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Rwanda and Uganda's Six-Day War in the Congo

We call it “Congo’s” but it was anything but. The only thing Congolese about this conflict were the innocent lives needlessly lost and scarred in Rwanda and Uganda’s ongoing battle for control of Congolese natural resources.

Imagine waking up to find your city—your neighborhood—under siege:

Not by your own government.

Not by a foreign country declaring war.

But by two foreign armies, using your home as their battleground.

That was the brutal reality in Kisangani in June of the year 2000.

This was the Six Day War—a little-known but devastating episode in Congo’s long history of exploitation and foreign interference. From June 5 to June 10, 2000, Rwandan and Ugandan military forces—both backed and funded by Western powers—fought for control of Congolese territory and mineral resources. But they didn’t fight in their own countries.

They fought on Congolese soil.

Why?

Because the minerals and the profits were there. And because the world treats Congolese life as expendable, so they expected no reprisal from the international community.

And to this day, there has been virtually no consequence to either nation for waging this catastrophe in Congo.

Hundreds of Congolese civilians were killed in six days of shelling and gunfire. Thousands were injured, and countless others traumatized, orphaned, or displaced.

The documentary film Downstream to Kinshasa by Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi follows survivors who live with the aftermath of the brief, but devastating battle—parents who buried children, young people who grew up in the ruins, civilians who were permanently disabled, and communities still denied recognition or justice two decades later.

The scars remain. And the silence around it is deafening…

Very little has changed since this conflict, which was part of the devastating Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003.

Today, new wars are still being waged on Congolese soil. Proxy militias like Rwanda’s M23, foreign-backed invasions like the thousands of Rwandan troops occupying the Kivu provinces in the east, and multinational corporations are still plundering Congo’s wealth while displacing its people.

The war never really ended. It only changed form.

But so has the resistance!

Congo’s youth, survivors, and grassroots leaders are demanding justice and organizing for a future in which Congo is no longer a battlefield for someone else’s ambitions.

We stand with the people of Kisangani in their enduring quest for justice.

Join us in standing with them?

In memory of the fallen,

In honor of the survivors,

In solidarity with Congo,

Friends of the Congo

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#'why are so many palestinians on tumblr specifically' cuz it's a known hotspot for fundraising #'how can they access the internet i thought there was none' esim programs #'why would they use that precious internet to fundraise to randos online instead of talk to their family' to save themselves #'gfm cash cant get into gaza' proxy accounts and certain money transfer apps enable exactly this #being the victims of continuous efforts to erase them makes a group of people proficient w support networks generally #'they all use the same scripts' there's not exactly enough time for a lot of ppl to learn proper English so scripts make this process accessible #i for real saw someone say that people cant buy anything in gaza cuz it's all ash and dust #like. what the fuck are you on about. no. #gaza has been devastated but not LITERALLY everything is gone. people still. make food. and clothes. #smugglers still bring medicine and other essentials across. #always be vigilant and double triple check any fundraisers before sharing. nobody is saying there arent vultures preying on ppls sympathy #that's exactly why extensive vetting processes have been refined. to weed out said vultures and scammers .

i still think one of tumblr's darkest moments (much worse than anything i've seen before and i have been here since 2011) was when random fandom bloggers started doing confidently accusing people living through a genocide of being scammers. i think there's a lot that has happened on this website but the juxtaposition of running something so trivial as a fandom blog (i have been in fandom for a long time and triviality here is not an insult but an understanding of what makes it light) while doing something so enormously heavy and dark has me reeling

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"Women Resist War" by Justine Masika Bihamba of Synergie des Femmes.

This book is my story. It is also the story of a women in Kivu who were, at one point in time, victims of atrocities, but who decided to stand strong, while the world turned a blind eye to their tragedy, the most devastating since the Second World War, with at least 6 million deaths. As I speak to you, a few kilometers from here, fighting is still raging. I know that women will once again be targeted by armed groups. This has been our reality for the past 30 years. 20 years ago, we created a women’s collective. Only Congolese women. Women in the field. For 20 years, this group has been helping victims on a medical, sometimes surgical, psychological, family, legal, and professional level. With few resources, we have saved 18,000 women. For 20 years, we have also been carrying the voices of women in our region. We document abuse. We inform international bodies. We reject the systematic impunity of rape perpetrators. We are working for the implementation of a United Nations resolution that puts women at the heart of the peace processes. Where they should be, to invent something else, since everything has failed so far. I’ve testified before the United Nations Security Council in New York, and before so many other bodies in so many countries around the globe, that our collective is now recognized as an expert on these issues. The big deal is that it’s like we are not being heard. I, like other activists, know the price of our commitment. The acts of violence targeting us, or worse, our families, our children, have not stopped us. And it will not stop us until peace is achieved. Another will soon take my place at the head of this collective, that’s for sure. That’s what this book is all about. That and the great geopolitics, the manna and damnation that are the minerals that abound in our subsoils, minerals that you have in your phones. The crazy international mechanics, and the story of my sisters, like those around me. My story too, as one of them. I’d like to thank you for giving me your attention, as I’d like to thank the associations that support us from all over and will help promote this book.

