Despite its vast mineral wealth, the Democratic Republic of Congo's riches remain elusive to most of its people. Colonialism, rebels and corrupt leaders have perpetuated exploitation and corruption for decades.
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00:00We need to talk about the silent genocide happening in Congo.
00:03The exploitation of Congolese people has changed the media's standbys and the media is
00:07also a part of it. The things I saw there were so appalling and I thought people need to know
00:12about this. Hold up. When we talk about Congo's exploitation, where does it really begin?
00:18Let's start with when Belgium entered the chat. Under King Leopold II,
00:23Belgium controlled vast resources like rubber, copper and ivory. This was the colonial era
00:29which introduced reckless exploitation of both people and nature. Millions lost their lives to
00:35slavery, forced labour, disease and famine. But in 1960, there was a chance for a new start.
00:41This was when the DRC gained independence and had its first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba,
00:47who envisioned a country that would use its natural resources to benefit its own people.
00:52But just months after independence, he was overthrown, captured and executed in a coup
00:58backed by Belgium and the CIA. One of the issues that has constantly plagued the Democratic
01:03Republic of Congo has been political instability and chronic mismanagement by successive governments.
01:09Leaders that followed continued the cycle of exploitation and corruption,
01:13from Joseph Mobutu to Laurent Kabila and his son Joseph Kabila. The DRC's mineral wealth
01:19was sold off to foreign investors at laughably low prices. Everyone wanted a piece of the cake,
01:26from international countries to its neighbours. Currently, over 100 armed groups like the M23
01:32and the FDLR seek control in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. You have a country that is effectively
01:39one of the richest countries in the world, certainly the wealthiest country in Africa,
01:45with all kinds of resources that you can imagine, some of which have not even been discovered.
01:50Exploitation by Belgium and later DRC's own leaders set the stage for decades-long conflict
01:56and violence. To ensure a better, brighter future,
02:00the power of the country's resources must be given back to the Congolese people.