My Land is Bleeding...Again


"We were on our way back from school when we met the rebels. They made us carry some luggage for them and then told us to go with them," says a 16-year-old caught up in the recent unrest in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Clashes between the army and rebels led by Gen. Laurent Nkunda have created a humanitarian crisis in recent weeks, with an estimated 350,000 people forced to flee their homes, a lot of them, men and children have been forced to serve in the rebels army, and the one who dare to refuse are already dead.

Children are being separated and orphaned by this intense conflict. Thousand of people are vulnerable to rape, malnutrition, abduction and disease, left on the side of the road or in the middle of a field waiting for a miracle to save them from a certain death if the world still keep his eyes close.

While DR Congo's last civil war technically ended in 2002, the country's eastern region remains on the cusp of conflict and Congolese across the country continue to die at an astounding pace: 45.000 a month, according to the International Rescue Committee.

In all, more than 5.4 million people have died in Congo since the war began in 1998, according to the most recent survey’s estimate, the latest in a series completed by the International Rescue Committee, an American aid organization. Nearly half of the dead were children younger than 5 years old.

That picture is not encouraging. The mortality rate in Congo is 57 percent higher than the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Particularly hard hit were young children, who are especially susceptible to diseases like malaria, measles, dysentery and typhoid, which can kill when medicine is not available.

Today, the world realise the huge problem this country face and the UN action since last month is an indication that we need to do something to stop this "silence" genocide. Put it that way, Iraq is the main international headline everyday in UK, France or the United States, but since 2003 the war in Iraq killed around 100.000 people according to IBC (Iraq Body Count), 45.000 people died every in DR Congo since 1998 (IRC / Special Report : Congo).

If you want to know, learn, understand or donate to help support the network of concerned organizations and individuals who care about Africa and want to educate the public about the crisis in DR Congo, just visit the Congo Global Action and the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) websites.

Thank you for your help....

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