How Many Thousands More Must Die for the World to See Congo?

In the last week of October, intense attacks in El Fasher, a city in northern Sudan, left more than two thousand people massacred in just a few days. It was only after this slaughter that Sudan managed to break into the global news cycle. News broadcasts, newspapers, and social media posts briefly covered the tragedy that has been unfolding for two and a half years. In some countries, small groups of concerned people gathered, holding protests to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe.

Yet, until now, the world had turned a deaf ear to the tragedy in Sudan, where thousands have been slaughtered since April 15, 2023, millions displaced, women raped, and children struggling with hunger and deprivation. It was only when footage of the massacres committed by the Janjaweed militia was broadcast that the world seemed to suddenly "wake up." In other words, the international community waited for the death toll to become "sufficiently large" before it would hear the cries of the Sudanese people. However, this "sudden awakening" temporarily overshadowed the genocide in Gaza.

So, how many thousands more people must die in a few days for us to pay attention to another invisible tragedy in the heart of Africa?
When will the world act for the people of Congo?

The hands that extract the most critical components for our ever-present phones, computers, and electric vehicles are tired of wiping away sweat and tears. In this country, where mines are plundered in the name of accelerating the transition to clean energy, women are repeatedly assaulted in front of their families. In our world, which is transforming education with artificial intelligence, there are children deprived of their right to go to school because they are forced to work in mine shafts.

And there are thousands of innocent Congolese, cut down for daring to challenge the colonial order.

When will these people make the headlines?
Must we wait for thousands more lives to be extinguished at once to hear Congo's cry?

What is Happening in Congo?

Before gaining independence, Congo was managed as the personal property of Belgian King Leopold II, its natural resources and human power ruthlessly exploited, leading to the deaths of ten million people. Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still carries the echoes of that dark past. For over thirty years, its people have faced one of the world's deepest and longest-running humanitarian crises.

The roots of the current conflicts in Congo trace back to the ethnic (Hutu-Tutsi) tensions in Rwanda in the early 1990s. Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, armed groups crossed the border and invaded eastern Congo in 1996. This invasion, recorded in history as the "First Congo War," caused the deaths of approximately 500,000 people. Just two years later, a larger conflict erupted, involving other countries in the region: the Second Congo War.

Beginning in 1998, this war is recorded as the deadliest conflict in human history since World War II. To date, over 6 million people have lost their lives, and more than 7 million have been forced to flee their homes.

Today, the legacy of these wars—a state of chaos—persists, particularly in Eastern Congo. The region, rich in mineral resources, is a stage for control struggles between over 120 armed groups. These groups raid villages, displace people through terror, and systematically use rape against women and children as a part of their war strategy. Millions of people are trying to survive in inhumane conditions in refugee camps, amidst hunger, disease, and violence.

International media often covers the crisis in Congo superficially. News reports frame the issue under headlines like "the fight against terror" or "ethnic conflict." The real reason behind the global powers' silence lies in the subterranean wealth of Congo, which is at the root of the crisis.

The Resource Curse

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world's richest countries in terms of subsoil resources. It is the world leader in reserves of coltan, an indispensable mineral for the electronics industry. Coltan is a fundamental raw material for everything from phones and computers to electric vehicles and AI hardware. Furthermore, the country possesses extraordinary wealth in copper, cobalt, gold, diamonds, and rare earth elements.

But Congo's wealth has become a curse, not a blessing, for its people. This is why the country is cited as one of the most painful examples of the "resource curse" frequently mentioned in economic literature. The richer the land, the poorer its people.

Congo's natural riches are not limited to minerals. The Congo Basin is home to the world's second-largest rainforest after the Amazon. The Inga Falls, powered by the mighty Congo River, make the country's hydroelectric potential unique. The Grand Inga Dam project, led by China, aims to transform this potential into a massive energy production hub. However, when completed, most of the electricity generated will not go to the Congolese people but will be sold to mines operated by Chinese companies and to countries like South Africa.

While the country floats in wealth, its people live in darkness. 85% of the population still lacks access to electricity. This shows that the exploitation of Congo is not just a thing of the past but continues today under different guises.

Most of Congo's mines are operated by companies from China, Western countries, and Israel. Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler is one of the most well-known names in this system. Gertler's massive fortune, derived from Congo's mines, continues to grow. Despite his name appearing in numerous corruption and human rights abuse cases, Gertler continues his activities unabated. He and others like him plunder Congo's underground wealth as they please.

Multinational corporations force thousands of people, including children, to work like slaves in mines with no safety measures. It's not just about low wages; hunger, violence, sexual abuse, and death are all part of this chain of exploitation.

A recent mine collapse is tragic proof of how 'ordinary' and 'expected' these deaths are. For the mining companies, human life is less valuable than the extracted minerals. This accident is just one of the costs deemed acceptable to feed international supply chains with low costs.

Rebel Groups and External Supporters

Today, over 120 armed groups operating in eastern Congo are the main source of the country's instability. Ostensibly, many of these groups are supported by Rwanda and Uganda. But how can Rwanda, a country about 1/90th the size of Congo, finance such a massive war machine on its own?

Of course, it can't. Rwanda is, in fact, a proxy state directed by greater powers.

Behind this dirty system operating through Rwanda are global actors like Western countries, the United States, China, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. To avoid direct blame for the mineral exploitation, these countries use Rwanda as a front.

The mines in eastern Congo are under the control of armed groups. These groups extract minerals illegally and smuggle them out via Rwanda. Then, tons of illicit minerals are "laundered" in the United Arab Emirates before being shipped to other European countries.

The Congolese people are the ones whose lives are being consumed in the rusty links of this ugly supply chain.

In June, a "peace agreement" was signed between Rwanda and Congo, brokered by the US and Qatar. However, the purpose of this deal was less about peace and more about getting American companies closer to Congo's mines.

The new "framework agreement" signed this past Saturday in Doha between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group repeats a similar pattern. The agreement is less a comprehensive peace text and more of a diplomatic roadmap, opening the door for future negotiations. The reality on the ground, however, remains unchanged: the guns are not silent, only the political statements are multiplying.

In the Shadow of a Silent War

Yes, in Congo today—unlike in Sudan or Gaza—dozens or hundreds of people are not being killed daily by bombs, missiles, and guns. The rhythm of war here is slow.

Here, people are dying within a silence.

Most of those who lose their lives in the conflicts don't even make it into the records. Those dying of hunger, those succumbing to simple diseases because they can't reach a hospital, women who commit suicide out of shame after systematic rape, those who perish under mine collapses, children who succumb to hunger and thirst on the road to refuge—none of their names are in the statistics. In Congo, death has become a silent routine.

There are almost no independent journalists in the region because there is no safe environment for them. Local journalists and activists are silenced, threatened, and sometimes even disappear.

The world uses this silence as a curtain for its own comfort.

The global media does not cover Congo, and we turn our lack of news from Congo into a form of "comfort."

The absence of news from Congo does not mean suffering is not happening there.

On the contrary, where there is no news, the oppression is even greater.

The crisis in Congo is ignored not just because the war is slow-moving or because such conflicts are considered "normal in Africa," but because it is consciously overlooked to protect the interests of global technology companies.

Despite the bright light from our phone screens, Congo's darkness remains stubbornly unseen. We no longer have any excuse not to hear Congo's cry. Our silence allows this wheel of exploitation to keep turning. The question is not how many more will die, but for how many more our silence will exact a price.

This article was originally published in Independent Türkçe