#south kivu

[dazesanddoodles]

remembered i have some sort of a following here so for anyone interested in helping to lay the groundwork for structural change in the drc, check out the idjwi island education fund!!

Years of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Rwanda has resulted in a substantial influx of refugees, including many orphans, to Idjwi Island in Lake Kivu between the two countries. The island lacks basic infrastructure and the existing schools on Idjwi Island are inadequate and lack resources. Although many international organizations are active in Eastern Congo, there is virtually no support for the Idjwi community.

the island gets sidelined a lot in talks of humanitarian aid but systematic change is needed throughout the whole country and the island is one place to build that foundation

link (again<3):

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/a-new-school-on-idjwi-island/

[khizuo]

(this article was published on Nov. 3, 2023. I highly recommend reading the whole thing to get a good overview of conflict in the DRC as of that date.)

Almost seven million people have been internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — the highest number on record— amid an escalation of fighting in a war that has been ongoing for two decades.  The country’s eastern provinces have been the worst-affected following a resurgence of attacks by the M23 rebel militia, internationally acknowledged to be a proxy force backed by neighboring Rwanda, in 2021. The DRC currently also has over 100 armed groups operating within its territory. 

In Masisi for instance, there has been a “worrying increase” in the cases of severe acute malnutrition, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Reduced trade amid the ongoing conflict has also led to a major increase in food prices, with the cost of cassava flour rising by four times.  The ongoing fighting has also had a severe impact on the health and disease response, with the DRC reporting the highest number of suspected cholera cases and deaths in West and Central Africa region. The country alone accounts for almost 80% of disease transmissions and approximately 60% of all deaths, as per a report released by UNICEF last month. The provinces of North and South Kivu alone accounted for 80% of all cases in the country and 33% of all deaths. 

The current mandate of the EACRF is set to expire on December 8. Meanwhile, the DRC has also called for a removal of the UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, whose current mandate will expire on December 20, around the same time as the country is set to hold its elections.  The Congolese government has indicated that it wants the EACRF to withdraw from the country after its current mandate expires. On November 1, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said, “some Congolese are now questioning why we even asked to join the EAC […] When we joined the EAC, it was to connect our country with the region. The regional bloc was committed to peacebuilding but unfortunately, we have little progress.” 

[datsderbunnyblog]

Two Containers to Restore Life in Congo

Focus Congo are sending two containers to restore life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What do they contain?

1) Medical supplies and equipment to treat the wounded and sick in the war-torn regions of Eastern DRC.

2) Urgently needed humanitarian relief goods for the internally displaced. Donations will be distributed by our local team to different partners we are working with on the ground in both provinces of South-Kivu and North-Kivu.

The collected funds will be used for the transportation of the two containers and all incurring costs until they reach the DRC.

[labutansa]

Life Container Donation for DR Congo

Another Focus Congo fundraiser

“[W]e are sending two containers to restore life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What do they contain?

Medical supplies and equipment to treat the wounded and sick in the war-torn regions of Eastern DRC.

Urgently needed humanitarian relief goods for the internally displaced. Donations will be distributed by our local team to different partners we are working with on the ground in both provinces of South-Kivu and North-Kivu.”

[adarinas]

(WIP) Resources Masterlist

*Note: a lot of these are geared toward American and/or English-speaking populations, my apologies, but plenty of them are global!

GENERAL

End Global Genocides Master Document | Another Master Doc | Tumblr Post - Links to Informational Articles/Websites

Donations: Fundraisers - Gaza, Sudan, Congo, and more | Doctors Without Borders | Care.org | World Central Kitchen | Operation Olive Branch | Islamic Relief USA

Discord: Global Strikes Against Genocide Discord Server

SUDAN

Eyes on Sudan | Sudan Solidarity Collective | Linktree - Sudanese Diaspora Network

Info: 500 days of war... | Sudan War Explained - Interview

Petitions/Letters: Stop Sudan War | Justice for Human Rights Abuse Victims in Chad and Sudan | Stop Arming Saudi Arabia and the UAE to stop the Sudan genocide

Donations: Sudan Funds | Tumblr Masterpost - Sudan Orgs/Fundraisers | Water for South Sudan

ROHINGYA

Free Rohingya Coalition

Info: CNN - Hundreds of Rohingya face drone strikes / ethnic cleansing in Myanmar

Spotify - Rohingya Culture Interview

Petitions:

Donations: Mutual Emergency Aid 4 Rohingya | Emergency Aid for Rohingya Orphans and Disabled Families

TIGRAY

Tigray Action Committee

Info: Omna Tigray - What's happening in Tigray? | Tghat News | UN Article from Sept 2023

