An opposition leader to the government of President Museveni has been abducted from his home last night. While details of his arrest are not available, his kidnapping condemns the government in control right now. Such abductions are a violation of Uganda’s constitution and international laws, and could plunge the entire Great Lakes Region into a bloody conflict.

Immediately after the national elections held yesterday several people across the country were massacred. It is now general information that the elections were rigged.

If Bobi Wine is killed, then it will be a death of freedom and justice for Uganda. He will join Thomas Sankara, Amical Cabral and Steven Biko who were murdered because they loved their country and were a threat to those in power.

A man with the Uganda flag going though tear gas

President Museveni’s rule

During his��inauguration in 1986,��Museveni��asserted that it was a “fundamental change” for the��country and “Any individual, any group or person who threatens the security of our people must be smashed without mercy. The people of Uganda should only die from natural causes… but not��from fellow human��.”��

In the same speech, he castigated African leaders who��fail to��uplift their people from poverty.��“His excellence is going to the United Nations…��and he is there for meetings” when his people��have no shoes,��health care,��food��and other basic needs.��He��has��written��books:��What is Africa’s problem? (2002) and his answer is ‘leaders who overstay in power and propagate evils including corruption, human rights violations and destruction of the environment. He criticized his predecessors as dictators who failed to serve people, enriching themselves while the population remains impoverished. His second book: Sowing the Mustard Seed�� (1997) is about Uganda’s struggle for freedom and democracy. However, gradually President Museveni became the autocratic ruler he had condemned when first elected.��

�� To sustain himself in power, the regime has deployed various forms of�� political repression and human rights violations,

Authoritarianism and vote rigging. ����Authoritarianism is reinforced by��personal/family��control of institutions particularly the military, police, the��judiciary, the legislature and the electoral commission. Museveni has�� in every political election, using tacts such as , killing and kidnapping of opposition polling agents.�� This year, the electoral�� imported electronic/biometric voting machines but never educated the population on how to use them.�� On many polling stations, the machines failed to work,�� to the extent that even President Museveni was unable to use the �� Authoritarianism is reinforced by institutional control by the president,�� his family and members from his ethnic group. Institutions are headed and monopolized by people from the president’s ethnic group even when they lack the necessary The President’s son Muhozi��Kainerugaba��is����Uganda’s Chief of Defence forces (CDF).��The first lady is the minister of education, a member of parliament and was the minister of Karamoja, although��she is not a Karamojong. This means she received three salaries. ��Several times,��Museveni��has asserted that he is��a����working for��higher authorities,��himself,����and��.����

Corruption and control of national wealth: He refers to national natural resources such as oil��estimated at��6.65����as “”.�� Museveni�� considers the country as his as his slaves. evenues from oil, gold, and other natural resources never feature in the national budget.�� Land, especially where it is fertile and suitable for cultivation, or rich with natural resources (e.g. minerals, metal and oil), locations for business and cattle grazing has been grabbed from Ugandans and is in the hands of people from the president’s family,�� ethnic group, prominent government officials and business people working for the first family. The��president, his��family��and his cronies��in power��have amassed wealth through corruption.��President Museveni’s manifesto is��now��about��.��The UK government sanctioned Uganda official��including the Speaker of����and the U.S.��. However, the majority of the population languish in poverty,����During political campaigns, their��poverty is used to��bribe them��with cash,��food��and��T-shirts��to��.��

Poverty and unemployment:�� Uganda has . As of June 2025, Uganda ranked ��on a UN global development index. This index measures standards of living. Children still����and hospitals are��. According to the World Bank, nearly�� of the population lives on less than US$3 a day. Unemployment is�� between �� Many youth the majority with university degrees ride motor cycles, locally known as and pay�� to the Uganda revenue agency.

