale. And some Congo history information
Ann Curry was in Goma in February, 2008.
Read her stories and view the videos Please pass the word along for awareness. And photos by Antoine Sanfuentes, NBC.
Congo: The Invisible War
Chicago Tribune Article - Paul Salopek - December 17, 20007
"With the Congolese death toll now 20 times higher than that of Darfur, and given that the worst killing in Darfur ended in 2004, why aren't outraged U.S. activists lighting candles in Central Park to "save" hapless Congo?"
DRC: Malaria still biggest killer
IRINNews.org - Humanitarian news and analysis by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
AIDS and Malaria: The Connection
According to research published in the journal Science, Malaria increases the AIDS epidemic:
"When people with Aids contract malaria, it causes a surge of HIV virus in their blood, making them more likely to infect a partner, the research says." -- Aegis news/BBC
BBC News: Malaria 'speeds spread of Aids'
CBS News Video: War Against Women in the Congo
A CNN Anderson Cooper Report - Aguust 2008 (revised from January 2008)
Anderson Cooper's Blog Article - War Against Women in the Congo
Transcript and Video Interview of Jan Egeland, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the former UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Video interview: Amy Goodman interviews Christine Schuler Deschryver
Rwanda Stirs Deadly Brew of Troubles in Congo. December 2008
Breaking the Silence - New York Times Video.
The United Nations says Congo has
the worst sexual violence in the world.
Congo Warlord Linked to Abuses Seeks Bigger Stage, by Lydia Polgreen. An excellent article with background on the current crisis and rebel fighting. December, 2008. (There is an audio podcast along with the article.)
Wall Street Journal Online: Article by George Clooney, David Pressman, and John Prendergast: "Obama's Opportunity to Help Africa" November, 2008. "The war in Congo alone has led to more deaths than any war, anywhere, since the Holocaust. Five million people have died there in the last decade."
Lisa F Jackson, Director of the Film Documentary:
THE GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN THE CONGO
Lisa Jackson's Film Website
Brief Interview on Sundance
HBO Clip
NPR Interview
Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize
Videos: Click here to view videos owned by news agencies and UN organizations. These videos provide a glimpse into life for an internally displaced people near the Eastern border of the Congo.
A video: Congo--The Forgotten War - Sky News
U.S. Senate Hearing Clip on YouTube: Congolese journalist Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu testifies at the congressional hearing on sexual violence in the Congo held on May 19, 2009 before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on African Affairs and the new
One of her comments is -- there has been a lack of public attention to the atrocities going on (horrific murders and rapes); and that more attention goes for the well-being of gorillas in Congo rather than women.
Kivu Region photograph links
BBC News:
Recent photos - "Surviving Congo" According to the BBC news, "The majority of deaths – estimated to be nearly 60% higher than the average in sub-Saharan Africa – are due to preventable and treatable diseases, such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia."
"Elusive peace in Congo" Photos provide a glimpse into life in eastern Congo.
Photos of escalating conflict / A mother grieves her baby - November 2008
Photos of Cry for Peace in Goma - November 2008
Working to Heal DR Congo's Wounds - November 2008
Photographs of the Goma region, effects of fighting and displacement of villages. Photos are owned by VII Photo Agency Studio.
November 2008: Newsweek photos by Marcus Bleasdale of VII Studio / Newsweek article (Parental age warning - images are disturbing.)
New photographs of the Goma region and the effects from the recent fighting. Photos are updated regularly. Photos owned by Getty Images.
New York Times photos of the Goma Region
Ben Affleck's photos and videos during Congo trip with ABC Nightline
Doctors Without Borders Condition Critical has a new website "Voices from the War in Congo" -- for info regarding DR Congo with great photos and blog articles that give details from people in the middle of the conflict.
Boston Globe: Congo crisis worsens by Ann Taylor, November 2008. Amazing photography.
News:
Visit our Digg page for more world news and videos about the Democractic Republic of Congo. We update this page on a regular basis with links to current articles, photographs, and video clips.
Another RSS Feed page for major news sources' articles.
Guardian.co.uk RSS News feed for many articles of DRC
MONUC Top News page - The UN Mission for DR Congo site has several resources to learn about current events in DRC.
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Congo Forum: News and the political background - The kind of news you might not hear elsewhere.
Time.com: "In the last several months, attacks against innocent, impoverished civilians in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo had become numbingly commonplace as a rebel group bloodied government troops, capturing and later relinquishing federal military installations. Indeed, chaos seemed to have reached a weary sort of equilibrium as refugees scattered at each outbreak of fighting. Few people in the west seemed to notice, or care."
Questions: Contact