Photos: Friends of The Congo\YouTube Screenshots
This week marks the 24th anniversary of Rwanda’s and Uganda’s Six-Day War in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Both nations fought each other on Congolese soil from June 5 – 10, 2000 for control of Congo’s mineral riches. Hundreds of innocent Congolese in the city of Kisangani perished and scores were injured. The victims of Rwanda’s and Uganda’s war are still demanding justice nearly a quarter century later. Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi documents the Congolese victims’ valiant pursuit of justice in his award-winning film, Downstream to Kinshasa.
Paul Kagame’s Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda have both invaded the Congo (1996 & 1998), occupied large swaths of the country, and backed and sponsored militia groups such as the M23 in order to sew mayhem and destruction as both nations profit from Congo’s riches. In a 2001 report (PDF), the United Nations noted “Presidents Kagame and Museveni are on the verge of becoming the godfathers of the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the continuation of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Click here to learn more about the Six-Day War.
Get Involved and Take Action to advance peace and justice in the Congo:
1. Tell the U.S. Congress not allow your tax dollars to fund conflict in the Congo!
2. Join the Africa Faith and Justice Network, The Congolese Community of Washington Metropolitan (CCWM) and Friends of the Congo on Friday, June 7th for Congo advocacy day in the U.S. Congress. Send us an email at [email protected] or call us at 202-584-6512 if you wish to participate.
3. Join us on Sunday, June 9th at 5 PM in Washington, DC at the 14th and V, NW Busboys and Poets for a forum on the current situation in the Congo and how you can get involved in the Congo movement.