Human rights violations:�� are rampant in Uganda and perpetrators going unpunished. Supporters of Bobi Wine beatings, torture, arrests, disappearances, imprisonment, trials in military courts and extrajudicial killings. Kenyan activists who were kidnapped while attending Bobi Wine’s campaign narrated the ordeal political opponents face in commonly known as safe houses. Museveni refers to torture chambers as ‘.’�� Bodies of some victims have been found thrown in different places. It is also alleged that some people are buried in mass graves at night and others are thrown to crocodiles.�� In 2020, security forces . Bobi Wine himself has����several assassination attempts. His campaigns are��. He has been , , beaten, shot at�� and prevented from accessing��. While the police and military��brutalizes��civilians, the government is��banning streaming of����

Digital repression. On the eve of the election day, the government ��internet access, and����to prevent citizens from sharing evidence of state violence. This digital clampdown is a central tool of��.

Bobi Wine’s��Defiance and��Leadership��in��the��struggle for democracy����

Bobi��Wine, famously known as the����to restore Uganda��to its original glory as the Pearl of Africa.��He is promising to restore democracy, constitutionalism,institutional credibility, economic accountability,�� justice, effective social services, youth employment, innovative culture and����rule. He recently contributed to the Playbook for��. He avowed to end corruption,��unify�� and��heal the country, ensure equal access to public services, create jobs, provide quality��education�� and��restore respect for human rights and the��. At the risk of his life, Bobi has campaigned throughout the country for more than 100 days. As people headed to the votes, he encouraged Ugandans not to be afraid. On his he wrote: “The world needs to know what is happening in Uganda on election day. Internet switched off. Massive ballot stuffing reported everywhere. Our leaders, including Deputy President for Western Region, arrested. Many of our polling agents and supervisors abducted, and others chased off polling stations. BVVK machines have failed everywhere. The PEOPLE OF UGANDA MUST RISE TO THE OCCASION AND REJECT THE CRIMINAL REGIME. THE WORLD MUST NEVER GIVE ANY LEGITIMACY TO THE REGIME OF BLOOD AND SHAME.”��

��

Bobi Wine casting his vote /Getty Images

After casting his vote, The military and police have surrounded the residence of Bobi Wine, effectively placing him and his wife under house arrest. Security officers have unlawfully jumped over the perimeter fence and are now erecting tents within his

Why Uganda calls for urgent response��

On January 14, the�� �� and the met with Bobi wine.�� Bobi Wine encouraged the officers not to be compromised by the state.��

It remains crucial to stop a possible genocide and other forms of mass killings.�� Museveni’s son who is the military chief of staff tweeted about .��Bobi Wine has repeatedly said “We have��reliable information that the regime in Uganda��is planning a massacre. They are planning to provoke people into an uprising so they��can��justify��massacres of��people to send a chill��. Several times, during the campaign Bobi appealed to the international community to take interest in the potential massacre in Uganda and prevent it. Ethnic and regional tensions are . Museveni has said every soldier will have�� to silence protesters .

Africa’s Great Lakes region (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo)�� has experienced cycles of violence dating back to the 1980s. ��was followed by the��. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was the chief of military intelligence in Uganda. It was from Uganda that the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) organized and invaded Rwanda (1990-1994). Thus, there is a strong connection between the two countries. In 1996, , triggering a wave of violence that persists to date. The violence is heightened by Museveni’s�� of the DRC and, and that of president for militias, especially the (M23).It is alleged that the��M23 are in Uganda and are employed by����

The regime’s violence and human rights violations must be addressed. The violence that ensued in 2021 is a hint to what might happen during the post election period.�� Ugandans are worried that if the regime returned into power, political opponent and areas that have not voted for the president will experience increased repression. Perpetrators of violence and human rights violations must be prosecuted.��

The��Great Lakes Region is on��fire and it is going to get more repressive, especially if�� Uganda experiences post election violence or if there will be no regime change . Uganda’s neighbours, Tanzania which has been the oasis of peace in the region, has experienced police, ����and allegedly����assassination in the post election period . In 2007, Kenya��experienced��post election��violence��and the healing process is far from being achieved.�� ��Kenya’s young people continue to protests against and have been met with .

