Violent Attacks in Capital Congo
Early Monday morning December 30th, 40 people were killed in the crossfire of terrorism in Congo’s capital. The rebels dressed in regular attire entering the state television station, the airport and the main military base, were fueled with ammunition. They also carried machetes, sticks, and pieces of wood to attack bystanders. The terrorists disrupted a morning Congolese talk show in attempts to circulate an indirect message of self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Mukungubila, an unorthodox fundamentalist. Before the rebels could broadcast their message, signal to the television station was shut off. Angered, they beat the journalists and tied them up.
The attack is said to have been provoked as backlash after the Congolese military killed several followers of Mukungubila. The extremist had previously written a letter that was distributed by children, proclaiming Congo President Kabila, as a foreigner who isn’t justified in ruling a country he doesn’t belong to. The letter received criticism and military repercussion. Although concrete facts are not available on the rebel attacks, the Congo has been the victim of a tumultuous and violent history.
The growing conflict in Africa has escalated due to the mass consumption and exportation of minerals. The raw materials have been coined as Conflict Minerals similar in reference to Blood Diamonds and are otherwise known as 3TG (Tantalum, Tungsten, Tin, and Gold). The mineral trade in East Africa has been monopolized by militias and continues to grow in numbers, dubbed as the “The Worlds Deadliest War” by Time Magazine. No one is exempt from the deadly conditions of the mines and grave Human Rights abuses not even children. As a result Dodd-Frank Consumer & Protection Act SEC 1502 was brought into legislation on August 2012. The U.S. federal law requires all publicly traded companies to report whether 3TG’s reside in their supply chains and if so to mitigate any trace of the minerals.
Conflict-Free disclosure is the key in industry reporting with the final deadline approaching on May 31, 2014. Industries who enact their Due Diligence will create a more transparent supply chain and support the demand for Human Rights. To discover how to accomplish this click HERE.
