By World BEYOND War, February 25, 2025
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the second largest country in Africa, covers an area of 2,345,000 square kilometers, making it a vast and diverse territory. Its official language is French, and its four national languages are Swahili, Lingala, Kikongo and Tshiluba. This vast land is bordered by nine countries: Angola, Rwanda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Zambia, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Congo Brazzaville. The DRC is crossed by the Congo River, the eighth longest in the world at 4,700 kilometers, which is a crucial waterway and a rich ecosystem. Congo is a country rich in natural resources and unique biodiversity. Its tropical forests, the second largest in the world after Amazonia, are an essential lung for the global climate balance. Its abundant rivers and lakes make it one of the largest freshwater reserves on the planet.
For several decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the scene of endemic violence, fuelled by armed groups (FDLR, ADF, M23, AFC, Maï-Maï, etc.) and outside interests. These conflicts, often invisible on the international scene, have their roots in struggles for control of the country’s mineral resources, such as coltan, cobalt and gold, which are indispensable to modern technology. Coltan, used in the manufacture of cell phones and computers, is extracted from mines often controlled by armed groups who finance their violent actions with profits from the sale of these minerals on the world market. This trade in resources, sometimes referred to as the “blood trade”, destroys lives and entire communities.
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