The struggle for democracy and freedom led by Bobi is an example of how young people across Africa are longing for leaders to build democratic states in line with national, human, and resource potential. If Uganda succeeds, it will not only emancipate Ugandan, it will contribute to peace, security and development in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi�� have�� experienced violence like no other part of Africa. For the West, building democratic states in Africa is one way of stopping the influx of migration to their countries and to archive global developmental strategies such as the sustainable development goals, peace and security. Democracy has long been regarded as the political system that ��Today, we urgently need healthy democracies to resolve domestic and global issues, (e.g��wars, poverty, food��insecurity��and climate change) and to realize the Sustainable development goals.��

Possible interventions��

Bobi Wine has continuously called and mobilized Ugandans to “fight’ for their rights and to “liberate” their country. Ugandans must know that they are the ones to spearhead their liberation.

The African Union and other international bodies must remain vigilant.��

Judicial and financial penalties must be imposed on officials, leaders, military and police personnel who have violated peoples rights and plundered national resources. ��

Foreign forces must not provide the government with weapons and military personnel

Bobi Wine must be offered personalized protection by the African Union and/or the United Nations.

Amidst allegations of vote rigging and regime control of institutions including the judiciary, international laws must be followed to verify the election results and to demand accountability from the regime.

Written by Evelyn Mayanja, edited by Sienna Scullion.

A man with the Uganda flag going though tear gas

President Museveni’s rule

During his��inauguration in 1986,��Museveni��asserted that it was a “fundamental change” for the��country and “Any individual, any group or person who threatens the security of our people must be smashed without mercy. The people of Uganda should only die from natural causes… but not��from fellow human��.”��

In the same speech, he castigated African leaders who��fail to��uplift their people from poverty.��“His excellence is going to the United Nations…��and he is there for meetings” when his people��have no shoes,��health care,��food��and other basic needs.��He��has��written��books:��What is Africa’s problem? (2002) and his answer is ‘leaders who overstay in power and propagate evils including corruption, human rights violations and destruction of the environment. He criticized his predecessors as dictators who failed to serve people, enriching themselves while the population remains impoverished. His second book: Sowing the Mustard Seed�� (1997) is about Uganda’s struggle for freedom and democracy. However, gradually President Museveni became the autocratic ruler he had condemned when first elected.��

�� To sustain himself in power, the regime has deployed various forms of�� political repression and human rights violations,

Authoritarianism and vote rigging. ����Authoritarianism is reinforced by��personal/family��control of institutions particularly the military, police, the��judiciary, the legislature and the electoral commission. Museveni has�� in every political election, using tacts such as , killing and kidnapping of opposition polling agents.�� This year, the electoral�� imported electronic/biometric voting machines but never educated the population on how to use them.�� On many polling stations, the machines failed to work,�� to the extent that even President Museveni was unable to use the �� Authoritarianism is reinforced by institutional control by the president,�� his family and members from his ethnic group. Institutions are headed and monopolized by people from the president’s ethnic group even when they lack the necessary The President’s son Muhozi��Kainerugaba��is����Uganda’s Chief of Defence forces (CDF).��The first lady is the minister of education, a member of parliament and was the minister of Karamoja, although��she is not a Karamojong. This means she received three salaries. ��Several times,��Museveni��has asserted that he is��a����working for��higher authorities,��himself,����and��.����

Corruption and control of national wealth: He refers to national natural resources such as oil��estimated at��6.65����as “”. In fact, revenues from oil, gold, and other natural resources never feature��in the national budget.�� Land, especially where it is fertile and suitable for cultivation, or rich with natural resources (e.g. minerals, metal and oil), locations for business and cattle grazing has been grabbed from Ugandans and is in the hands of people from the president’s family,�� ethnic group, prominent government officials and business people working for the first family. The��president, his��family��and his cronies��in power��have amassed wealth through corruption.��President Museveni’s manifesto is��now��about��.��The UK government sanctioned Uganda official��including the Speaker of����and the U.S.��. However, the majority of the population languish in poverty,����During political campaigns, their��poverty is used to��bribe them��with cash,��food��and��T-shirts��to��.

