Goma, DRC

November 9, 2008 1:47 PM

Covered in lava, Goma in the DRC, was destroyed by the Nyiragongo Volcano a few years back. Since then, the aid hub has seen a lot of turmoil. As Rebel General Laurent Nkunda of the CNDP nears Goma, 250,000 have fled the area and disease is rife.
posted by gman (7 comments total)

Africa.
posted by gman at 2:48 PM on November 9, 2008

You nailed it gman. I heard about the advancing rebel army a few weeks ago on the CBC. There's apparantly a cease-fire right now, but nobody is talking about sending more peacekeepers. It's double sad, that to many observers this is the start of "round 2" of the Rwandan genocide (many of the same players). So much for the Responsibility to Protect.
posted by Popular Ethics at 5:56 PM on November 9, 2008

If anyone is curious, I recently asked a question on where to learn more about the Congo.
posted by lullaby at 6:53 PM on November 9, 2008

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a workable model of intervention or aid that has been able to provide relief without raising other concerns about imperialism, escalating violence, injustice or favoritism towards one side, misappropriation of funds, or just the high costs involved with so little to show for it. I am not the most knowledgeable person in this area, are there any proven successes in assisting peoples or nations in trouble that aren't equally fraught with controversy?
posted by mr.grum at 7:04 PM on November 9, 2008

Perhaps if I add an Obama tag?
posted by gman at 7:50 PM on November 9, 2008

Plenty of background from the Guardian and Independent (1 & 2 )
From Slate 2004 Congo's Cannibal Rebels
posted by adamvasco at 10:37 AM on November 10, 2008

Congo Riches Are Plundered by Renegade Army Brigade. Digging for Tin; Bisie, N. Kivu.
posted by adamvasco at 11:34 AM on November 15, 2008