Stomping Out Rebellion in DR Congo

Comments · 4.5K

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  @VICENews · 3 years ago · pinned

  WATCH NEXT: We hear from the team that investigated the culture of no-compromise gun ownership, industry money, and political dysfunction that has made it so difficult to make meaningful change in the US. - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py62uYJylRs">https://youtu.be/Py62uYJylRs</a><br><br>Check out more VICE News on VICE TV starting at 10p Thursdays.

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• GE

  @General-Vo-Nguyen · 3 years ago

  Congo&apos;s natural mineral potential is valued at $35 trillion, yet is one of the poorest countries in the world. It&apos;s crazy.

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• BE

  @bertinvick · 3 years ago

  As a Congolese I wish most Congolese realize this war is big part &nbsp;media and business. We have to wake-up and stop expecting a change if Rwanda leaves. It&apos;s all on us to stop corruption, tribalism and selling our country for little money. Every war happening in Congo despite all accusations has a Congolese who opened way,its on us to take responsibility

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• AL

  @allensu9363 · 3 years ago

  Love Vice News’ return to true frontline reporting that we don’t see in other media outlets

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• SA

  @salomonmugisa2581 · 3 years ago

  As a congolese born and raised in Eastern congo, i have seen my fair share of these conflicts and the damage are just unspeakable. First all congratulations to the journalist on giving word to each faction without introducing any bias (and she brave af). Sadly as one comment mentionned before, the only people who are hurt are us. The central government couldn&apos;t care less as long as they keep receving the monthly royalties from the exploitation of minerals. For long people have been screaming that the central government left us, but now for their great relief, attention is shifting toward an other enemy (Rwanda, M23) etc.<br><br>If we talking peace finally in the east, HOW EXACTLY is it going to come? Because strategically, the burst of violence from time to time is very beneficial to a ruling party (suprise elections are coming by the way). Every fucking body just want his share. Locals are brainwashed into thinking the other is the enemy while billions are being sent everyday to the central government from exploitations of minerals (they are not all illegal). When everything you have in your life is to survive, it is easy to be manipulated. For those of us who were there during the 2000 genocides, what has changed?? Arming locals to go fight a war that should have been handled by the government is you just creating hundreds of militias again once you give them gun. No training, extrememly biased, no control, we are just going from bad to worse. Are we going to fight M23 out? they were out and we wasn&apos;t fine exactly. then what happens to those you just gave guns and no plan for reintegration?<br><br><br>Seriously someone answer me because i am just lost

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• SY

  @symtexxd · 3 years ago

  I&apos;m a Peruvian and I met a congolese person while going through a hard life situation. &nbsp;He was a smart well spoken person who explained the history and situation of the DRC in a concise manner. &nbsp;I learned from him. &nbsp;I have great respect for african people, they are our brothers. &nbsp;I wish nothing but peace and prosperity for the DRC and Africa in general.

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• AB

  @abisaiamatalo2769 · 3 years ago

  I&apos;m from Kenya, and I can tell you Kenya&apos;s desire to have peace in Congo is genuine. There are tens of thousands of Congolese in kenya (probably more than a hundred thousand), some who came in the late 60s and early 70s, and recently &nbsp;two years ago, there has been a surge of Congolese youths into Kenya. They are hawking shoes, clothing, &nbsp;food stuff, and so many working in barbershop across all cities and towns in Kenya. We love them as our brothers and sisters and we wish Congo becomes stable so that most of these young men and women, who appear to be also highly educated to go back home and work as professionals as &nbsp;trained in schools, colleges and universities. Some are trained high school teachers working as shoes hawkers. Kenyas&apos; interest in the conflict is genuine.

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• ME

  @meishameisha3455 · 3 years ago

  Congo is for the Congolese people... blessings from Jamaica 🇯🇲

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• AV

  @AverytheCubanAmerican · 3 years ago

  More context for why there are Tutsi rebels in the DRC: It&apos;s a spillover from the Rwandan Civil War. Basically, Hutu soldiers fled to what was then Zaire after Tutsis won, These soldiers attacked Tutsis in Zaire, Rwanda saw the former Hutu Power officials who wanted to return to power next door as a security threat and wanted them disarmed, Mobutu did nothing as financial support for him stopped after the Cold War ended, Rwanda invaded with other nations to stop the rebels during the First Congo War, Mobutu was toppled, innocent ordinary Hutus fled, and the violence never ended since then. <br> <br>DRC has such a tragic history that has left them in this loop of violence and absolute cruelty and inhumanity towards this populace. A real example of legacy and generational trauma being passed down and blunting any type of progress. Europeans buying minerals from Rwanda. Europeans chopping off Congolese hands, limbs and violently exploiting their populace for the country&apos;s resources, has left a society of people who know nothing else. The cycle of exploitation, violence and death continues.

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• AH

  @ahorrell · 3 years ago (edited)

  The language choices by the Congolese players are fascinating as always. <br>The people signing up to the militia in Goma speak Swahili, but they call M23 by a French name. French-influenced Swahili has a long history in the region. And, interestingly, it was also spoken by Tutsi fighters who returned to Rwanda in the 90s and defeated the genocidal govt. <br>The militia in the field speak something I don&apos;t recognise - I assume they&apos;re Maimai and it&apos;s their local language? Although it could be Kinyarwanda if they&apos;re Congolese/Congo-born Hutu?<br>Kinshasa elites are speaking French, as expected... but so are the M23. You&apos;d think M23 would use English with an anglo journalist, since the Rwandan govt elites who are accused of funding M23 prefer English to French due to complex reasons (eg the french govt supporting the former genocidal regime)... but nope, M23 are using French (EDIT: M23 also use English, Swahili and Kinyrawanda depending on the audience)). <br>M23 are talking about the murder of fellow Kinyarwanda speakers in Kinshasa (ie Hutu AND Tutsi)... but not the murder of Tutsi-looking people. They&apos;re focusing on the language, not the ethnicity. Meanwhile, Rwanda sits on the sidelines and replies to media in English.<br><br>It&apos;s all extremely subtle and political - Goma recruiters want a broad local ethnic base so they use the main language of Goma, not their mother tongue. Kinshasa wants to not show a Lingala bias (or Luba, for that matter!) (EDIT: It is very standard for national authorities to use French). The Maimai want to show a strong ethnic identity and the M23 want to avoid showing a Tutsi ethnic identity and instead show that they&apos;re Congolese and fit for power in Kinshasa... and while also being mainly concerned for Kinyarwanda speakers (who are ethnic Tutsi). So they speak French, instead of Swahili, English, or Kinyarwanda. And Rwanda? It just wants to be invisible.<br><br>If you are confused, that&apos;s very normal. It&apos;s an extremely complex part of the world. <br><br>(EDIT: Shout out to @ellieallien1464 and others for their useful info in the comments! I&apos;m not interested in looking smart, I&apos;m interested in sharing my modest knowledge about this very important subject :) )

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• FL

  @flock9487 · 3 years ago

  These things really just go to show how often we take our peace for granted. Most of us couldn’t even fathom being born into this life let alone living in it. May god grant the DRC and every other nation facing similar challenges peace.

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• GE

  @georgebrandy3896 · 3 years ago

  It&apos;s sad. Most of these men, signing up to fight, they don&apos;t look angry. They look sad, and desperate. They are fighting to try to keep their families and homes safe, but they look so dejected. I suppose that they are not sure, even in themselves, if they would really lose anything if the rebels took over. They just sign up to fight for the current order of things, to avoid the uncertainty of what would otherwise come. I hope that it can all come to an end soon.

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