Poverty and unemployment:�� Uganda has . As of June 2025, Uganda ranked ��on a UN global development index. This index measures standards of living. Children still����and hospitals are��. According to the World Bank, nearly�� of the population lives on less than US$3 a day. Unemployment is�� between �� Many youth the majority with university degrees ride motor cycles, locally known as and pay�� to the Uganda revenue agency.

Human rights violations:�� are rampant in Uganda and perpetrators going unpunished. Supporters of Bobi Wine beatings, torture, arrests, disappearances, imprisonment, trials in military courts and extrajudicial killings. Kenyan activists who were kidnapped while attending Bobi Wine’s campaign narrated the ordeal political opponents face in commonly known as safe houses. Museveni refers to torture chambers as ‘.’�� Bodies of some victims have been found thrown in different places. It is also alleged that some people are buried in mass graves at night and others are thrown to crocodiles.�� In 2020, security forces . Bobi Wine himself has����several assassination attempts. His campaigns are��. He has been , , beaten, shot at�� and prevented from accessing��. While the police and military��brutalizes��civilians, the government is��banning streaming of����

Digital repression. On the eve of the election day, the government ��internet access, and����to prevent citizens from sharing evidence of state violence. This digital clampdown is a central tool of��.

Bobi Wine’s��Defiance and��Leadership��in��the��struggle for democracy����

Bobi��Wine, famously known as the����to restore Uganda��to its original glory as the Pearl of Africa.��He is promising to restore democracy, constitutionalism,��justice,��and����rule. He recently contributed to the Playbook for��. He avowed to end corruption,��unify�� and��heal the country, ensure equal access to public services, create jobs, provide quality��education�� and��restore respect for human rights and the��. At the risk of his life, Bobi has campaigned throughout the country for more than 100 days. As people headed to the votes, he encouraged Ugandans not to be afraid. On his he wrote: “The world needs to know what is happening in Uganda on election day. Internet switched off. Massive ballot stuffing reported everywhere. Our leaders, including Deputy President for Western Region, arrested. Many of our polling agents and supervisors abducted, and others chased off polling stations. BVVK machines have failed everywhere. The PEOPLE OF UGANDA MUST RISE TO THE OCCASION AND REJECT THE CRIMINAL REGIME. THE WORLD MUST NEVER GIVE ANY LEGITIMACY TO THE REGIME OF BLOOD AND SHAME.”��

��

Bobi Wine casting his vote /Getty Images

After casting his vote, The military and police have surrounded the residence of Bobi Wine, effectively placing him and his wife under house arrest. Security officers have unlawfully jumped over the perimeter fence and are now erecting tents within his

Why Uganda calls for urgent response��

On January 14, the�� �� and the met with Bobi wine.�� Bobi Wine encouraged the officers not to be compromised by the state.��

It remains crucial to stop a possible genocide and other forms of mass killings.�� Museveni’s son who is the military chief of staff tweeted about .��Bobi Wine has repeatedly said “We have��reliable information that the regime in Uganda��is planning a massacre. They are planning to provoke people into an uprising so they��can��justify��massacres of��people to send a chill��. Several times, during the campaign Bobi appealed to the international community to take interest in the potential massacre in Uganda and prevent it. Ethnic and regional tensions are . Museveni has said every soldier will have�� to silence protesters .

