It has been revealed that some social media apps and news articles have spread awareness of a political crisis that has been ongoing for decades. Dating back to the First Congo War that occurred in East DRC, there have been an estimated 6 million deaths. In addition, more than 10 million people have been killed in wars. Eastern Congo is known as the epicenter of fighting, where numerous militias fight against one another for Congo’s immense supply of mineral resources. 

In DRC, the enormous amount of minerals has caused many atrocities and issues for people living there. Congo is known to be “the world’s fourth largest diamond…the second largest cobalt supplier, as well as [a nation] extracting vast quantities of copper, gold, iron, cobalt and manganese from the bowels of the earth” (The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Forgotten Genocide). 

Powerful global resources such as cobalt and gold are what draw most militias to conflict in the DRC. Cobalt is a mineral that is used to create the tech supplies used every day: phones, computers, gaming consoles, etc. As our society continues to evolve in the advancement of technology, the consumption of cobalt continues to increase. As DRC holds much cobalt, many of the country’s neighboring countries and militias target Congo.

It has been reported that militias that export cobalt have been capturing and enslaving local population, including women and children. Cobalt is a radioactive mineral that is dangerous to both touch and digest. However, civilians are still forced to mine cobalt and dig tunnels due to a lack of training and without proper gear as they mine cobalt with their bare hands.

This crisis happening in Congo can be attributed to greed for natural resources. Pope Francis I, who had visited the DRC described the situation in Congo as “poison of greed, which has bloodied the diamonds” 

The crisis in Congo is complicated. As violence continues, the country has not been able to stabilize and create a society with laws and structure. As a result, millions of Congolese people continue to suffer.