This episode was recorded on the 29th of January and reflects the situation in DRC at that time. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a multi-ethnic, bio-diverse and resource-rich country. Yet the legacy of Belgian colonialism and other western influences have contributed to prolonged and protracted violence. The majority of the current violence, fought between the Congolese army and a wide range of armed groups, including those like M23 who are backed by foreign powers such as Rwanda, the ADF and CODECO, is fought in the eastern part of the country. This has causes mass displacement, high rates of gender-based violence, and plundering of resources. Regional efforts towards peacebuilding have had limited success, and appear largely exclusive of the communities affected most. We are joined by Solange Lwashiga, who called in from Bukavu prior to the town being taken over by M23. Here she heads up South Kivu Congolese Women's Caucus for Peace (Caucus des Femmes Congolaises du Sud-Kivu pour la Paix). We were also joined by Karolina Sklebena, who is a global crisis analysis consultant with Mercy Corps.
Resources
MercyCorps’s Research
Statement from PeaceDirect on violence in DRC:https://www.peacedirect.org/statement-on-the-violence-in-north-and-south-kivu-drc/
Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452174/
MSF’s reporting on sexual violence in DRC