1. Congo BY: BRANDON RUFFIN, DARIUS TOPPIN, LIAM BADIEE

2. Where it happened  Genocide killing as many as 4.5 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1996.  Today, much of the fighting is occurring in North and South Kivu.  The Democratic Republic of Congo was formally known as Zaire and is located in central Africa. Map of Democratic Republic of Congo

3. What happened  Two wars that resulted in a mass genocide where more than five million Congo civilians were massacred as a result of multiple wars and conflicts.  A lot of civilians have also died from preventable diseases due to lack of food, clean water, and health care.  The collapse of infrastructure and displacement of millions of villagers have occurred as a result of these wars. Picture of the horrible devastation

4. Who it happened to  Villagers from Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, Libya, Sudan and many other countries have been affected by the genocide.  People fleeing Rwanda to escape the fighting (left below)  Congolese Tutsi warlord General Laurent Nkunda, who waged a campaign to destroy Hutu rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), accused the Congolese government of backing the FDLR. (right below, picture of FDLR troops)  The war was between the Tutsi and the Hutus.

5. Who initiated the genocide  The FDLR is made up of Rwandan Hutu extremists who entered the Congo following the 1994 Rwandan genocide and has repeatedly attacked civilians in South Kivu.  It has also been involved in the recruitment of child soldiers as young as seven years old.  Rwandan Tutsis are being killed by the political elite, the Akazu. Child Soldier FDLR Soldiers

6. Why it happened  The first war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that started in 1996 happened as a result of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994.  The second war occurred in 1998 and involved multiple armed forces and militias.  The genocide started because of the wars, over valuable resources such as water, diamonds, coltan, uranium, tin, copper, and timber. Picture of Tutsi Rebels

7. Aftermath Picture of a refuge camp In March 2006, rebel and militia soldiers from both sides of the conflict were brought to trial on war crimes. On May 2008, Vice- President and former presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba, was arrested in Brussels and sent to The Hague to face several counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN published a report in 2010 which outlined the violations of human rights and the violations of the laws against humanity. The report also tried to implement a series of options to deal with the aftermath of these crimes. As soon as the villagers begin to feel safe, there is another outbreak of violence somewhere in the territory.

8. Resolution  The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country rich in resources such as tin, gold, diamonds, uranium, copper, and oil.  The country will have to learn to manage its natural resources and control its internal turmoil if it is ever to turn its situation around.  On 2006, President Joseph Kabila was re- elected president.  Peace and Conflict Resolution (PCR) wants to resolve the conflict at the community level.  The DRC must gain control of minerals, ethnic groups, and unpaid armies and police. They must also combat the spread of deadly diseases such as dysentery. They need to protect women and children against violence and rape. Map of DRC’s rich natural resources Joseph Kabila, Re- elected President

9. Congo in the present  Wars are still happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While these wars occur more on the eastern side of the country, the damage they cause is on a mass scale.  Since the beginning of the conflict, 5.4 million people have died.  The PCR has the following current and futures plans: 1. Conflict resolution skills training and seminars 2. Psychological support and counselling and as well as drama workshops 3. Peer education 4. Drug abuse awareness and rehabilitation of those affected. 5. Entrepreneurial training and handcraft skills development to help develop the country economically. 6. Increasing the awareness and advocacy in community schools of children’s rights. 7. Sport activities & adult education programs 8. Both spiritual and traumatic healing. Flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo

10. What we can do to prevent genocide  The U.N. Security Council and key government officials need qn Early Warning system to guard against and predict where ethnic conflict and genocide are likely to occur, and to present policy options on prevention and intervention.  The public must build institutions to intervene non-violently before genocide has a chance to start. Religious leaders should teach peace-making, and should assemble councils to arbitrate religious division.  The United Nations needs to be ready to act as soon as it detects wrong doing.  Although the world now has an International Criminal Court, immunity for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity must end and these criminals must be punished for their actions. UN Symbol

11. Pledge Awareness  PLEDGEAGAINST GENOCIDE : ( from the International Alliance to End Genocide)  1. I pledge to do my part to end genocide: the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.  2. I commit myself never to be a passive bystander to genocide anywhere.  3. I promise to report any signs of the approach of a genocide to government officials, to the press, and to organizations that can take action to prevent it.

12. Pledge Awareness PLEDGEAGAINST GENOCIDE : (continued)  4. I will protest the acts of planners and perpetrators of genocide. I will not remain silent about their incitement of hate crimes, mass murders and other acts of genocide.  5. I will assist the victims of genocide and will help them escape from their killers. I will support the victims with humanitarian relief.  6. I will not stop my protests against a genocide until that genocide is stopped.  7. I will support lawful measures to prevent, suppress and punish the crime of genocide in accordance with the Genocide Convention.

13. Works Cited  "Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide." Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.http://www.ushmm.org/confront-genocide/cases/dr-congo "Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide." Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.http://www.ushmm.org/confront-genocide/cases/dr-congo  "Photos: Rwanda Genocide 20th Anniversary." Canadacom. N.p., 03 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/congo "Photos: Rwanda Genocide 20th Anniversary." Canadacom. N.p., 03 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/congo  "D.R. Congo - United to End Genocide." United to End Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.  "A Short History of the Rwandan Genocide." About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

14. Works Cited  N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.  "Yahoo." Yahoo Image Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/congoelections/2011/ 11/20111123145031662172.html "Yahoo." Yahoo Image Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/congoelections/2011/ 11/20111123145031662172.html  N.p., n.d. Web. N.p., n.d. Web.  "Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide." Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. "Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide." Democratic Republic of the Congo « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.