Africa’s Great Lakes region (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo)�� has experienced cycles of violence dating back to the 1980s. ��was followed by the��. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was the chief of military intelligence in Uganda. It was from Uganda that the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) organized and invaded Rwanda (1990-1994). Thus, there is a strong connection between the two countries. In 1996, , triggering a wave of violence that persists to date. The violence is heightened by Museveni’s�� of the DRC and, and that of president for militias, especially the (M23).It is alleged that the��M23 are in Uganda and are employed by����

The regime’s violence and human rights violations must be addressed. The violence that ensued in 2021 is a hint to what might happen during the post election period.�� Ugandans are worried that if the regime returned into power, political opponent and areas that have not voted for the president will experience increased repression. Perpetrators of violence and human rights violations must be prosecuted.��

The��Great Lakes Region is on��fire and it is going to get more repressive, especially if�� Uganda experiences post election violence or if there will be no regime change . Uganda’s neighbours, Tanzania which has been the oasis of peace in the region, has experienced police, ����and allegedly����assassination in the post election period . In 2007, Kenya��experienced��post election��violence��and the healing process is far from being achieved.�� ��Kenya’s young people continue to protests against and have been met with .

The struggle for democracy and freedom led by Bobi is an example of how young people across Africa are longing for leaders to build democratic states in line with national, human, and resource potential. If Uganda succeeds, it will not only emancipate Ugandan, it will contribute to peace, security and development in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi�� have�� experienced violence like no other part of Africa. For the West, building democratic states in Africa is one way of stopping the influx of migration to their countries and to archive global developmental strategies such as the sustainable development goals, peace and security. Democracy has long been regarded as the political system that ��Today, we urgently need healthy democracies to resolve domestic and global issues, (e.g��wars, poverty, food��insecurity��and climate change) and to realize the Sustainable development goals.��

Possible interventions��

Bobi Wine has continuously called and mobilized Ugandans to “fight’ for their rights and to “liberate” their country. Ugandans must know that they are the ones to spearhead their liberation.

The African Union and other international bodies must remain vigilant.��

Judicial and financial penalties must be imposed on officials, leaders, military and police personnel who have violated peoples rights and plundered national resources. ��

Foreign forces must not provide the government with weapons and military personnel

Bobi Wine must be offered personalized protection by the African Union and/or the United Nations.

Amidst allegations of vote rigging and regime control of institutions including the judiciary, international laws must be followed to verify the election results and to demand accountability from the regime.

Written by Evelyn Mayanja, edited by Sienna Scullion.

A protest in Winnipeg in support of the DRC (Radio-Canada/ Amine��Ellatife)��

Written by: Sienna Scullion.

The first time I was introduced to social justice movements was in 2020 during the��(BLM) protests. It was the middle of a global pandemic and as I sat at home in my house my family and I watched thousands marching against police brutality. I had always cared about social justice, but this event truly spurred me into the fight for all. Since��then,��I have dabbled in the causes of Palestine and Sudan, for the rights of the disabled and women, but one cause has drawn me in like no other. This cause is the fight for the freedom of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC is one��of the most exploited nations in the world. When I first started fighting for��this��cause��I was surprised to see how few people seem to know let alone care about the DRC.����

Here, I aim to explore why the DRC should be a cause all young people care about. I will first provide a brief history of the DRC and how it relates to the world at large. I will then cover what is currently occurring in the DRC. This will lead into a discussion of how the DRC and the issues there��impact��us all and why��it’s��particularly important for young people to care. Closing thoughts will follow.����

The DRC’s history��

The DRC was not always named the DRC, in fact, history has granted it��various different��names. The DRC was initially called The Congo Free State, a name given to it by��. During the late 19th century����in which European empires vied for different territories. Belgium came late to this scramble leaving it with few options. Or so this is how it first appeared.��. Leopold then claimed to the world that he was taking on a��to bring “civilization” to the Indigenous people there.��In reality this��was a cover for exploitation and brutalization. Leopold’s government stole land from communities using unfair contracts which the chiefs and leaders of villages could not read. The exploitation was first done for minerals and other general resources until it was discovered that the DRC was rich in rubber trees.����at the time used in the manufacturing of various resources such as military equipment. Leopold’s extraction of this rubber was��People were forced to work in dangerous conditions and if they refused to��work��they faced brutality such as the amputation of hands and other extremities. It is estimated that anywhere between just over one million people to ten million died during Leopold’s reign.����

A photo showing workers, boys, in the DRC with amputated hands (Presbyterian Historical Society/Unknown Author)��

When the other imperial nations discovered Leopold’s��reign,��they were so horrified at the abuses that they quickly put a stop to it. This did not, however, bring peace to the DRC. The DRC continued to face exploitation and conflict until the��. Lumumba was an anti-imperialist African who was democratically��elected��by the people of the DRC. He promised to end the exploitation of the DRC and was a beacon for a nation that had so long been exploited by others. A few months after his election Lumumba was assassinated. Lumumba’s��assassination was��who opposed his anti-imperialist beliefs. This resulted in the��, a brutal dictator who continued the exploitation of the people of the DRC. Seko also was the leader that the DRC became��Zaire��under for��a period of time.����

An official portrait of Patrice Lumumba (Wikiquote/author unknown)��

The 1990s continued to bring struggles for the DRC as thousands fled to the DRC��. Initially, it was thousands of��Tutsis��that were forced out of Rwanda and into the DRC as they tried to avoid being slaughtered. By the end, the Genocide forced thousands of Hutus out of Rwanda who feared repercussions after��participating��in the genocide of the Tutsi. During this��period,��we also saw a��. These factors led to the����and����Congo wars which were some of the bloodiest wars in Africa’s history.����

A photo showing hundreds displaced during the Second Congo War (OXFAM/ Maire��Cacace)��

Where are we now/ Forever exploitation, war and human rights exploitation����

DRC is still facing heavy exploitation to this day. While materials like rubber and uranium have��been��side-lined targets of exploitation, other materials such as��have taken the spotlight.��All of��these minerals are needed in the creation of modern technology��such as��electronic��vehicles, solar��panels, computers, phones, vapes, and other modern electronics.��In particular the��minerals of����which are used in most modern electronic devices.��

,�� violent, violates human rights, destroys the��environment��and rubs the young of their future. The mines, run by North American,��European��and Chinese firms, aim to maximize their profit��at the expense of people, their��cultures��and the environment on which their livelihoods depend. When a company secures a mining concession, community’s land is grabbed, people are dispossessed, infrastructures are destroyed and artisanal miners are unemployed. In��those��mines, even children are sometimes employed. When��companies employ��adult��men��and��women, they��e, if they are physically injured, they are not given compensation. The mines themselves, beyond being dangerous, also host other dangers for the communities in the area. Firstly, these mines are often heavily, and national armies.��These groups intimidate the communities and perpetuate sexual and physical violence against men, women, and children.����

The mines are also��.��To purify the minerals, mining companies use chemicals such as mercury and cyanide acid which are dangerous to human life and the ecology.��The mines themselves decimate local communities and the��run off��of the��minerals and metal toxins,��mines��release chemicals into water,��soil��and air.��This results in people being more susceptible to illness and physical conditions. It also raises the risk for birth defects and reproductive illness. Animals are equally venerable particularly fish who live in waters polluted by��.����

The Congo is also currently under threat from the Rwandan backed military group March 23 (M23).��In��spite of��the peace agreements that have been signed in the��united��states��(link) and Quatar (Link), M23 and other militia��groups have��not stopped attacking��Congo (cite the attack of M23 today)������that is currently terrorizing the regions near the DRC/Rwanda border. These areas include Goma and the��. The M23 invades spaces, the exploitation of the DRC’s resources, and commits acts of violence including sexual assault against the people of the DRC. The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame has actively denied the interference of Rwanda in the DRC and has denied they are funding the M23. The global community has had little response to help the DRC and many nations continue to allow their companies to��exploit����Uganda has also contributed towards the suffering in the DRC through their use of��. These groups terrorize civilians and further contribute towards the exploitation of minerals in the DRC.����

