As you sit down to read this entry someone is getting raped. It is horrible, dark thought but at the core of its evil springs the hope that through awareness things will change. I’ve set up this blog as a tool to inform. Most of the blog will be devoted to world issues but every now and then I might throw in a political debate or something I think is important just to spice it up a bit.
I was very surprised when I read an article about a war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Darfur has been getting a great deal of attention lately but not too much has been said about Congo…ever. This is pretty shocking to me due to the fact that between 1998- 2004 (when the majority of the fighting took place) over 3.5 million people died in the DRC and the number is still rising. The reason why the country was at war is pretty confusing but in a nutshell it began due to spillover from the war in Rwanda (same war that the movie Hotel Rwanda was based on). Laurent Desire Kabila, leader of the AFDL forcefully ousted then President Mobuto and declared himself Prez. Since then other groups have tried to take over Kabila’s presidency. Also, during this time natural resources were illegally being exploited which hurt the country severely. In 2001 Kabila was assassinated and the presidency was handed over to his son. In 2002 things began to look up when all parties signed a power sharing agreement. Elections for the new government took place in July 2006. Positions for a president and 4 vice presidents were agreed upon. To continue with the thread of disaster that has been sewn through this story, the elections turned out to be a disaster. Rebel leader Jean Pierre Bumba refused to loose to incumbent President Kabila and sporadic fighting ensued. Despite this, Kabila ended up winning the election. Today, the country is incredibly fragile but making moves to retain peace.

Whew… now with that said I am sure you are wondering why I started my entry with that opening statement. To put it simply during the war soldiers used rape as a weapon. It is hard to imagine this world has become such a filthy place but to millions of people this fear is a reality. Throughout my research on this topic I have read stories that have made me cry. What is going on in Africa is disgusting. To give a taste of what some people have endured, I will summarize a few stories. A 6 year old girl was gang raped in the bushes when she was playing outside but girls as young as 2 years old have been reported as rape victims. A 70 year old woman was brutally raped and awoke to the murder of her 5 sons, 3 daughters and husband. Women are mutilated with knives, guns, sticks and padlocks… The brutality that has been displayed in The Congo is enough to make even the strongest stomach sick. I have chosen to leave the gruesome details out of my entry but if you want a greater grasp as to what is going on please click to three links below. The first link pertains to the history of the war in Congo and the second one speaks of the countless tortures that women have endured and MOST IMPORTANTLY at the bottom of the third link are ways to help the cause. Anything you do will help.
Please read the links, they are eye opening. It will truly leave you speechless.

www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/congo.htm
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040308/goodwin
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=383700