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Rights group accuses Sudan’s RSF of atrocities in Darfur’s Zamzam camp

SudanTribune, May 26, 2025 (EL FASHER)

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken full control of the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in North Darfur, perpetrating a campaign of atrocities including abductions, rape, and killings, a women rights group said on Monday..

The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) said in a statement dated May 26 that the RSF launched an attack on the camp on April 12 and has since imposed a complete communications blackout and severe restrictions on movement, trapping civilians.

“Safety and humanitarian conditions have significantly deteriorated,” SIHA said, adding that those inside Zamzam are “completely cut off from the outside world.”

SIHA said it was verifying reports of 64 abductions and enforced disappearances of women and girls. It cited testimony that on April 13, RSF soldiers took 11 women from Zamzam and later demanded a ransom of 15 million Sudanese pounds (approximately $8,000) from their families.

The group reported it had documented and verified 14 rape cases out of 27 received. These included a 22-year-old woman allegedly gang-raped by RSF soldiers on April 23, and a 19-year-old girl reportedly raped in front of her family the following day. A 12-year-old girl was among those raped after being accused of having family in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), SIHA said.

The SIHA report detailed further alleged atrocities. On May 19, RSF soldiers killed three women and abducted seven others after the group was tortured and raped on the road between Zamzam and El Fasher, the rights group said.

The regional women’s group also cited an eyewitness report from April 11 alleging that RSF soldiers burned six women alive inside their house in Zamzam.

In a separate incident on May 16, a woman, Haboba Hasania, was run over and killed by an RSF vehicle while attempting to prevent her daughter’s abduction during an ambush on fleeing civilians, the report stated. Approximately 30 other women and girls in that group were reportedly beaten and sexually harassed by the soldiers.

SIHA also reported an alleged sexual assault on three men by RSF soldiers, who reportedly amputated their genitalia, leading to two deaths.

According to testimonies received by SIHA, RSF fighters gathered camp inhabitants, dividing them by age, gender, and ethnicity. Zaghawa individuals accused of links to SAF-allied forces were severely beaten, the report said, while some women were forced to herd livestock to Kabkabiya or cook for RSF soldiers.

“The RSF’s systematic campaign of violence and destruction, specifically levelled at women and girls, remains to this day,” SIHA stated, adding that reported incidents were likely only a fraction of the crimes committed.

The rights group urged the United Nations, African Union, and the international community to establish an urgent peacekeeping mission in Darfur. It also called for safe humanitarian corridors and for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to accelerate investigations into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

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Le Tchad débordé par l’afflux de réfugiés soudanais fuyant une guerre « absurde »

9 avril 2025 © UNFPA/Karel Prinsloo

Alors que le conflit au Soudan s’apprête à passer le cap des deux ans, le chef de l’agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés a appelé, mercredi, à soutenir davantage les pays voisins, où des milliers de personnes fuyant les combats continuent d'affluer.

Le Tchad, qui figure parmi les pays les plus pauvres au monde, accueille 1,3 million de personnes déplacées, dont plus de la moitié sont des Soudanais ayant fui la guerre civile dans leur pays d’origine.  

Depuis avril 2023, le Soudan est en effet le théâtre d'un conflit dévastateur entre l’armée du général Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, qui s'est emparé du pouvoir lors d'un putsch en 2021, et les paramilitaires de son ancien adjoint, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, à la tête des Forces de soutien rapide (FSR). 

Une lutte entre factions rivales que Filippo Grandi, le Haut-Commissaire pour les réfugiés, a qualifié d’« absurde », dans le cadre d'une visite, cette semaine, à la frontière ouest du Soudan avec le Tchad.  

