The consequences of what happens in a far off place like the DRC ripple through the biosphere. Perhaps you have never heard of the advance of the rebel group M23 which has now taken over major regions of eastern Congo. First to come under assault was the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, one of the largest cities in the country. An estimated 7,000 people lost their lives during the battle. Just last month, M23 took over the City of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu and is threatening to enter the capital city of Kinshasa all the way in the West. It is a complete coup of parts of DRC, if not all of DRC, and M23 is likely receiving direct military support from the army of neighboring Rwanda.
The soldiers are carrying out a new phase of the old Rwandan genocide between Tutsis and Hutus, and M23 has many Tutsi soldiers, which means this conflict could spread into a greater regional war. The real motivation though seems to be control over DRC’s rare earth elements and precious minerals like Cobalt. These materials help power the cellphones and or laptops we use everyday and were likely mined by Congolese children for slave wages.
BioCongo will connect the dots between injustices such as this that threaten not just the people of DRC, but all of us on the planet. BioCongo is here, tracking the pulse of the lungs of the earth.
Video Produced and Hosted By: Derek Gilmore
One of our partner NGO’s (founded by BioEarth cofounder Rodrigue Makelele) has launched a fundraiser. Please support “Save Goma’s Children: Emergency Relief for War Victims” GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/957c53eb). This campaign is led by Vijana Africa, a non-profit organization committed to peace, education, and humanitarian relief in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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