NCJ Number: 218123
Title: Invisible Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice Volume:4 Issue:1/2 Dated:2006 Pages:129-143
Author(s): Zelma Henriques
Date Published: 2006
Annotation: This commentary examines the features of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the response of the international community, using information available from international organizations and other sources.
Abstract: The current conflicts in the DRC have their roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Four years after the genocide, Rwanda invaded the DRC in pursuit of thousands of fugitive Hutu-power genocidaires who posed a threat to Rwanda's security. Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, with their own agendas, also invaded the DRC, turning the country into the battleground for a continental war that involved approximately 20 armed groups. Since 1998, the country's population has suffered greatly from what has come to be known as "African World War." The people of the DRC have become ravaged by hunger, disease, and death. This humanitarian crisis has been described as one of the worst in the world. Yet the Media Tenor Research Institute, which analyzes international news coverage, has reported that humanitarian crises in the DRC, Uganda, and Sudan are rarely portrayed or reported in most media. It is clear that countries in Africa are not viewed by the media as having the same significance as the countries of Europe, which reflects a subtle or unconscious racism. Countries represented in the United Nations have not pressured that organization to analyze and respond appropriately to the crisis. Not only have other countries of the world failed to respond to the crisis in the DRC, many have been taking advantage of the misery in DRC, as companies based in the United States, Europe, and South Africa have exploited the natural resources of the DRC. Many victimized by this crisis feel their lives mean nothing to either their attackers or the rest of the world. 18 references
Main Term(s): Criminology
Index Term(s): Crisis intervention; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Human rights; Human rights violations; International cooperation; International organizations; Media coverage; War crimes
Publisher: http://www.haworthpressinc.com/
Page Count: 15
Format: Article
Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
Language: English
Country: United States of America
To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=239815
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