À cette occasion, M. Grandi a condamné les « cruelles violations » des droits de l’homme contre les civils du pays, dont plus de la moitié, soit 30 millions de personnes, ont besoin d’une aide humanitaire. Il a également appelé à un soutien international accru pour les réfugiés soudanais et leurs hôtes tchadiens. 

« J’en appelle aux donateurs de la frontière entre le Tchad et le Soudan : s’il vous plaît ne réduisez pas le soutien aux victimes de la guerre au Soudan ! » a-t-il plaidé sur le réseau social X. 

 La grande majorité des arrivées sont des femmes et des enfants. Certains traversent la frontière presque totalement démunis, selon les équipes humanitaires sur le terrain. 

Financements en crise 

Parallèlement, l’agence dirigée par M. Grandi a souligné combien la crise qui secoue les bailleurs humanitaires à l’échelle mondiale aggrave la situation des réfugiés soudanais. 

En raison des coupures d’aide instaurées par les États-Unis et d’autres pays, les enseignants ne peuvent plus être payés. Des cliniques, des écoles et des programmes de protection des femmes et des enfants contre la violence et l’exploitation ont été contraints de fermer leurs portes. 

Environ 8.500 enfants déplacés au Tchad risquent de ne plus avoir accès à l’enseignement secondaire d’ici la fin de l’année. L’an prochain, ce sont plus de 155.000 écoliers qui pourraient être touchés. 

Enfance volée

Les conséquences des coupes budgétaires se font déjà sentir sur le terrain, à l'instar du témoignage apporté par le directeur d’un établissement d’enseignement secondaire dans le camp de réfugiés de Farchana, à l’est du pays.

« Des enfants ont abandonné l’école », a déploré Abdelrahim Abdelkarim. « De nombreux élèves empruntent des routes migratoires dangereuses et illégales pour tenter de traverser la mer. Certains peuvent se noyer, tandis que d’autres finissent par travailler dans des mines d’or », a-t-il expliqué.

Dans ce contexte, Filippo Grandi avait déjà dénoncé, le mois dernier, « une crise de responsabilité » dans laquelle « le coût de l’inaction se mesurera en souffrance, en instabilité et avenirs perdus ».  

État de siège

Tandis que les fonds se tarissent, les effectifs humanitaires diminuent ou se retirent des zones les plus vulnérables, laissant les communautés livrées à elles-mêmes.  

Depuis la capitale Khartoum, récemment reprise aux FSR par l'armée soudanaise, Mohammed Refaat, le chef de mission de l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) au Soudan, constate l’impact d’un financement insuffisant.  

« Les gens qui se trouvaient dans ces zones ont été pris au piège dans des conditions de siège sans issue, sans espoir et souvent forcés à faire face à des abus innommables », a déclaré M. Refaat dans un message diffusé sur les réseaux sociaux, décrivant la destruction et la souffrance traversé par le pays comme « incommensurable ».  

Accès restreint aux services de base

La lutte sanglante entre deux généraux rivaux a fait des dizaines de milliers de morts et déraciné plus de 12 millions de personnes.  

Les deux parties auraient commis des atrocités et des atteintes aux droits fondamentaux, selon le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme.  

Depuis que les forces armées soudanaises ont repris le contrôle de Khartoum, des familles reprennent le chemin de la capitale. Mais l’accès aux services de base, comme l’élécriticité, demeure obstrué par les combats et les ravages causés par deux ans de conflit.

Les agences des Nations Unies appellent à une mobilisation immédiate pour appuyer leurs retours.  

Pourtant, la crise est loin d’être résolue, et les réfugiés continuent de souffrir de la faim. 

L’UNICEF estime que plus de trois millions d’enfants de moins de cinq ans seront touchés par la malnutrition aiguë cette année. 

Dans le camp de réfugiés de Zamzam, dans l’état soudanais du Darfour-Nord, la crise pousse les familles à manger un résidu normalement utilisé pour nourrir les animaux. Les enfants manquent cruellement d’eau, selon le Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires (OCHA) des Nations Unies.

Fuyant l’insécurité dans l’État du Nil bleu, au sud-ouest du Soudan, des déplacés se dirigent désormais vers la capitale de l’État, Ed Damazine, où les affrontements et le manque d’accès entravent les opérations humanitaires, a rapporté l’OCHA. 

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UPDATE..

Today I have become homeless, moving from street to street, from house to house, from tent to tent.

