I heard about this for the first time a few weeks ago on TikTok. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the largest countries in Africa. Here is what I have learned about what is happening there.

First, the expansion of mining is creating an environmental crisis and the enslavement of men, women, and children in the DRC.

The expansion of industrial-scale cobalt and copper mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has led to the forced eviction of entire communities and grievous human rights abuses, including sexual assault, arson, and beatings.

In a report, Powering Change or Business as Usual?, Amnesty International and the DRC-based organization Initiative pour la Bonne Gouvernance et les Droits Humains (IBGDH) detail how the scramble by multinational companies to expand mining operations has resulted in communities being forced from their homes and farmland.

The forced evictions taking place as companies seek to expand industrial-scale copper and cobalt mining projects are wrecking lives and must stop now.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General “Forced Evictions at Industrial Cobalt and Copper Mines in the DRC.” Amnesty International, 31 Oct. 2023, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/drc-cobalt-and-copper-mining-for-batteries-leading-to-human-rights-abuses/.

Here is a bit more info about what is happening in the DRC from HRW.Org

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have committed unlawful killings, rape, and other apparent war crimes since late 2022.

The dire security situation has been compounded by martial law in the region and the collaboration of the Congolese army with various armed groups, mostly along ethnic lines.

The United Nations Security Council should add M23 leaders, as well as Rwandan officials who are assisting this abusive armed group, to the council’s existing sanctions list.

“DR Congo: Killings, Rapes by Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels.” Human Rights Watch, 29 Aug. 2023, http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/13/dr-congo-killings-rapes-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels.

The stories I have read today remind me that the world is a dark, cold place full of selfish people, and while I sit here full of privilege, nothing I do is ever going to be enough. Still, if you learned anything today and decided to read any of this, you may know that the world is not as it seems.