by Marie Devine

Created on: May 22, 2008

In the Democratic Republic of Congo the abundance of natural resources and the inequality and exploitation of people for the profit of others actually becomes the key obstacle to obtaining sustainable peace. Sustainable peace requires a goal of equality and freedom or it will not be sustainable. Nations may be more stable looking, but within the hearts of the people there remains a search for change until peace comes with equality and freedom.

Peace is a long sought dream for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its name has changed six times in conflicts since its independence in June 30, 1960 when it began as the Belgian Congo. At the end of the first war in 1997 and the overthrow of General Mobutu, "Zaire" was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United States had supported him since 1965 because he opposed Communism and he allowed easy access to cheap raw materials.

The very essence of Democracy over Communism is that individuals get to prosper for their efforts in using other people, usually legally, but in this nation exploitation of women and children abounds. That sustains an inequality and resentment that stirs up wars, conflicts and oppositions; so the move to Democracy laid the foundation that could be used in extensive corruption of the leadership.

From 1996, the First and Second Congo Wars have left over five (5) million people dead, almost half from malnutrition which affects about two thirds of the people. Corruption and instability in the government have increased the debt while reducing the national output and income. Foreign investments are cautious and insufficient for the massive effort needed to prepare infrastructure, legal framework, and economic policies for large scale redevelopment, especially when inflation, corruption, and the outcome of the wars create such insecurities.

Natural resources vital to the world's industrial, and commercial enterprises are available in large quanities in the Congo. They include industrial and gem-quality diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, cobalt, copper, cadmium, uranium, radium, manganese, tin, germanium, bauxite, iron ore, and coal as well as tantalum.

The United Nations reports that smuggling and exporting coltan, an ore that contains tantalum, has provided the funds to fuel the war in Congo. Computer and cell phone type technologies use coltan making it extremely valuable at $100 a pound. This conflict has become the world's deadliest documented since World War II, (5.4 million deaths.)

The

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