Congo’s second election since the “official” end of the civil war in 2003 was held in November.  Last week the election results were finally released, with the incumbent, Joseph Kabila being declared the winner with 49% of the vote to opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi taking 32%.

Officials from the Carter Center have said that the official results of the election “lack credibility.” Following the release of the election results Tshisekedi declared himself the winner.

Here are several articles about the election:

Enough Project Blog post from Easter Congo
Washing Post Editorial
Ben Affleck/Cindy McCain/Anthony W. Gambino Op-Ed on Huffington Post

The situation is tense.  Although police disbursed protesters there yesterday, our friends in Bukavu have told us that things there have been peaceful thus far.  We hope and pray that as time passes this political situation will end peacefully.  We will continue to post any information we receive as we get it.

“The situation facing the DRC is often overlooked for it’s complexity”
- Crisis in the Congo (Film, 2011)

This quote from the short documentary Crisis in the Congo being produced by The Friends of the Congo could not be more true.  The film does a beautiful job of helping you understand the complexities of the situation Congolese people gripping your heart with the facts of what is actually happening.  Through interviews intertwined with news footage it weaves the story of how we got to where we are in the Congo today and how the west has been complicit in much of what has happened to bring the Congolese to their present circumstances.

NOTE: The short film is a graphic portrait of what is happening in the DRC, so please be advised before you begin the video that it is not for the squemish. But it may be the best piece I have seen on what is happening in the DR Congo and gives a very clear and stunning portrait of the internal and external political and social climate facing the Congo today.

Please watch and share this 26 minute film from the Friends of the Congo that will change forever how you see the situation facing the DRC.

Our director, Evan Vetter, recently guest blogged over at Daredreamermag.com about his decision to finish the Congocast project as a film and the impact that decision had on his life. You can check out the post here – we hope that it challenges you to prepare for the risks you have ahead in life and inspires you to take a leap to do something that can help impact the world around you!

If you’re reading this post on a laptop or a cell phone, chances are you’re unknowingly participating in the struggle over CONFLICT MINERALS (and unfortunately, as we type this, we are too).

Conflict minerals are those mined in areas that are plagued by armed conflict and human rights abuses – and the DR Congo is one of the most notable places in the world where this occurs.  Profits from the sale of minerals like gold, coltan, tantalum, tin and tungsten help to fund the activities of armed rebel groups that keep the country in a constant state of instability.  These groups use fear, violence and rape to control the local populations working the mines and then sell the minerals to traders who ultimately sell them to multinational electronics companies manufacturing devices such as cell phones, laptops and MP3 players.

This is one of the many destabilizing forces in the DR Congo – and one that receives very little attention from end-consumers like you and me.  To quote a recent article in the New York Times on the subject:

“This is Africa’s resource curse: The wealth is unearthed by the poor, controlled by the strong, then sold to a world largely oblivious of its origins.”  New York Times, November 2008

Recent legislation hopes to turn the tide on this human rights tragedy.  The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law last summer by President Obama, in an effort to improve accountability and transparency in the financial system.  It included a section that specifically addresses certain conflict minerals in the DRC.  This law requires that any company using conflict minerals in the production of their products must report which mines the minerals came from.  The more people become aware of this issue, the more embarrassing this can become for big companies, so several have decided to stop using conflict minerals altogether – most notably, Apple and Intel.

All this to say – take a moment to think about what your next electronic gadget REALLY costs.  We’re encouraged to see companies take steps that could ultimately save lives in the DR Congo!

DO SOMETHING:

Find out how your favorite company is doing in regard to their supply chain and take the opportunity to tell them your thoughts on conflict minerals by visiting the Enough Project’s Conflict Minerals Company Ratings page.

FIND OUT MORE:

You can find out more about Conflict Minerals at the links below:

Enough Project: Conflict Minerals Initiative
CNN: Electronics Fuel Unspeakable Violence
Wikipedia: Conflict Minerals