The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most perilous regions in the world for women and Christians. Disease is rampant, with children as young as four being forced into labor in mines.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is 95% Christian, has seen its faithful targeted by jihadists. Recently, Islamist ADF terrorists, aiming to establish a Muslim Caliphate in the eastern part of the country, executed 70 Christians in a church.
Women face severe threats as well. According to the U.N., there were 895 reported cases of rape during the last two weeks of February alone, averaging over 60 cases daily.
In the eastern regions, “Sexual violence and human rights abuses remain rampant, as is the looting and destruction of civilian homes and businesses,” stated Patrick Eba, deputy director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection.
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Eba noted that “hundreds of thousands of people are on the move”, fleeing the violence, with many crossing into neighboring countries.
In October of last year, over 150 female inmates were raped, with many later burned to death in Goma. As M23 rebels advanced on the city, prison guards abandoned their posts, allowing hundreds of male inmates to escape and assault the women.
The sick are also at significant risk. Recently, the U.N. humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) reported armed men raided at least two hospitals in North Kivu’s capital Goma, abducting numerous patients.
Disease is a major threat, with three mystery outbreaks occurring in the DRC over the last six months. The latest report from the World Health Organization indicated that 60 people have died, and 1,318 others have shown symptoms of a serious unidentified illness in Equateur Province.
The agency revealed that the disease spreads rapidly, “with a median time from onset of symptoms to death of one day.” Tests for Ebola and the Marburg virus have returned negative results.
In the Eastern Kivu provinces, hundreds of thousands have been displaced as foreign-backed rebel groups confront government troops in a conflict that is “playing out in one of the poorest regions of the earth,” according to analyst Frans Cronje, who added, “Thousands have been killed, disease pandemics are commonplace, and women live under constant fear of rape and abuse.”
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Cronje explained that “the conflict in the DRC is fundamentally about control of critical minerals.” He elaborated that numerous rebel groups and some state actors are involved in the conflict, with the two Kivu provinces containing vast deposits of minerals that are crucial for applications ranging from defense and AI to green energy.
Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and editor of the Long War Journal, pointed out that “the minerals are only partially, or even tangentially, related to the violence. The main issues stem from regional political conflicts, ethnic tensions, and religious strife, as well as general localized banditry. While some groups profit from artisanal mines, not all do.”
For over a decade, children in some areas of the DRC have faced extreme exploitation and abuse, reportedly at the hands of Chinese interests, being forced to mine deep underground for metals like cobalt. According to Michigan State University’s Global Edge Research Organization, an estimated 70% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the DRC, with China owning or co-owning 80% of the DRC’s cobalt mines.
This modern-day child slavery persists despite widespread outcry. A report presented to a joint House and Senate Committee in November 2023 stated that the DRC has been “brutally pillaged throughout history, driven by corrupt individuals’ insatiable desire for power, wealth, land, and resources like rubber, copper, palm oil, and now cobalt, all at the expense of innocent women, men, and children.”
Jason Isaac, founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute, remarked, “Children as young as four are forced to mine cobalt.”
Roggio suggested that the Trump administration could take several actions, “from counter-terrorism against one of IS’ most active global branches to addressing a potential large-scale regional conflict, or even enhancing governance. A more stable, secure, and prosperous Congo would significantly benefit the global economy and regional security.”
