Summary Of The Documentary The Truth About Congo

This week’s theme is on the impact of war on women, specifically in Congo. When reading Rape in War: Motives of Militia and watching the documentary called The Truth About Congo, it was shocking to understand how rape can have such a significant role with destroying communities and is even used as a strategic tactic. I also was not aware that these conflicts were have happened and are still ongoing. It was mentioned in the documentary that, “over 6 million people have died and yet the world remains silent.” This is true because even I was not informed about this recent genocide. But this also made me wonder why is this even happening in Congo and for what reasons. In the documentary it said how Congo became a weakened state. This dates back from the 1800’s where the people of Congo were enslaved and under colonial rule.
And in 1996, they have been invaded by Rwanda and Uganda and it is still going on today. This began to make more sense to me because when there is not a stable or functioning government, war can prevail. But I was still wondering why Congo, in specific, has been so affected. Then I understood that it was because of their wealth from their natural resources. Dan Fahey of the University of Berkeley mentioned how Congo has many natural resources such as gold deposits, diamonds, copper, iron, and many other minerals. Because of this, since 1885, Congo has been in a geostrategic battle for their natural resources since they are so valuable. This created armed conflict because of the desire of many armed groups and neighboring countries to benefit from this wealth. It was also mentioned how these resources that are found in the Congo are vital to major industries in the west such as automotive, aerospace, technology, and even in jewelry. Yet, the United States have ignored their