DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

The war in eastern Congo began in the early 1990s and has since encompassed two international wars—from 1996 to 1997 and 1998 to 2003. The country has also suffered from multiple invasions from neighboring countries, with combatants from numerous armed groups, both foreign and domestic. While Congo has abundant natural resources, it is the world’s poorest country per capita, according to the United Nations. And despite hosting the largest and most expensive U.N. peacekeeping mission in the world, MONUSCO, with more than 20,000 personnel and an annual budget of $1.4 billion, the eastern part of the country is plagued by instability and militias continue to wreak havoc on the population. The conflict in Congo is notorious for serious violations of human rights, including violence against women and the use of child soldiers. Militias use rape as a weapon of war, destroying communities by targeting women, the backbone of Congolese society. As Major General Patrick Cammaert, former UN Deputy Force Commander stated, “It is more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier right now.”