Petitions/Letters: Petition - Demand Aid to Tigray | Stop the Tigray Genocide

Donations: Places to Donate for Tigray Tumblr Post | Ahwatna Relief

DRC

Friends of the Congo | Focus Congo | Congo Resources Tumblr Post

Info: DRC: Inside the world's forgotten war | Congo Genocide Explained - Interview

Petitions: No Tax Dollars to Fund Congo Genocide | Halt the Ongoing Genocide in Congo

Donations: SOS Congo (organized by Goma Actif) | IRC in Congo | Action Kivu

KASHMIR

Stand with Kashmir | Kashmir Masterlist Tumblr Post

Info: Kashmir - Paradise Lost (BBC)

Petitions/Letters: Stop Arming Indian Occupation of Kashmir

Donations: KASHMER

EAST TURKESTAN

Campaign for Uyghurs | Uyghur Truth Project | Camp Album Project

Info: Persecution of Uyghurs in China - Wikipedia

Petitions/Letters: Change.org - Uyghur Muslims

PALESTINE

Jewish Voice for Peace | USPCR Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit

Info: Wizard Bisan, a Palestinian journalist

Petitions/Letters: Not Another Bomb | Amnesty - Demand a Ceasefire | Tumblr Post with Petitions | Ceasefire Now | (JVP) Tell Congress - Arms Embargo Now

Donations: Gaza Funds | Low on Funds Palestinians Fundraisers | Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraisers | Arab.org Daily Click | Middle East Children's Alliance

ARMENIA

Learn for Artsakh | Help Armenians Carrd | Artsakh Genocide Action Toolkit

Info: Denying Your History - Armenian Genocide

Petitions/Letters: Petition - Stop Erasing Armenian Culture | International Recognition of Artsakh

Donations: Fund for Armenian Relief | Armenia Fund | CARITAS Armenia | ARS of Eastern USA inc.

INDIGENOUS AMERICANS

MMIWG2S | Indigenous Action | NDN Collective

Petitions/Letters: Stop sterilizing Indigenous women without consent | Free Leonard Peltier

HAWAII

Info: Tourism's Negative Impact on Native Hawaiians | Noho Hewa Film (2008)

Donations: Hawaii Community Foundation

HAITI

Haiti Liberation Google Doc

Donations: Hands Together for Haitians | Haiti Outreach | Hope for Haiti | Twitter Thread of GoFundMes/Donation Links

WEST PAPUA

Free West Papua Website | West Papua Resources/Info Tumblr Post | We Need to Talk about Papua Carrd (last updated 2021 but has good info)

Info: United Nations - Indonesia: Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans | Twitter Thread of Helpful Articles

Petitions/Letters:

ALSO:

The Kurdish Project

KEEP BOYCOTTING, PROTESTING, AND DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN! FREE ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLES OF THE WORLD!

If you can't donate, share!

If you have any concerns with the links I've posted, please share! I tried my best to verify everything but please let me know if you are doubtful of something! Also, please please share other resources from people who are directly impacted by these genocides!!

LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 16 2024.

[indecisiveavocado]

so you're mad about israel and only israel

why?

Because it is committing genocide, actively funded by me or my government, and the people committing genocide are not the people indigenous to the region. also, it should have a potential killable population over 6 million (my very rough upper estimate for the population of palestine). And they should be targeting civilians. Maybe attacking refugee camps.

Ok! Bit restrictive, but reasonable enough.

So I expect you to act precisely the same as you do regarding Israel/Zionism/Jews/etc with the following:

Chinese

Rwandans

Why?

China: Uyghur genocide:

Genocide

Unless you avoid all Chinese products, funded by you. In fact that's even worse because it's possible but difficult to avoid Chinese products, as opposed to paying taxes.

Han Chinese are not indigenous to the region.

There are over 11 million Uyghurs

They target civilians.

Rwanda:

Genocide in the Congo, backed by them. (Genocide Watch lists the Congo at an Emergency level, same as China.)

The main indigenous group in the region are "Nande (North Kivu), Bashi and Barega (South Kivu)". There are minorities of Kinyarwanda, but they are mainly descended from refugees of the Rwandan genocide. And there are communities of pygmies. The main group in Rwanda are the Kinyarwanda.

The US and UK fund this via Rwanda

Horrific atrocities have been committed, like massacres.

A refugee camp was shelled.

That's rather restrictive, though. Maybe you have more decency than that.

Let's try this:

It's committing genocide, there's a potential killable population of over 6 million, and my government is staying silent - which is, practically speaking, encouraging it.

