Disease, hunger, poverty, violence, rape, greed for natural resources, and an utter disregard for human rights.

Those are the issues that make the conict in the Democratic Republic of Congo one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Although the Congos ve-year war ended in 2003, these problems still prevail in the country due to lack of education and health care as well as regional conict. The DRC would be a very afuent nation because of its abundance of natural resources, yet many companies and countries have taken control of most of its mines and trade routes. They nance armed groups to use sexual violence and rape on Congolese communities to protect their access to these minerals. Luckily, these problems can be solved. Transforming the current unstable state of the government along with help from the international community is all it would take to turn the fate of the Congo around. So what can you do? Take a look at this pamphlet and nd out!

Check out these websites for more info about the conict and how you can help.
www.congojustice.org www.easterncongo.org www.raisehopeforcongo.org www.enoughproject.org www.congonow.org www.conflictminerals.org www.kambale.com Share these sites with your friends on Facebook and Twitter! Do your part and help stop the crisis in the DRC!

Crisis in the Congo

What is going on in the Congo and what you can do to help...

Background Information
When the Congo gained its independence in 1960 from Belgium, it wasnt prepared to tackle its issues on its own. The country was plagued with regional conflicts, instability, dictatorship, reliance, and corruption. These issues set the stage for the war in 1998, when Rwanda and Uganda invaded the country. Even though the invasion was stopped soon after, violence continued in the area. In 2002, the countries began to make peace and an agreement was signed. Troops from other nations left by the end of 2002.

By the end of 2008, 5.4 million people died since the conflict began in 1998, which is 8 percent of the DRCs population. More than 1.3 million people are displaced from their homes in the DRC. Less than half of the population of the DRC has access to clean water.

Conict Minerals Trade Act

The Conflict Minerals Trade Act was introduced in Congress in 2009. If this bill were passed, goods made with conflict minerals would clearly indicated as conflict mineral products, so that people can be aware about their electronics and know if they have conflict minerals or not. In this way, the trade of conflict minerals would be more controlled since armed groups, who attack many villages and communities in the Congo and promote sexual violence, are primarily financed by this trade. This bill would help stop the conflict with the armed groups in the Congo and bring the DRC a few steps toward much-desired peace.

Conict Minerals
A lot of the Congos issues are caused by the greed for the natural resources and minerals. These minerals, such as coltan, tungsten, and tin ore, are exploited by neighboring nations and corporations. These minerals are predominantly used in electronics, such as laptops and cellphones. Corporations sell these minerals to electronics companies, such as Sony, Apple, Motorola, and Dell. The UN has stated that such companies act as the engine of the conflict in the DRC.

Despite the negotiations, civilians were still being attacked and rebel groups fought to gain control of mineral mines. In 2006, Joseph Kabila became the Congos first democratically-elected president. Even though the election was a success, issues still persist. In 2008, an agreement between the government and rebel groups failed and fighting continued. Eventually, the Congolese and Rwandan governments began to cooperate. To this day, there are still armed militia groups, operating in the Eastern Congo region and preventing the Congo from reaching a peaceful state.

Breaking the Silence

Its time to break the silence about the conflict in the DRC. Heres what YOU can do to help: Support the passage of the Conflict Minerals Trade Act by urging your Representative to help sponsor the bill and get to pass through Congress. Donate! There are many websites that allow you to donate some money for the Congo. Spread awareness! Tell your friends, family, peers, and others! Educating everyone about the issue is very important.

The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 176 out of 182 countries on the UNs Human Development Index. Approximately 30,000 children were involved in armed forces and other militias at the end of 2003.