“TRUTH ISN'T ALWAYS BEAUTY, BUT THE HUNGER FOR IT IS " Rwanda and Uganda have long been accused of covert involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through proxy armed groups such as M23 and others, which claim to be Congolese-led but are widely believed to be backed, trained, and directed by these neighbouring countries. Behind the façade of internal rebellion lies a deeper geopolitical and economic agenda control over the DRC’s vast wealth of critical minerals, including cobalt, coltan, gold, and other rare resources essential to global industries. Although these human rights abuses have persisted at the hands of certain countries, the global human rights organisations remain disturbingly silent. Instead of holding perpetrators accountable, we see them pushing for peace deals and negotiating over mineral wealth deals that conveniently align with their own geopolitical and economic interests. This raises a critical question: are we witnessing the slow balkanisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo? Where are the human rights organisations that claim to stand for justice? Where are the religious leaders whose voices once echoed against oppression? Their absence is loud, and the silence is complicity. These armed groups have been responsible for brutal campaigns in eastern Congo, including killings, torture, mass displacement, and systematic looting. Entire communities have been driven from their ancestral lands, replaced by instability that benefits war economies and external powers. While these groups claim local grievances, their operations often align with the strategic interests of Rwanda, Uganda, and even distant superpowers seeking access to Congo’s resources without accountability. The violence continues under the mask of rebellion, while the true battle is for control of minerals that power the modern world from smartphones to electric cars leaving behind a trail of human suffering and unacknowledged war crimes. We cannot speak of Congo’s present without understanding its past a past marred by exploitation, colonisation, and betrayal. From the brutal reign of King Leopold II of Belgium, under whose rule over 10 million Congolese perished in one of the worst human rights atrocities of the 19th century, to the Cold War-era manipulations that saw Congo’s elected leader Patrice Lumumba assassinated with foreign complicity—the Congolese people have suffered the weight of global greed and apathy for generations. This suffering did not end with colonialism it merely evolved. Today, the chains of conquest are no longer made of iron but of contracts, armed militias, and multinational deals signed behind closed doors. In the mineral-rich provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, militias such as the M23 are not merely rebel groups with local grievances. They are the foot soldiers of a global scramble for resources fronts that wage war on behalf of foreign powers seeking unfettered access to Congo’s buried treasures. Rwanda and Uganda, though denying direct involvement, have been named repeatedly in UN reports as beneficiaries and facilitators of the smuggling networks that drain Congo of its wealth. Cobalt powers the batteries in our smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. Coltan keeps our electronics running. Gold fills the vaults of global banks. Yet, in the regions from which these resources are extracted, children are dying, women are being raped, families are fleeing their homes, and entire villages are reduced to ashes. The silence from the international community is not an oversight it is a policy. A silence born not of ignorance, but of complicity. Governments and corporations benefit from the status quo. They preach democracy and human rights while quietly negotiating with those who perpetuate instability because instability allows cheap access. Because peace would mean fair trade. And fairness does not maximize profits. Where are the sanctions against those arming these groups? Where are the international tribunals for the countless war crimes committed in Congo? Where is the same global outrage we saw for Ukraine, for Gaza, for other parts of the world when civilian lives are at stake? We cannot afford selective justice. We cannot allow the world to keep turning a blind eye while Congolese children are orphaned, women are violated, and communities are erased all in the name of economic interests. This is not a tribal conflict. This is not an isolated civil war. This is a resource war fuelled, funded, and facilitated by external actors with blood on their hands and profit in their pockets. Religious leaders, once the conscience of our societies, now issue cautious prayers, if they speak at all. Many of them have fallen silent, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of convenience. But silence in the face of evil is itself evil. And history will remember those who stood by and those who stood up. To the global human rights organizations: your job is not to negotiate with warlords or to draft hollow peace accords that trade justice for minerals. Your job is to speak truth to power, to shine a light on abuse, and to amplify the cries of the voiceless. Do your job. To the media: stop framing this as a local ethnic conflict. Call it what it is economic imperialism. Investigate the supply chains that begin in Congo’s blood-soaked soil and end in the pockets of CEOs and shareholders. To the Congolese diaspora and allies around the world: your voices matter more than ever. Use your platforms. Organize. Protest. Educate. Lobby. Demand accountability from your governments and corporations. We must be relentless. To the people of Congo: your resilience is your revolution. You have endured what no people should have to endure. Your dignity has not been extinguished. Your voices must not be silenced. We see you. We stand with you. This is not just Congo’s battle. This is a global fight for justice, for ethics, for the soul of humanity. What is happening in Congo reflects what kind of world we are building one where corporations thrive on blood minerals, or one where people’s lives and rights come before profits. This moment demands more than hashtags. It demands action. Political action. Economic resistance. Spiritual courage. Join the Justice Congo Group. Justice Congo Group for the people of the Democratic Rep Of Congo, (NGOs) We are building a global coalition that refuses to accept the normalization of war for profit. A coalition that stands for transparency in trade, ethical supply chains, and an end to the militarization of resource extraction. We are calling for: ● A global moratorium on mineral imports from conflict zones until transparency and justice are established. ● Sanctions against individuals and states proven to back armed groups in the DRC. ● Prosecution of war crimes under international law, regardless of who the perpetrators are. ● Reparations for affected communities.● Real investment in peacebuilding, infrastructure, and education for the Congolese people not just resource contracts wrapped in aid. Let us be clear: Congo does not need saving. Congo needs justice. And justice begins with truth. We urge everyone watching this video activists, students, faith leaders, journalists, policymakers, everyday citizens to do something. Share this message. Host events. Call your representatives. Ask hard questions about where your electronics come from. Demand ethical practices. Because while we argue over politics and profits, ageneration in Congo is growing up amidst gunfire and loss. But we still have a choice. We can look away or we can look deeper. We can stay silent or we can speak loudly. Kenyata C Mirindi, Executive Directors, Justice Congo, Nyenyezi C, Coordination team at Justice Congo Group for the people of DRC