In which case, in addition to Chinese and Rwandans, you should (depending on who your government is silent about) be outraged over the conduct of (all of these are listed by Genocide Watch as emergencies, ie genocides)

Central African Republic

ISIS, Ba'athists, etc in Iraq

Iran

Turkey (Kurds in Syria are being attacked)

Mali

South Sudan

Nigeria (non-government I think)

India

Afghanistan

Russia

Sudan (bonus: non-indigenous against indigenous)

Egypt (bonus: non-indigenous against indigenous)

Ethiopia

and many more!

So why are you silent?

[diaryofafeministbw]

KVINNA TILL KVINNA FOUNDATION

The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is an international organization that has been empowering DRC women since 2009. It calculates that 60% of women in the DRC live below the poverty line and have extremely low levels of political participation. The organization works to gain respect for women’s rights and end discriminatory gender practices. Kvinna till Kvinna helps women participate in learning exchanges that provide education and economic empowerment. It also helps finance certain activities of the Rien Sans les Femmes (Nothing Without Women) movement, a collaboration of Congolese women’s rights activists. By supporting smaller partner organizations in the DRC, Kvinna till Kvinna has definitively lowered gender-based violence against women and has boosted political participation for DRC women. For example, the partner organization AFEM (Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu) is a collaboration of female journalists. It uses a radio station, Mama Radio, as its platform to empower DRC women.  Mama Radio caught on and AFEM was able to report reduced violence against women.

WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL

Women for Women International empowers DRC women in numerous ways. Since 2004 it has supported more than 106,000 Congolese women. Its most recent impact evaluation reports increased access to credit, savings and assets.  Second, it reports an increase in women’s ability to pursue entrepreneurship. Finally, it shares that women are benefitting from improved diets and mental health access. In 2022, 256 women received advocacy training in land titling. It also expanded upon its health insurance projects which were able to reduce fees for women and their families by around 50%.

WOMEN'S PEACE AND HUMANITARIAN FUND (WPHF)

WPHF is an international organization that helps empower grassroots organizations to help women become more involved in political affairs. In the DRC, it works with Spotlight Initiative, another women’s rights organization to fund 30 projects��that 51 women’s organizations in the DRC spearheaded. These organizations seek to eliminate violence against women and encourage political mobility for women. For example, WPHF supports our GRACE, which seeks to promote gender-based equality and peace in North Kivu. It also supports CAUSE RURALE, which focuses on providing humanitarian aid to reinforce stronger institutions for women.  Finally, WPHF supports AFPDE, in South Kivu and promotes the strength of women’s organizations.

WOMEN, CRADLE OF ABUNDANCE

Women, Cradle of Abundance is a DRC organization. It has been empowering women in the DRC by attempting the eliminate systemic poverty for women. The organization provides physical safety, medical care, counseling and community services for women. It also helps improve education for women and girls by supporting schools for disadvantaged children. Women, Cradle of Abundance provides women with micro-savings and microloans. For example, it has provided 199 microloans to Kinshasha women. This helped them start or expand their businesses.

[matovugodfreymg]

*🌍 A҉F҉R҉I҉C҉A҉*

Horrific: A two-deck boat carrying passengers on Thursday tilts sideways before capsizing in calm waters on Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo #DRC🇨🇩 killing at least 50 people.

The boat, overloaded with passengers, sank while trying to dock just meters away from the port of Kituku.

It was going from Minova in South Kivu province to Goma, in North Kivu province.

Several survivors say that they saw nearly 200 people on board.

Source: @AP, @Reuters. 🇨🇩 #RDC

*@𝑴𝒈* 💕🕊️

*#A҉F҉R҉I҉C҉A҉_U҉N҉I҉T҉E҉D҉* 🌍

*𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓸𝓯𝓪𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪.𝓸𝓻𝓰*

☕︎☕︎☕︎

[beardedmrbean]

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested with 12 gold bars and $800,000 (£650,000) in cash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

The gold and money was hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were travelling in, according to Jean Jacques Purusi, the governor of South Kivu province.

He said the operation to arrest the men had been kept secret after the recent release of another group of Chinese nationals accused of running an illegal gold mine in the area.

Eastern DR Congo has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds and the minerals used to make batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles.

This mineral wealth has been plundered by foreign groups since the colonial era and is one of the main reasons why the region has been plagued by instability for the last 30 years.

Militia groups control many of the mines in eastern DR Congo and their leaders become wealthy by selling it to middle-men.

Purusi said some of these dealers in precious metals enjoyed good relations with influential people in the capital, Kinshasa, and this was why the mission to carry out these latest arrests had to be kept quiet.

