The 30th June commemorates the day in 1960 when the Democratic Republic of
Congo gained independence from colonial domination. However, the country has
never truly enjoyed independence from predatory superpowers and remains
under seige from vested interests in both the West and the East.
Congo gained independence from colonial domination. However, the country has
never truly enjoyed independence from predatory superpowers and remains
under seige from vested interests in both the West and the East.
International Congolese Day Demonstration organised by International
Congolese Rights
Monday 30 June 2008
Opposite Downing Street, London
From 12 noon until 3pm
Nearest tube station: Westminster
Contact tel: 07870 540179/07908 492522
The Congo has been called hell on earth because of the appalling
humanitarian and political situation that prevails there and which continues
to deteriorate. This is happening in spite of a 'democratically' elected
government and an extensive peacekeeping and multinational presence that is
more interested in the continued extraction of the country's vast wealth for
their own personal, corporate and national interests than in investment in
infrastructure, education and healthcare for the people of this abominably
impoverished country.
Facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo
* Life expectancy in Congo is less than 40 years
* One in five children die before their fifth birthday
* The vast majority of the population lives on less than one dollar a day
* Most people have no access to clean water
* There is practically no access to free healthcare or education for the
majority
* The streets are littered with thousands of homeless children, many of whom
are arrested and taken to military training camps to be child soldiers in
the conflict-stricken eastern regions
* Conflict rages in the east of the country where atrocities are a daily
occurence
* There are more than one million internally displaced people living in
precarious and unsanitary camps
* Rape is used by all parties to the conflict as a weapon of mass
destruction
* Since 1998 six million people have died in the DRC
* People continue to die from the effects of war and from malnutrition and
disease at a rate of 45,000 every month
* Political opposition is not tolerated and members of political opposition
parties, journalists and human rights activists are harrassed, imprisoned,
assassinated, disappeared, and massacred for speaking out against the
current regime of Joseph Kabila
Congolese Rights
Monday 30 June 2008
Opposite Downing Street, London
From 12 noon until 3pm
Nearest tube station: Westminster
Contact tel: 07870 540179/07908 492522
The Congo has been called hell on earth because of the appalling
humanitarian and political situation that prevails there and which continues
to deteriorate. This is happening in spite of a 'democratically' elected
government and an extensive peacekeeping and multinational presence that is
more interested in the continued extraction of the country's vast wealth for
their own personal, corporate and national interests than in investment in
infrastructure, education and healthcare for the people of this abominably
impoverished country.
Facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo
* Life expectancy in Congo is less than 40 years
* One in five children die before their fifth birthday
* The vast majority of the population lives on less than one dollar a day
* Most people have no access to clean water
* There is practically no access to free healthcare or education for the
majority
* The streets are littered with thousands of homeless children, many of whom
are arrested and taken to military training camps to be child soldiers in
the conflict-stricken eastern regions
* Conflict rages in the east of the country where atrocities are a daily
occurence
* There are more than one million internally displaced people living in
precarious and unsanitary camps
* Rape is used by all parties to the conflict as a weapon of mass
destruction
* Since 1998 six million people have died in the DRC
* People continue to die from the effects of war and from malnutrition and
disease at a rate of 45,000 every month
* Political opposition is not tolerated and members of political opposition
parties, journalists and human rights activists are harrassed, imprisoned,
assassinated, disappeared, and massacred for speaking out against the
current regime of Joseph Kabila