Thank you, world

أنا اليوم أصبحت مشرداً من شارع إلى شارع ومن بيت إلى بيت ومن خيمة إلى خيمة

شكرا للعالم

Today when I came home to get my books and some other things, I watered the mint and thyme "Za'atar" زعتر we left. I felt sad about that. I hate the occupation...💔

Displaced persons rest "street" 😑

استراحة نازح متلطم تلطم 😑

VETTED by @gazavetters ✅️ (#502) & #3 verified by @bilal-sala7✅️

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Two tweets by SMFNS @ ShamiDostoevsky :

If you're in Damascus close your windows and do not go outside

I cannot stress this enough please repost it so it's seen by as many people as possible, there are chemicals in the air and some people are already reporting suffocation

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I don't know why there are fake people distorting our image. I am Moataz from northern Gaza, a graphic designer, and this is my Instagram account. I photographed almost the entirety of northern Gaza. You can visit it and make sure. Unfortunately, we have gone through a lot and there is no passion to delve into the controversy of what is happening outside the world.

IG @moataz_art

For this reason, I unfortunately do not receive any donations

This is my campaign, and I will continue to fight to reach its long-term goal and rebuild my home, just as I fought throughout 257 days of war to stay alive. This is all not for me, but for the sake of my daughter, my wife, and our future children. My brother was martyred a week ago, and this is the biggest thing that has happened to me in this war, but I cannot surrender. I will keep trying just for the sake of my family.

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From @/mfkb_23 on ig

Mfkb_23 is a youth led initiative in Sudan providing health care to dialysis patients.

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Here are some of the donations for Congo

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April 28, 2024

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April 25, 2024

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Hundreds of Jewish anti-war demonstrators have been arrested during a Passover seder that doubled as a protest in New York, as they shut down a major thoroughfare to pray for a ceasefire and urge the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, to end US military aid to Israel.

The 300 or so arrests took place on Tuesday night at Grand Army Plaza, on the doorstep of Schumer’s Brooklyn residence, where thousands of mostly Jewish New Yorkers gathered for the seder, a ritual that marked the second night of the holiday celebrated as a festival of freedom by Jews worldwide.

The seder came just before the US Senate resoundingly passed a military package that includes $26bn for Israel.

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Sujood has reached out to me to boost she and Sanaa’s fundraiser. They’re urgently trying to evacuate their family from Gaza and seek asylum in Belgium. Their previous campaign was suspended, so they have started a new GFM and currently have £1,642 out of their £50,000 goal! Please share if you can’t donate!

From their GFM page:

Dear friends,

We are reaching out to you with a heartfelt plea for help. Our names are Sanaa and Sujood, and we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging and dangerous situation.

Unfortunately, our previous attempt to receive donations was unsuccessful due to restrictions on transactions to Gaza. However, the urgency of our circumstances compels us to reach out again, this time with new procedures in place to ensure the secure delivery of your generous contributions. We are launching a new campaign because we cannot afford to wait for a long time for the restrictions on the bank account to be lifted it’s already being two months now. We are unsure if we will be able to access the funds or if they will be returned to the donors. In any case, here in Gaza, we are fighting against time. Every day poses a threat to our safety, and we cannot afford to wait. If, after some time, we are able to retrieve the previous amount, we will use it to rebuild our lives and continue the education of my siblings.

The situation in Gaza has become increasingly unbearable, and we have been left with no choice but to seek assistance from compassionate individuals like you. Your donations can make a significant difference in our lives and help us escape the dire circumstances we currently face.

This is ours story:

I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.

My name is Sanaa Odeh, currently in Gaza, occupied Palestine. I am writing this as a plea for survival, for a future for my family and myself.

Our lives are in immediate danger, with non stop explosions everyday and every night, tanks and guns all around us, and fear as a constant companion. It is a non-stop nightmare, every minute of every day, for 6 months. Everyday is a struggle for survival. Lack of food and clean water creating a crisis of death by starvation and dehydration.

Despite the endless nightmare, we are a resilient and strong family. My beautiful parents gave everything to raise us as successful daughters and we are so proud of what we have achieved.

I work as a graphic designer and my sisters: a nurse/educator, small business owner, a medical student, and a field coordinator. Despite being on the path to rich and promising futures, it can all be taken away in any moment. We have already lost several family members, including my uncles and their entire family. There is little hope that the situation will end soon, all of us waiting for our turn next.