He said they had been acting on a tip-off and that the gold and money was only found after a meticulous search of the vehicle in the Walungu area not far from the border with Rwanda.

He did not say exactly how much gold had been seized.

Last month, the governor told reporters he was shocked to hear that 17 Chinese nationals, who had been arrested on allegations they had been running an illegal gold mine, had been freed and allowed to return to China.

He said this undermined efforts to clean up DR Congo's notoriously murky mineral sector.

They owed $10m in taxes and fines to the government, the Reuters news agency quotes him as saying.

The Chinese embassy has not commented on the allegations.

The arrests come as fighting continues to flare in the neighbouring North Kivu province, where a Rwanda-backed rebel group has captured large areas of territory.

Last month, DR Congo said it was suing Apple over the use of "blood minerals", prompting the tech giant to say it had stopped getting supplies from both DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda.

Rwanda has denied being a conduit for the export of illegal minerals from DR Congo.

In their lawsuit, lawyers acting for the Congolese government alleged that the minerals taken from conflict areas was then "laundered through international supply chains".

"These activities have fuelled a cycle of violence and conflict by financing militias and terrorist groups and have contributed to forced child labour and environmental devastation," they said.

[agelessphotography]

Nowhere to Run, South Kivu, Eastern Congo from the Infra series, Richard Mosse, 2010

[ptseti]

FIDEL CASTRO: MAN OF THE MASSES IN AFRICA

In the 1970s and 80s, Fidel Castro sent 350,000 Cuban soldiers, civilians and doctors to support the African liberation struggle, especially in Angola 🇦🇴 , Namibia, Mozambique 🇲🇿 , Guinea Bissau , Cape Verde 🇨🇻 , and Sao Tome and Principal 🇸🇹 . The Cuban effort eventually hastened the demise of apartheid in South Africa. More than 3,000 Cubans died fighting for Africa.

After the Cuban and their Angolan, Namibian and ANC allies decisively defeated the then feared South African defence forces in Angola, it brought independence not only to Angola and Namibia, but also accelerated the death of apartheid itself in South Africa.

About 600 Cuban soldiers, including 70 doctors, went to Guinea Bissau to help the African guerrillas for 10 years before “independence” from the Portuguese came in 1974. Cuba fought in Ethiopia on the side of Colonel Mengistu Haile Miriam’s troops in the Ogaden campaign in 1978 against an invasion by Somalia. In 1965, Cuba sent the legendary Che Guevara and fighters to Kibamba, near Fizi, in DRCongo’s province of South Kivu, to help the supporters of Patrice Lumumba.

Then came Mozambique and Angola where the biggest Cuban action in Africa was staged against apartheid South African troops backed by America and its Western allies. Castro takes up the story in his memoirs: “ While Cuba was in Angola, and Angola was being invaded by South Africa, the USA made arrangements to transfer to South Africa–racist, fascist South Africa–several atomic bombs, similar to those it exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

[alwaysbewoke]

THOUSANDS FLEE M23 RESURGENCE IN GOMA East DRC is witnessing a mass exodus, amid fears the M23 rebels will capture the region’s biggest city, Goma. In the last few days, thousands have abandoned their homes and fled, while rockets have been raining down on the city’s outskirts. The Congolese army appears to be on the back foot but the government has vowed it will hold the city. M23 - allegedly armed by Rwanda (something Kigali strongly denies) - has been making gains recently in the country’s mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu. The conflict, decades old, has seen over a million Congolese leave the country, and over 7 million internally displaced - in the grip of a humanitarian disaster. It’s feared the intensifying conflict could draw in neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes region if the violence is not decisively quelled fast.

x

[khizuo]

(this article was published oct. 30, 2023.)

Geneva/Kinshasa – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is intensifying its efforts to address the complex and persistent crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the number of internally displaced people climbs to 6.9 million people across the country – the highest number recorded yet. For the first time, nationwide displacement data has been collected in all 26 provinces of the country by the United Nations through IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix.   

As of October 2023, most internally displaced persons, about 5.6 million (81 per cent of the total IDPs) live in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika. Conflict has been reported as the primary reason for displacement. In the eastern province of North Kivu alone, up to 1 million people have been displaced due the ongoing conflict with the rebel group “Mouvement du 23 Mars” (M23). More than two-thirds of the internally displaced persons, nearly 4.8 million people, live in host families.   

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-ex-president-ahmadinejad-registers-run-presidential-elections-state-tv-2024-06-02/

[warningsine]

This ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and throughout the region has intensified – leading to widespread displacement and raising serious concerns about the humanitarian situation in North Kivu Province in particular.

