Last October a group called Falling Whistles came to Tufts as part of their national speaking tour to talk to us about the deadliest conflict since World War II. As some of you may know, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in the midst of genocide. Over a thousand people are being killed every day, and 1,200 women are being raped every month. The entire country is simply consumed by violence.
In the late 1800s, present-day DRC was colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium. He aimed to extract resources (mostly rubber and ivory), primarily using forced and slave labor. During his reign, he committed countless crimes against humanity. He used his superior weaponry and technology to wipe out any resistance by natives. The Congolese had no voice in government — the white colonizers had a complete monopoly on violence and state power. It is estimated that the population was halved during this colonial period.
Finally in 1960, present-day DRC gained independence from Belgian colonial rule. The people of the DRC were finally able to rule their own land, and they elected Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister. Lumumba was a true man of the people, aiming to bring peace to the DRC after a century of violence and destruction. He said to his people, "Together, my brothers and sisters … We are going to rule not by the peace of guns and bayonets but by a peace of the heart and the will." This peace of heart and will lasted a short six months until Lumumba was assassinated by a rebel group backed by the United States and Belgium, and replaced by the military leader Mobutu Sese Seko. Mobutu immediately drew the nation back into a violent and bloody resource war, with a corrupt, weak government.
Since 1960, the DRC has been continually manipulated and exploited for its resources. The DRC is one of the most resource-rich nations in the world, holding 30 percent of the world's cobalt and 70 percent of its coltan, and is the world's fourth-largest producer of diamonds. Yet it has one of the lowest GDPs in the world. Rebel groups constantly battle for control over these resources and control over the vast wealth they receive from selling resources on the black market to Western industries. There are at least 10 different rebel groups around the country, as well as the rag-tag national Congolese army. What do all of these groups have in common? They all want control over the resources, and they all commit crimes against humanity against Congolese citizens to do it. Mass murder, mass rape and use of child soldiers are commonplace throughout the DRC, and it goes unnoticed and unpunished by the international community. Western exploitation is a major contributor and funder of this, yet few people in the West even know that it is happening.
Falling Whistles is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 in order to bring an end to the war in the DRC. Although they are based in Los Angeles, they have an office in Washington D.C., and thousands of circles and followers around the country.
Our big campaign this year is to ensure that free and fair elections are able to happen in the DRC on Nov. 27. Elections are a sign of stability; they increase the legitimacy of the government and people's trust in it. Until the DRC has a strong, stable government, it will never be able to suppress rebel groups, end violence and control and benefit from its resources. In order for that to happen there needs to be a certain amount of international support. That is why Falling Whistles is advocating for the U.S. government to appoint a special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa.
A senior-level envoy for the Great Lakes region, reporting directly to the secretary of state, is essential to pulling together a comprehensive policy for the DRC and making a positive difference in the region. The U.S. government has yet to present a coherent strategy for resolving the crisis in the DRC. Instead, the DRC's policy sits on the back burners of various undersecretary, ambassador and deputy portfolios in the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Pentagon and the White House.
The DRC's vital strategic importance as a regional, political and economic actor has been well documented — what happens in the DRC ripples through all of Central Africa. With 6 million dead, millions in displacement camps, 200,000 victims of rape, elections fast-approaching and armed groups committing mass atrocities every day — like rape, slavery, child soldiering and conflict mining — the need for an envoy could not be more urgent. Only a senior-level envoy can pull together a coordinated U.S. and international policy in time to have the needed impact on the DRC's elections and to end violence in the region.
While many politicians on both sides agree that this envoy is an appropriate, perhaps necessary, thing to have, it still has not happened. With election season rapidly approaching, the time is now for action.
Please, if you are interested, I ask you to go to fallingwhistles.com, watch our video and sign the petition. It will take two minutes of your time. If you want to do more, which I hope you will after seeing the video, I urge you to spread this message to everyone that you know. We want to get our message out to as many people as possible.
Also, if you are interested, you can join our event on Facebook called, simply, "Sign a petition for free and fair elections in Congo," and follow us on Twitter, either at fallingwhistles or FWboston.
Thank you for your time and in advance for your support. Together we have the opportunity right now to play a major role in bringing change to the DRC, to Africa and even to the world as a whole. Elections are a major step towards stability, legitimacy of government and, ultimately, peace. You can help show the world that our generation will not make the mistakes of our predecessors and stand by and do nothing while genocide and poverty occur around the world.
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Jamie Norton is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
