Topic: Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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The five most dangerous countries for women

TrustLaw, an organization that provides legal aid and information on women's rights, set out to determine which countries were the most dangerous for women.
Ideas for a better world in 2011

To start the new year off right, the Monitor asked various thinkers around the world for one idea each to make the world a better place in 2011. We talked to poets and political figures, physicists and financiers. The results range from how to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world to ways to revamp Hollywood.

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Lord's Resistance Army: After long silence, the US-tracked rebels attack

The deadly Lord's Resistance Army goes on attack again in Democratic Republic of Congo, but coordinated efforts by regional armies and the US military has put them on the run. 
Africa Monitor
California becomes first state to pass conflict mineral legislation

The California state assembly has passed a bill banning state agencies from signing contracts with companies that don't follow regulations intended to remove Congo's conflict minerals from the supply chain.
The five most dangerous countries for women

TrustLaw, an organization that provides legal aid and information on women's rights, set out to determine which countries were the most dangerous for women.
Africa Monitor
US city councils join the battle against Congo's 'conflict minerals'

A handful of cities in the US are exploring ways to make sure that their public funds are not inadvertently fueling the conflict in Congo.
Africa Monitor
Shocking Congo rape statistics show husbands - not just soldiers, rebels - perpetuate the problem

More than 400,000 women were raped in a 12-month period in 2006-07, according to a new study.
Africa Monitor
Congo needs a US envoy, Ben Affleck tells Congress

At a House subcommittee hearing, Ben Affleck and Enough Project founder John Prendergast said the US needs to make a stronger commitment to ending the conflict in Congo by appointing a special envoy.
Ideas for a better world in 2011

To start the new year off right, the Monitor asked various thinkers around the world for one idea each to make the world a better place in 2011. We talked to poets and political figures, physicists and financiers. The results range from how to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world to ways to revamp Hollywood.
Africa Monitor
Group aids consumers' efforts to eliminate support for Congo's 'conflict minerals'

In a report released this week, the Enough Project ranks electronics companies based on their progress on eliminating 'conflict minerals' from their products. Consumers should take note.
Africa Monitor
US legislation on Congo's 'conflict minerals,' explained

A congressional staffer explains recently passed legislation that aims to reduce Congo's "conflict minerals" industry by making it easier for activists to target US companies who import minerals from the Congo.
Africa Monitor
Budgets, mass rape, and the UN mission in Congo

If the budget and force size of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) continue to be cut, we're likely to see less civilian protection, not more.
Africa Monitor
Top LRA commander moves to southern Sudan

Officers from the southern Sudanese Army allege the Khartoum government is supporting the Lord's Resistance Army in return for launching attacks in the south.
Africa Monitor
UN report on Congo rapes: are peacekeepers bad civilian protectors?

Four recommendations for how the United Nations peacekeeping force in Congo can better protect civilians from abuses committed by rebel groups.
Africa Monitor
Congo rejects recommendation in UN report on genocide

Guest blogger Jason Stearns says that the Congolese government's rejection of recommendations made in a UN report on the possible genocide makes it less likely that crimes will be adequately addressed.
Mass rape in Congo reignites questions on efficacy of UN force

A report this week that Rwandan rebels looted villages in Congo and mass-raped more than 150 women and children in July has human rights activists asking why the UN peacekeeping mission can't prevent such atrocities.
Africa Monitor
Next challenge for Congo: International terrorism

Along with Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab militants, many intelligence sources are placing blame for the July 11 Uganda bombings on the ADF-NALU, an armed group based in the mountains of eastern Congo.
Africa Monitor
Why recent US 'conflict minerals' legislation may not help in eastern Congo

The advocates arguing that recent US 'conflict minerals' legislation will help bring peace to eastern Congo are operating on a flawed understanding of the violence and the logic that motivates the fighters.
Bonobo Handshake

Researcher Vanessa Woods shares a tale about a species that can teach all of us a thing or two about peace.
Time to pull out UN troops in Congo? Not so fast.

Congo’s President Kabila wants to pull out UN forces. But Congo is still at war and dealing with tremendous violence. The international community and the Congolese need to create a vision and strategy first.
Rwanda rebel leaders: US, French, Spanish, and Congo business links

Leaked UN report shows FDLR, a brutal Rwandan rebel group operating in eastern Congo, operates gold, tin, and coltran mines. Key leaders still free in the US and France.
Stop your gadget greed from fueling tragedy in Congo

As consumers, we can use buying power to end this deadly war driven by "conflict minerals."
Legacy of Rwanda's genocide: more assertive international justice

Out of 800,000 deaths emerged a new system of justice and more peacekeepers. But will either prove effective or enduring?
Hutu rebels drop guns, return to Rwanda

Rwanda's Army is flushing FDLR fighters out of Congo.
Letters to the Editor

Readers write about giving FERC more authority to site electrical power lines, why curbing population growth will lead to less greenhouse gas pollution, and the UN's efforts to aid in the Rwanda-Congo crisis.
Rwanda-Congo move isolates UN mission

Last week's deployment of Rwandan troops to fight rebels in Congo caught the 17,000-strong UN mission by surprise.
Combat the terror of rape in Congo

The world must act to stop this weapon of war.