A photo showing M23 soldiers on the back of a car (AP Photos/Moses��Sawasawa)��

Why we must care����

Young adults, millennial and generation Z, are the first generations to grow up with affordable technology. Our generations have swiftly learned how to use computers, phones and more, turning them into a part of our daily lives. Our generations are also the ones to create��new technologies. We are the pioneers of the future. Due to this, it is important that we care about the DRC, their people, and their resources. As we work our way up the corporate ladder or secure jobs in the��ever-evolving��tech industry,��it’s��important that we know where our resources come from and how to��assure,��they��aren’t��conflict minerals. If the minerals must come from the��DRC,��then it is imperative they come from ethical mines which protect their workers and care about the communities they exist alongside. This will not only assure that we can feel comfortable knowing the work we do is not powered by��blood but��will also allow us to feel comfortable knowing we are actively supporting global communities rather than exploiting them.����

As a young adult I have been privileged to be exposed to the��. Although Palestine is not yet free, young adults across the world have fought for the rights of Palestinians against the Israel-settler state, striving towards freedom and the recognition of the Palestinian state. If this can be done in��Palestine,��then this can be done for the DRC. As young people we have the ability to. In nations like Canada and the United States this is particularly important as operations stemming from said nations are the main perpetrators of abuse and exploitation. I do not expect that young people travel to the DRC themselves or get arrested in their home country as they fight for the rights of those in the DRC. However, young people��are able to��educate others and lobby for their local politicians in order their nations may change how they relate to the DRC.����

Here are examples of things that you can do to support those in the DRC:��

• 1.��Demand justice��for Congo:��As we have done with Palestine, we must not forget Congo. We are all��benefitting��from Congolese��exploitation.��Demand tech companies to engage in just access to minerals and metals. For example, companies need to develop the��infrastructure- schools, roads, hospitals etc. (I have removed those organizations because they are not helping)��

• 2. Educate others about the DRC and how many of our minerals are sourced from there.��Whenever I try to speak with people on the��DRC,��I find they��are often uneducated. While education is not a direct fix it is the first step into action. People��cannot��fight for a cause they do not know exists.����

• 3. Avoid��purchasing��new technology.��While��new technology��is often exciting it is also a major factor contributing to the��. If you can repair or continue to use your older technology, then do so. If you must buy new technology, then buy second hand.

• 4. Keep up with the news.��By keeping up with����you will be able to better understand the conflict and what can be done to fight against it. You will also gain important knowledge about central Africa which may be useful in other aspects of your life.����

Final thoughts����

I have spent the last two years of my life working towards freedom for the DRC. I have��written��many articles, researched for hours, and educated tens of others on the conflict and mineral exploitation taking place in the DRC. This cause has not been the only one��I’ve��fought for, far from it. I have long been involved in the fight for Palestine and for Indigenous rights in Canada; however, the DRC has always held a special place in my heart. The DRC is a beautiful nation that for the past two centuries has faced some of the worst exploitation possible. This exploitation is something the DRC continues to face so that the rest of the world may have access to technology. Despite this fact, the DRC is continually ignored by activists and protestors.������

I wrote this article in hopes to change that. By covering the history and modern-day context of the DRC as well as why we should care I hope to encourage young people to take up the cause. I do not believe that this article will result in all those that read it to take on the burdens and struggles of those in DRC. Nor do I believe that this is needed. But if this article is able to educate those that read it and spark on even the smallest action then we may be able to spark change for all those in the DRC and Africa at large. An injustice anywhere should never leave us indifferent.����We are so interconnected more than we think and should work together to build a better world especially for our generation and that of our children. Let us dare to dream a world that the capitalist world systems have failed to create.

A photo from 2016 showing those in the DRC protesting their corrupt government (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)��

In March 2025, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offered the country’s critical mineral reserves to the����in exchange for security and stability.

At the time, the March 23 (M23)����was unleashing violence: killing civilians, committing sexual violence, displacing communities and looting mineral resources. Since 1996, eastern Congo has been engulfed in wars and armed conflicts driven by regional powers and more than��.

