Story of Hope from
"The Democratic
Republic of Congo"
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In what can only be described as the largest, unknown humanitarian disaster in the entire world today, the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (formerly known as Zaire) has claimed the lives of 4 million people—at the current rate of 38,000 deaths per month.  Raging since 1998, the conflict has involved multiple governments in seven nations.  Many have pointedly observed that if this conflict were happening elsewhere in the world—in Europe, for instance—that it would be referred to as World War III. 

The conflict began as a struggle for political power but has been exacerbated by fights over basic resources such as water, access and control of rich minerals and other resources.  The civil war began in August 1998 when then President Laurent Kabila, who had ousted Mobutu the year before, attempted to consolidate his regime by expelling the Rwandan military officers who had brought him to power. Various anti-Kabila Congolese joined the Congolese Democratic Movement (RDC), which began fighting to overthrow Kabila, with help from Rwanda and Uganda. Some ten different political/military factions have been vying for control of all or parts of the country.  (Notably, the U.S. has supplied weapons and training to eight of the governments involved in the Congo conflict).

Joseph Kabila, who assumed the Presidency ten days after his father was assassinated in 2001, is recognized internationally as head of state. However, his regime would not survive without military engagement from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Angola.  The central government of Kabila controls only about half the country, while various rebel groups control other regions of the country, including the highly volatile Eastern Region that borders Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Burundi & Tanzania.

The latest figures indicate that almost 38,000 deaths occur in DR Congo every month above what is considered a ‘normal level’ for the country, translating into 1,250 excess deaths every day. Over 70 percent of these deaths, occur in the insecure eastern provinces.  Only a fraction of the dead – two per cent in the volatile eastern part of the country – have been killed by war-related injuries. The appalling death toll is largely due to preventable diseases and food shortages following the collapse of much of the country’s health system and economy. Almost half the casualties are among children under five.