1. This background paper will educate on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s history of political violence and economic exploitation. Throughout its history, the region now called the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been plagued with political upheaval and human rights violations. The nation possesses immense natural recourses, the cultivation of which attracts domestic and foreign influence to the country.
2. The history of Western involvement in the Congo region consists primarily of a timeline of perpetual violence, political coups, and civil unrest. The region became a Belgian colony in 1885 under the rule of King Leopold II3. Under his rule, Congolese people and resources were severely abused and exploited. Congo was granted independence in 1960 and the region renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 3. The parliament elected the first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was then murdered in 19613. Colonel Joseph Mobutu seized power in 1965 and ruled DRC until 19973. His rule was punctuated by constant civil unrest, Western interference during the Cold War, …show more content…
The Democratic Republic of Congo has some of the most abundant natural resources in the world. In particular, DRC is infamous for its conflict minerals. The eastern regions in DRC hold the world’s largest cobalt reserves, which produce a majority of the world’s cobalt1. Furthermore, these mines also produce industrial diamonds, tantalum, copper, tin, and gem quality diamonds1. The mining is primarily performed by artisanal miners—using hand tools—but industrial mining is on the rise2. Working conditions are often deadly and mining may be performed under armed supervision2. Furthermore, minerals are sold “outside of the country, using a complex and opaque supply chain.” 2 The vast majority of DRC’s cobalt is sold to China.2 The human rights violations surrounding DRC’s conflict minerals and its violent political atmosphere is the focus of U.S. interests and
2. The history of Western involvement in the Congo region consists primarily of a timeline of perpetual violence, political coups, and civil unrest. The region became a Belgian colony in 1885 under the rule of King Leopold II3. Under his rule, Congolese people and resources were severely abused and exploited. Congo was granted independence in 1960 and the region renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 3. The parliament elected the first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was then murdered in 19613. Colonel Joseph Mobutu seized power in 1965 and ruled DRC until 19973. His rule was punctuated by constant civil unrest, Western interference during the Cold War, …show more content…
The Democratic Republic of Congo has some of the most abundant natural resources in the world. In particular, DRC is infamous for its conflict minerals. The eastern regions in DRC hold the world’s largest cobalt reserves, which produce a majority of the world’s cobalt1. Furthermore, these mines also produce industrial diamonds, tantalum, copper, tin, and gem quality diamonds1. The mining is primarily performed by artisanal miners—using hand tools—but industrial mining is on the rise2. Working conditions are often deadly and mining may be performed under armed supervision2. Furthermore, minerals are sold “outside of the country, using a complex and opaque supply chain.” 2 The vast majority of DRC’s cobalt is sold to China.2 The human rights violations surrounding DRC’s conflict minerals and its violent political atmosphere is the focus of U.S. interests and