Episode 89: Congo crisis explained - Maurice Carney, Friends of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo and its citizens should, by rights, be among the richest in the world.
Congo is a country with vast and rich natural resources, abundant potential energy and a strategic place in the heart of Africa. And yet, Congo is currently home to one of the worst humanitarian crises on earth, and its history is littered with genocides and wars that rival the scale of Europe's World Wars. The vast majority of Congo's people are not rich — and many face brutality we cannot imagine.
Since 1998, more than six million people have been killed in Congo, and the killing continues. And yet most of us have never seen a headline about it.
In this episode, we talk to Maurice Carney, head and co-founder of Friends of the Congo, which seeks to raise awareness not only of the crisis in Congo, but of Congo's many great contributions to global life and the inspiring people who are doing amazing work there.
Maurice talks to us about Congo's history, from the brutal period under Belgium's King Leopold II to the moment Western powers destroyed Congo's democracy and the current crisis, where Congo's neighbours continue to destabilise the East of DRC.
We also talk about the connections between the Congolese situation and other crises around the world — like Palestine. And about the solidarity being shown between activists for all these causes.
Covering topics like Reparations, Chinese involvement in Africa and how our own Governments might be facilitating violence in Congo, this is a fascinating episode. We learned a lot! We hope you doo, too.
Join the Free Congo movement today.
You can listen to Episode 89 anywhere: in Belgium, a nation still enjoying the wealth it gained through genocide in Congo; in the UK or France, both of whom have played critical roles in Congo’s current and past suffering; on a phone that almost certainly contains minerals mined in Congo; and/or right here…
You can find out more about Friends of the Congo here and connect with their socials here: FotC Facebook, @CongoFriends on Twitter and their presence on Insta.
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