Nightmare Congo - free post

Cruelty, chaos and violence – Nightmare Congo

The colonial powers Germany, Great Britain and Belgium have ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi for a long period of time. After the departure of these colonial powers the problems began. The Hutus and Tutsi are two social groups of eastern Africa. After the colonial powers left, the Hutu-majority started to fight the Tutsi-minority in Rwanda. The peak of these fights was the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda. In approximately 100 days members of the Hutu-majority killed more than 70 % of the Tutsis, who lived in Rwanda. The Rwandan Patriotic Front expelled the Hutu-rulers from Rwanda which marked the end of the genocide. In summer 1994 hundreds of thousands Hutus fled to eastern Congo, especially to the province of South-Kivu. There many of them set up camps in the deep woods of Kivu. They did this together with Congolese bandits. For these brigands this area was perfect, due to the lack of infrastructure, radio masts or early-warning systems. These criminal groups have been ruling this area already for a very long time and even nowadays they attack and raid innocent villages. With armed force the Hutu rebels control tracts of land, blackmail protection money or exploit raw materials. Cruelty, chaos and violence are the order of the day. The worst of all is that children and women are the greatest victims of this situation. In every war rape is used as a weapon, however, nowhere else sexual violence is as brutal as in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rape as weapon of war!

 



The offenders believe that the rape of virgins gives them supernatural power and strength. In African countries women symbolize honor and moral. They are seen as the driving force in society. Raping women is seen as an opportunity to destroy the heart of a society. Frighteningly most of the Hutu rebels even don’t hesitate to rape children. The consequences of this cruel behavior are immense. Many women are killed after they have been raped by several men or at least heavily injured or mutilated. The abdomen of many women has been destroyed or is marked by scars and others even have become incontinent after the rape. All women are traumatized, confused and disorientated. They often can’t go back home to their villages because of the villagers who won’t accept them. Unfortunately the rape of a woman is regarded as a serious disgrace and it is a complete taboo subject. The raped women and CHILDREN have to suffer terrible agony and there is hardly any help for them. There’s a lack of medical care and psychological support which is a reason why a lot of these women are left alone with their grief, pain and worries. “Im Schatten des Bösen – Der Krieg gegen die Frauen im Kongo” is a documentary that deals with this horrible topic and also gives a couple of examples of women who had to suffer incredible and inhumane torments. One example is the 10 year old Elisa who was raped, beaten and then again raped by several men. Another woman is the 18 year old Noella who was pregnant when the rebels deported her. They killed her husband, took her child and then put her to rout because she got sick. Another inexplicable story is about the 70 year old Ndamosu. She had to watch the rebels killing her five children and husband before they raped her several times. These women are not the only ones who have to experience such a sad fate.

I watched the documentary and I have to admit that I started crying while watching. It is frustrating, shocking and it makes you feel terrible. We can hardly understand what these women have to endure, though you feel with them by watching this documentary. I never had this feeling before, this feeling of helplessness, frustration, despair, fury, grief, sorrow, empathy and disbelief. If you hear and see this cruelty, you really start thinking about your own life and you definitely start becoming grateful for what you have and for where you live.


Im Schatten des Bösen - Der Krieg gegen die Frauen im Kongo (unfortunately it is a German documentary !! )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iZZBYNke-A