More Information
What's happening in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo?
The War in Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo has faced continuous conflict since 1996, when the First Congo War began in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda. Recently, following the December 2023 national elections, clashes between military and rebel groups increased, leading to 7.2 million people being displaced internally. Along with displacement, many people in Congo face extreme poverty due to decades of violence as well as trafficking into extremely dangerous, degrading mining operations due to Congo's abundant natural resources such as cobalt and copper. The DRC is in desperate need of humanitarian aid as health conditions, food insecurity, displacement, and sexual violence continue to worsen, contributing to the growing epidemic of Mpox which the Congo has already suffered with for years.
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/mpox-outbreak-dr-congo-what-know
Sudan Civil War
For decades, Sudan has grappled with political instability, displacement, and violence including ethnic cleansing since the onset of the Darfur crisis in 2003. South Sudan seceded in 2011 and recently, after the removal of a long-time authoritarian leader in 2019, more violence and unrest erupted when a military coup overran the government in 2021. With tensions high and the country already facing political and economic turmoil, civil war broke out on April 15, 2023 led by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Millions of people were already in need of humanitarian aid before the recent conflict, the civil war increasing the number of displaced peoples to 12 million and the number of people in need of aid to 25 million - over half of the Sudanese population. Roughly 15,500 people have died due to the war already. Severe weather including flooding and drought have also contributed to the number of people facing displacement, poverty, and food insecurity with 37% of the population (18 million people) facing severe levels of food insecurity and in dire need of humanitarian aid.
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/
War on Gaza
For nearly 100 years, conflict between Palestine and the Israeli government has spurred a devastating cycle of violence in which innocent civilians have suffered. After the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel led by Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Israeli government launched a swift and disproportionate response led by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), bombing homes, safe camps, schools, and hospitals in the process as well as killing members of the press and Israeli hostages. British medical journal The Lancet estimates that, due to both direct and indirect deaths, the death toll in Gaza since the war started could total around 186,000 or more. Palestinians in Gaza were already suffering under an apartheid state, with limited access to food, water, medical aid, travel, internet connection, and electricity. Aid is desperately needed to help the innocent men, women, and children who suffer a genocide as a ceasefire deal continues to not be reached and Israeli hostages are still held captive.
Below is an interview with Holocaust survivor and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate that provides helpful insight into the situation.
https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-lancet-and-genocide-by-slow-death-in-gaza/
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/children-gaza-israel-war