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Country Update: Congo Violence Continues
By Deepthi | April 7, 2008
The Democratic Republic of Congo has abundant natural resources, including diamonds, cobalt, copper and petroleum, but little to show for them. Conflict over resource management has led to bloody conflict and the deaths of literally millions of Congolese. Today, while the conflict has formally ended, the violence and misuse of resources has not.
Rapaport reports violence in the southern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the eviction of hundreds of miners led to the death of a 10-year-old schoolboy. Reportedly, the fighting began when miners began throwing stones at the police, who started shooting to defend themselves.
Likasi in the province of Katanga is an industrial center, and its booming mining industry has brought the violence and ecological concerns that traditionally come with heavy mining activity. Last November brought reports of toxic pollution, with locals warned away from the contaminated river where tests have shown that radiation levels near the area where the material was dumped were nearly 50 times the legal limit.
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