Death in the Congo

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November 2008
- Anarchy Rules Desperate Congo
  
  New York Times | Nov 19, 08 5:55 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Bewildered residents in eastern Congo talk of the "front line" separating rebel territory from areas controlled by the army. But no such line exists—only a jumble of unstable, chaotic territories with no checkpoints or fortifications, reports the New York Times . While a ceasefire between the two sides seems to be holding, residents of the troubled limbo zone are sinking into desperation. More »
- Congo Orphan Faces Lawless World
  
  Associated Press | Nov 16, 08 7:33 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - An infant discovered in a corpse-ridden house may portend a new problem in Congo's humanitarian crisis, the AP reports. Eliya, found crying with a bullet wound, is one of 250,000 people displaced since fighting reignited in August. “Caring for orphans, that’s something new for us,” said a nurse at the hospital caring for Eliya. “It will be difficult, maybe impossible, to find anyone to take him." More »
- Thousands Flee as Congo Ceasefire Fails
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 7, 08 8:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The ceasefire in eastern Congo crumbled yesterday as Tutsi rebels and Hutu militias did battle, leaving dozens of bodies lying in the streets of a town near the Rwandan border and forcing 35,000 residents to flee, the Guardian reports. Hutu residents have accused the rebel army of Laurent Nkunda of murdering civilians. The fighting appears to have been sparked by a regional Hutu militia, supported by the Congolese army; the UN did not intervene. More »
- UN Boss Jets to Congo Amid New Fighting
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 5, 08 4:32 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - UN chief Ban Ki-Moon is traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo to press for a peace deal just as new fighting breaks out, the Guardian reports. The Congolese government has rejected peace talks with the rebels, who have vowed to attack the provincial capital of Goma and continue a march across the nation. New fighting erupted between rebels led by Laurent Nkunda and Hutu militias, despite a week-old ceasefire. More »
- Congo's Crisis at Breaking Point
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 3, 08 7:27 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - European and African officials held crisis talks last night to avert a complete meltdown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the civil war risks degenerating into genocide. The diplomatic push came as Laurent Nkunda, the Tutsi general, led 10,000 rebels into battle in a province bordering Rwanda, which supports him. Thousands of refugees have been displaced once again, and the UN called the humanitarian situation "catastrophic." More »
- War in Congo Is Over Profit—From Us
  
  Independent (UK) | Nov 1, 08 8:47 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - We’re told that the renewed bloodshed in Congo is spurred by tribal conflict and payback for the Rwandan genocide, but that’s not true, writes Johann Hari in the Independent . In fact, the war starting again there—"the deadliest war since Adolf Hitler"—is over Congo’s rich mineral resources—and the wealth generated by selling them to Westerners. “The war in Congo is a war about you,” Hari argues. More »
October 2008
- Ceasefire Calms Congo
  
  Los Angeles Times | Oct 31, 08 6:54 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo has eased after rebels declared a cease-fire, reports the Los Angeles Times . As paramilitary forces moved through the countryside, refugees flooded into the eastern city of Goma—only to face assault, rape and murder at the hands of the Congolese army. UN officials said that 10 people were shot to death and seven were wounded. More »
- Congolese Exodus Begins as Rebels Reach Key City
  
  Associated Press | Oct 29, 08 8:45 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - The strategic Congolese city of Goma descended into chaos today, raising the likelihood of a bloody regional war. Government soldiers commandeered cars, taxis, and motorbikes in a retreat from advancing rebels, joining tens of thousands of terrified refugees struggling to stay ahead of the violence. Tutsi rebels said they had reached the outskirts of Goma—an important staging ground for UN relief efforts—and declared a cease-fire to prevent panic. More »
- UN Pleads for Troops as Congo Battle Rages
  
  Associated Press | Oct 29, 08 8:07 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The overwhelmed United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern Congo is urgently calling for reinforcements, the AP reports. A surge in fighting between Congolese government troops and forces led by a renegade general has sent tens of thousands fleeing. The UN currently has only 6,000 troops in North Kivu, where General Nkunda is threatening to take the capital—and then the country. More »
September 2008
- Congo Probes Witchcraft Stampede Deaths
  
  BBC | Sep 16, 08 11:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Accusations of witchcraft led to a deadly stampede at a soccer game in the Congo, the BBC reports. Fighting broke out between rival teams after players from one team accused the rival team's goalkeeper of casting spells. Police intervened but were pelted with rocks by the crowd. They fired tear gas in response, and 13 were suffocated in a crush at the stadium exit. The Congolese government plans an investigation. More »
June 2008
- Ben Affleck Does Congo Essay for 'Nightline'
  
  Associated Press | Jun 26, 08 12:33 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - "Nightline" will focus on the humanitarian crisis in the Congo with the help of an unusual correspondent—Ben Affleck. The actor took a TV crew on his recent African mission to spread the word on a story little noticed in the United States, AP reports. His motive was to learn about the war and hunger that have killed thousands of people per month in the past decade. More »
- Congo's Gorillas Victims in War Over Charcoal
  
  National Geographic | Jun 23, 08 2:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Who murdered seven mountain gorillas in the Congo last year? Perhaps, National Geographic finds, the question should be how any of the magnificent apes stay alive at all. A three-way military standoff—a holdover from neighboring Rwanda’s haunted past—enveloping Virunga National Park has left gorillas, people, and the park itself in grave danger. More »
April 2008
- UN Troops Traded Guns for Gold
  
  BBC | Apr 28, 08 9:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - UN peacekeeping troops sold weapons to guerrilla fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a BBC investigation claims, charging that the UN suppressed the story for political reasons. Pakistani and Indian troops, part of the UN's largest peacekeeping force of 17,000, are said to have traded munitions for gold. A UN investigation into the scandal was suppressed, a UN insider told the BBC, for fear of angering Pakistan. More »
January 2008
- Congo Peace Deal Can't Stop Post-War Crisis
  
  National Post (Canada) | Jan 24, 08
  
  For the first time in a decade, the Democratic Republic of Congo is at peace, but it could be the peace of the grave. Yesterday, the government in Kinshasa and leaders of 13 warring rebel and militia groups in eastern DRC signed a deal to end one of the world's most deadly humanitarian catastrophes.
- 45K Dying Each Month in Congo
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jan 23, 08 2:34 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo officially ended in 2002, but it's still killing 45,000 people a month, a new study concludes. Malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition caused by 10 years of conflict—not to mention continuing armed skirmishes in the east—have left 5.4 million dead in the most lethal conflict since World War II, the Guardian reports. More »
- War in Congo Kills 45,000 People Each Month
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jan 23, 08

News Sections

Newser Specials

Stories

Anarchy Rules Desperate Congo

Congo Orphan Faces Lawless World

Thousands Flee as Congo Ceasefire Fails

UN Boss Jets to Congo Amid New Fighting

Congo's Crisis at Breaking Point

War in Congo Is Over Profit—From Us

Ceasefire Calms Congo

Congolese Exodus Begins as Rebels Reach Key City

UN Pleads for Troops as Congo Battle Rages

Congo Probes Witchcraft Stampede Deaths

Ben Affleck Does Congo Essay for 'Nightline'

Congo's Gorillas Victims in War Over Charcoal

UN Troops Traded Guns for Gold

Congo Peace Deal Can't Stop Post-War Crisis

45K Dying Each Month in Congo

War in Congo Kills 45,000 People Each Month