The Rape of the Congo

Please read this important piece of reporting by Johann Hari. In London, when Johann told me about what he had recently seen and witnessed in the Congo, I found it hard to believe. Here's his report. It makes Darfur seem peaceful. And it has been shockingly under-reported. Money quote:

The Rwandan troops did not head for the areas where the genocidaires were hiding out. They headed straight for the mines like this one in Kalehe, and they swiftly enslaved the populations to dig for them. They did not clear out the genocidaires they teamed up with them to rape Congo. Jean-Pierre Ondekane, the Chief of the Rwandan forces in Goma, urged his units to maintain good relations "with our Interhamwe [genocidaire] brothers." They set up a Congo Desk that whisked billions out of the country and into Rwandan bank accounts and they fought to stay and pillage some more. The UN found that a Who's Who of British, American and Belgian companies collaborated with this crime...
Oh, and the reason why this invasion was so profitable? Global demand for coltan was soaring throughout the war because of the massive popularity of coltan-filled Sony Playstations. As Oona King, one of the few British politicians to notice Congo, explains as we travel together for a few days, "Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms."

Read how cheap playstations have led to gang rapes, enslavement and massacres.