On June 28 and 29, M23 rebels in the Eastern DRC captured the towns of Kanyabayonga and Kirumba, respectively.

Kirumba residents like Tsongo Augustin say more and more people have been forced out of the area, which had become home to many who already had been displaced by the conflict.

"Kirumba is gradually being deserted by the population, and therefore the humanitarian situation is very complicated. This area has welcomed many displaced families from Rutshuru, and now they are fleeing again," Augustin said.

Strategic importance of region

Kirumba is the largest settlement in the Lubero territory with a population of over 120,000.

Kanyabayonga meanwhile is home to more than 60,000 people, but tens of thousands of people had fled there in recent months, driven from their homes by the advance of the rebels. 

The region considered to be a "strategic stronghold, which is meant to block the rebels' advance towards the country's Grand North region," said Professor Adolphe Agenonga Chober, a lecturer at the University of Kisangani, who is also an expert on armed movements.

Soaring humanitarian crisis — and frustration

The capture of Kanyabayonga and Kirumba has now triggered another bout of mass displacement, compounding an already dire humanitarian situation.

"The question we ask ourselves is where will all these displaced families go?" Augustin said.

Others feel disillusioned with those in leadership. Wema Kennedy, a resident of Kirumba, complained that the community is "not seeing the government doing anything to take control of the territories captured by M23."

"Bunagana for instance has been under M23 for about two years now, and many are scared that it will not be easy for the government to retake control of Kirumba. We have the impression that M23, which started as a minor group, is today overpowering everything, and because of this, people are frustrated," she told DW.

A recent attack on a convoy in North Kivu province further exacerbated the security situation and humanitarian crisis in the area — and beyond. Two South African soldiers were kiled in such recents attack, and two members of aid staff are still missing.

The UK-based international Christian relief and development organization Tearfund said in a statement that is condemned the attack on humanitarian workers "who are working tirelessly to serve the people of the DRC."

"We urge all parties to respect and protect aid workers, ensuring their safety as they carry out their vital mission," Tearfund said.

Silence from the international community

The international community and the African Union meanwhile have remained largely silent on these latest developments amid escalating tensions. Professor Agenonga attributes this to a divergence of interests and approaches.

"The international community and the African Union are advocating for dialogue between the parties involved in this conflict — an approach rejected by the government in Kinshasa," Agenonga told DW, adding that "this also does not seem to be doing enough to change the situation and stop the M23 from advancing." The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has reiterated the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the DRC. Eric Batonon, country director of the NRC for Congo, said that action had to be taken urgently.

"It is really important that the international community and all world leaders come together to try to find a solution to these conflicts, and allow millions of women and children to return home and safeguard a safe future for them," Batonon said.

Accusations against Congo's military

The Congolese army's performance, meanwhile, has also come under scrutiny, with accusations of passivity amid escalating attacks and ineffective command structures.

Augustin Muhesi, a political science professor in eastern DRC, underscored the need to reassess the army's strategy:

"This could be related to the morale of soldiers. Many have been fighting for a long time without rest. I am among those who think that we should also consider replacing these soldiers," Muhesi told DW, citing coordination issues due to overlapping command structures in North Kivu as another factor.

Alleged squirmishes among army commanders are also frustrating locals and boiling over into violence. Youth in the town of Butembo have attacked army officers, accusing them of inaction.

"We believe there is a problem with the leadership hierarchy on the front line, and that is what angers the population," Mathe Saanane, president of a network of civil society groups in Butembo, told DW.

A president in crisis mode

In response to the M23's advances, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi convened a Defense Council meeting and reassured the nation of his commitment to preserving the country's territorial integrity.

In his Independence Day address on June 30, Tshisekedi expressed his concern forthe affected populations.

"I cannot ignore the grave security situation shaking our country. To our brothers and sisters in Kanyabayonga and the surrounding regions, I want to express my deep solidarity and compassion in the face of the suffering you endure," he declared.

However, his words of affirmation may fall on deaf ears, as North Kivu province has now been racked by violence since 2021, when the M23 rebel group first resumed its armed campaign in the region.

[sataniccapitalist]

A dangerous strain of mpox that is killing children and causing miscarriages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most transmissible yet and could spread internationally, scientists have warned.

The virus appears to be spreading from person to person via both sexual and non-sexual contact, in places ranging from brothels to schools.

Hundreds of people with the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have attended hospital in the mining town of Kamituga, South Kivu province, in what is likely to be the “tip of the iceberg” of a larger outbreak, doctors say.