The U.S.-brokered����between Rwanda and the DRC raises critical questions: Is this a genuine path to sustainable peace, or a continuation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy to secure access to critical minerals through coercive diplomacy?

Global arms race for critical minerals

The global shift toward renewable energy, digital infrastructure and military modernization has sparked a geopolitical scramble for critical and rare earth minerals.

In early 2025, Trump signed a series of executive orders that introduced aggressive and imperial-style tactics to��. He����with annexation and tariffs,����and����to access to its mineral reserves.

The DRC’s offer must be viewed through this lens of global resource competition.

Congo’s critical mineral wealth

The DRC holds some of the world’s richest deposits of critical minerals and metals. A 2012 article estimated the value of Congo’s untapped mineral wealth at US$24 trillion, a figure nearing the U.S.����of $29.962 trillion.

The DRC����of the world’s cobalt,��, sixth����and also possesses vast reserves of nickel and lithium, including the����expected to yield 95,170 tonnes of crude lithium.

But the struggle to control these resources has fuelled a��, displacement and exploitation. Despite��, peace and stability remain elusive.

America’s interests in Congo

U.S. involvement in Congo stretches back to the Cold War, when it played a role in the��, Congo’s first elected prime minister who sought economic sovereignty.

In 1996, the U.S. was accused of backing Rwanda and Uganda in the initial invasion of eastern Congo. A U.S. diplomat, “Mr. Hankins,”��: “I am here …to represent American interests.”

In 2024, President Joe Biden met Tshisekedi to advance the��, a strategic trade route to counter China’s dominance in the region. Chinese companies currently control around 80 per cent of Congo’s copper market.

When Trump signed the 2025 peace agreement, he����the U.S. would gain “a lot of mineral rights … foreign trade and investment from the regional critical mineral supply chains.”

Miners work at the D4 Gakombe coltan mining quarry in Rubaya, Democratic Republic of Congo, in May 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

U.S.-brokered peace deal

The deal, however, prioritizes America’s access to minerals over the well-being of Congolese citizens. Historically, Congo’s mineral wealth has enriched����while leaving its people impoverished and vulnerable. The new agreement could entrench existing inequalities and inflame tensions further.

The U.S. has also����for war survivors, including emergency medical kits and antiretrovirals for rape victims, undermining humanitarian efforts.

Crucially, the agreement overlooks:

• The root causes and drivers of conflict at national, regional and international levels.
• The role of Rwanda and Uganda, whose militaries and intelligence services have long been implicated in supporting groups like M23. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has referred to M23 as “” and threatened military action in Congo.
• The voices of Congolese civil society, war survivors and the public, who were excluded from the negotiation process.
• State fragility and institutional collapse — major enablers of protracted violence.
• The grievances of Hutu and Tutsi communities in the DRC, deeply rooted in colonial and regional politics.
• The presence of more than 120 armed groups, many of them proxies for foreign powers engaging in what some scholars��

Between January and February 2025 alone, more than 7,000 people����in the DRC. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have documented��, including crimes of��.

A child carrying water walks past Wazalendo forces fighting M23 rebels patrolling in Sake, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in August 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A path toward real peace

The peace agreement fails to demand justice for crimes committed against the Congolese people. Nobel Peace laureate����for “rewarding aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congo’s natural resources, and sacrificing justice for a fragile peace.”

It also ignores the roles of international mining corporations and external entities that have long profited from Congo’s instability.

True and lasting peace in the DRC cannot be imposed from the outside. U.S.-led mineral extraction without justice risks deepening the crisis. Since 1999,��, yet violence continues.

Sustainable peace will require:

• An end to impunity;
• Thorough investigations into war crimes;
• Regional truth-telling processes;
• Justice and reparations for victims;
• And most importantly, inclusion of Congolese voices in shaping their future.

Without these commitments, the U.S. risks replicating a long history of exploitation, trading in minerals while ignoring the human cost.