Posted on 10/29/2008 10:57:56 AM PDT by Righting
Regional war fear as 50000 homeless in Congo in two days Times Online - 29 Oct, 2008 Congolese government forces are fleeing the eastern capital of Goma as Rwandan-backed rebels press towards the town, threatening a lethal confrontation with United Nations peacekeepers and the prospect of all out regional war. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5039595.ece
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Belgian Congo | Colonial Genocides | Genocide Studies Program ... Leopold’s efforts to establish Belgian influence in the Congo were ... 1909 Belgian Congo. Russell Schimmer Genocide Studies Program, Yale University ... link
Belgium confronts its colonial demons. Historians will investigate charges of Congo genocide. Andrew Osborn in Brussels; Guardian Weekly,; Thursday July 18 ... link
BBC NEWS | Africa [2004] | King Leopold's legacy of DR Congo violence The monarch turns Congo free state into a massive labour camp, ... Belgium's King Leopold II left arguably the largest and most horrid legacy of all. ... choppig hands... link
Woman: 'They wanted to destroy my body and spirit' CNN International - 21 Oct 2008 ongo has long, bloody history
There seems to be so much to know. The history of Congo is as tangled and bloody as the complex war that engulfs it today.
Belguim ruled Congo from 1885 until it gained its independence in 1960. According to the CIA World Factbook, Congo has long been "marred by political and social instability."
The Factbook's dry description does not do justice to Congo's gory history. Adam Hochschild, author of the prize-winning book, "King Leopold's Ghost," wrote that Belgian King Leopold murdered up to 8 million Congolese while robbing the country of ore and rubber at the beginning of the 20th century.
The struggle for control of Congo's rich natural resources -- the CIA Factbook says it is "endowed with vast potential wealth" in diamonds, gold and cobalt -- has fueled much of the violence today, activists say.
Since 1998, various armed factions -- tribal, rebel and militia -- have fought for control of the country and its resources. UNICEF says the war has cost more lives than any other war since World War II.
Rape has become a primary weapon in that war, says Geoffrey Keele, a UNICEF spokesman. Keele says rape is designed to destroy the Congolese community. Husbands, families and villages often shun rape victims. A weak and divided community is easier to conquer.
"Rape is designed not just to injure and dehumanize the women but impact their families and communities," Keele says.
Keele says UNICEF has established at least 90 forums throughout eastern Congo this year to educate women about their rights and encourage rape victims to talk about their abuse.
Congolese women have traditionally held such low status that many expect violence from their husbands and men, Keele says.
"A lot of the women we talked to had said that this is just their lot in life and it is something to be endured," he says. link
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I posted this, in case the Belgium "court" wants to "try" Bush on so called "war crimes" in Iraq...
Its amazing how real colonialism was never a serious problem with Europeans until after they undermined their control of 2/3 of the world in WWI and II.
paging Roland...Mr. Roland, please pick up the nearest courtesy phone...
Thank you for an informative post. There is more bad news from the Congo today, I may post some articles.
As for the Belgian justice system, indeed, I see your point, but there is no need to go all the way back to King Leopold’s time. Why have they never prosecuted the accomplices of the pedophile serial killer Marc Dutroux? One of the worst cover ups, most sinister.
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