We are looking to seek asylum in Belgium. This campaign will help support us in covering the costs to do so, specifically in covering the evacuation costs per person. Your donation will provide us with the chance to escape the endless horror we’ve been facing for the last 6 months and give us a chance to return to a safe, normal life again, where we can once again contribute positively to society.

I understand that this is a challenging time for everyone right now, but please do not underestimate what even £5 can contribute to especially when it all adds up. It really does make a huge difference. No matter how small the contribution it can still change our entire lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, your support means the world to us. Whether it is simply sharing our campaign or donating, it makes all the difference in the world to us. Your act of kindness can bring light to our darkest days and help us build a better future.

Thank you once again for all your support and kindness

With heartfelt gratitude,

Sanaa and Sujood

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As always don't forget about eSims

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TW: Chemical w-rfare, Ab-rtion

Urgent Ask to evacuate Nara, a 🍉 disabled woman with MS who also has pancreatic cancer due to chemical w-rfare.

Support by financially contributing to her @FedUp4Palestine vetted funhnd-raizer (that I personally vetted): givebutter.com/NaraMedicalAid

+ resharing/ reposting this post!

I, Sky Cubacub- a Fed up 4 Palestine team member, have been in direct contact with Nara to get to know her and her story more over the past few days. We have become fast friends due to so many overlapping symptoms of our disabilities. Nara’s story caught my eye because I have post-viral ME/CFS which many times is a precursor to MS. I really want my disability community to show up for her to get this campaign funded that is so close to my heart so that she can continue medical treatment.

We have chatted extensively! During our chats, I found out from Nara that she had not previously had health issues until she was exposed in the white phosphorus attack in 2008. The long lasting damage and effects of phosphorus continue to compound and become more and more disabling to this day, even after 16 years.

Here is her story in her own words (edited for clarity):

“Hi I'm Nara,

I'm a cancer and multiple sclerosis patient. I need treatment, examinations, and follow-up on a regular basis, but the hospitals in which I used to follow up were bombed and the other one was turned into military barracks. All I need now is to leave Gaza for treatment, preserve my life, and live with my family in peace.

We're a family of 4, including my 12 and 7 year old children.

I had been diagnosed with a tumor in the pancreas as a result of inhaling phosphorus in a previous war. A couple years after being exposed to phosphorus, I became pregnant, and the fetus was pressing on the tumor, which drew the doctor’s attention to the cancer. My fetus was emergency aborted, and the spleen, 80% of the pancreas, and part of the small intestine were removed. I complained every now and then of a lot of pain as a result of the removal of part of the pancreas. I was having follow up care in the Turkish Friendship Hospital for hematology and tumors. But since the beginning of October, I have not been able to follow up because the hospital has turned into a military barracks.

The remaining part is talking about multiple sclerosis:

In 2018, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I had many complications, such as inflammation of the seventh nerve in the eye, the inability to walk with balance, movement with difficulty, and many symptoms. I was then required to take 12 injections every month and many medications and vitamins. I was following up at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, but unfortunately the hospital was out of service due to the war. So for a long time I have not received any injections. MS is truly difficult and it controls my life completely, and the attacks occur in many and varied ways.”

A note about her breathing apparatus:

Because people in displacement have to wait in long queues and pay to use the bathroom, Nara had started to restrict her water intake because of a UTI she never has been able to heal from. This has created a problem with raised levels of potassium, so doctors have placed her on oxygen for fear of the potassium affecting her heart.

Goals

she needs at least $15,000 to evacuate

2 adults at $5,000 each

2 children at $2,500 each

this price is subject to increase due to the cost of registration for evacuation continuing to go up

The other money will go to the cost of treatment and living costs.

Nara chooses to stay anonymous because she has had to mask her disabilities so much that only her family knows about her MS and Cancer, so we have not linked her instagram, but we are in direct contact with her and can verify that she is who she says she is! Because of this, she cannot promote her own fundraiser, so it is our job to collectively do it for her!

[Image Description: a digital illustration by @k8deciccio of Nara, a Pal-eh-stienian woman wearing a black hijab/outfit with purple highlights. She has a breathing apparatus that is bulbous that goes in her nose. Text Reads: Help Narawith Cancer and MS Treatment, She Must Evacuate with her family of 4. $30k goal givebutter.com/NaraMedicalAid . There is a QR code in the bottom right corner that goes to her support link. The @FedUp4Palestine logo is in the top left corner.]