When we open our televisions we hear of places such as Syria, Iraq and Palestine plunged in war, but rarely do we hear of the Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been plunged into a terrible war for over 20 years but the failure of the media houses to cover the conflict that has been happening in the east part of the resource rich African nation is very sad.
On the 19th of December the term of President Joseph Kabila came to an end but he has refused to relinquish power citing that the country does not have enough money in her purse to hold elections and that elections will be only viable in 2018. In response to his statement the Congolese people decided to take to the streets to demonstrate and force Kabila out.
The United Nations as well as the African Union have done nothing much to negotiate with Kabila to leave power and even to a point where Western diplomats said they had ran out of peace. The Congo is in fact the richest nation in the world having minerals worth 45 trillion us dollars in reserves and peace is very important for the country to experience peace for various reason and those are:
1) A peaceful Congo can contribute to a great deal of stability in the volatile great lakes region which has experienced a lot of conflicts as well as a genocide in 1994 in which the western power knew it was coming but decided that it was going to only evacuate it's officials and citizens.
2) In anatomy we are taught that the Heart is very important in the functioning of the body and this is indeed true for the Congo. The vast rich mineral resource country is the heart of Africa. It's minerals such as oil, gold, diamonds, copper and even if it's natural soil makes it a nation that can contribute hugely to economic development of the continent. If the heart is not at peace or healthy how can we expect the rest of the body to work properly.
3) Many African countries suffer from electricity issues and scientists have discovered that the Congo River is able to supply most African countries with hydro-electricity without water running out.
These are just some of the reasons why the search for peace and stability in the Congo is very important.
The silence the world has given to Congo is very worrying and in a country where about 5 million people have died since the War started it is shocking to see the world is quiet about what seemingly one can call a silent genocide. On the other hand the silence from the world should teach Africans to find solutions to the issues their respective states face and this can be seen by the statement Western diplomats tasked with finding a lasting peace solution to the Congo said when they confessed that they have ran out of ideas to establish a peace accord.
In conclusion the Congo remains a hell for many of its citizens living in the country. In a country where many people go hungry everyday their only dream is peace, a peace that will let them flourish and start a new life. Africa's success lies in the stability of the DRC and thinking otherwise is akin to asking for snow to fall in the Kalahari desert.
