Physicians for Human Rights Student Program

The Democratic Republic of Congo, home to over 70 million people, is a country of incredible beauty and opportunity. However, Congo is also the site of the most deadly conflict since World War II, with over 5.4 million people having died since 1998. Congo frequently ranks near the bottom in UN Human Development Indicators and highest in rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); over 1.7 million women in Congo are survivors of rape. SGBV is used as a weapon of war against infants, elders, and entire communities.

 

Violence is exacerbated by mining exploitation, a lucrative funding source for armed groups in the east and corrupt actors around the globe. As Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Panzi Hospital Dr. Denis Mukwege explains, “It is a war over Congo’s resources”, but “the time has come to transform conflict minerals into minerals for development and peace.”