A Potentially Destabilizing Conflict Has Broken Out In Central Africa
As the world watches the in Gaza and Israel, a destabilizing conflict has broken out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with far reaching consequences but only a fraction of the viewership.
Rebels from the M23 militia have effectively captured the city of Goma, a city with a crucial tactical location — it borders Rwanda and its airport is responsible for bringing in aid and exporting a fair amount of natural resources — and a population of over a million people.
The capture of such a huge city could easily draw the entire region into chaos. While the DRC has dealt with rebels consistently in its recent history, threats to its sovereignty in the past decade have never been this serious.
Rwanda and Uganda, two of Africa's most politically important countries and key U.S. allies in the region, have been accused of backing the rebels and impeding on the sovereignty of the DRC, a country almost as large as all of Western Europe. A war between these states would seriously impede the regional economy, as Goma and the surrounding areas are abundant in natural resources.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/conflict-in-congo-takes-a-new-turn-2012-11
This is a much bigger deal than Israel/Palestine, with a much larger population and far more important resources at stake.
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