Zeina Mvemba
4:40 PM
11/6/09
Following many ethnic attacks, and acts of violence against civilians, 16,000 people have left the DRC in hopes of finding refuge and safe haven. Leaving the DRC for the Republic of Congo, officials say the fighting occurred between the Enyele and Munzaya tribes, over farming and fishing rights. The fighting killed 60 people, 40 were injured and many villages were burned. The fighting between these tribes has lasted since March, where a total of more than 200 houses were burned and around 1,200 fled to the Republic of Congo. Along with the current 16,000 refugees from the DRC, officials say the Republic of Congo was already hosting around 9,000 refugees from the DRC’s previous civil war.
This ethnic conflict is probably one that affects me the most, because my father was born in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and I have many family members who reside there. It is hard to see this country at such unrest, which makes me uneasy because this could happen to anyone in my own family. As stated in the article, the DRC is still recovering from their civil war, and it’s sad to see even more conflict break out. Also, it’s disheartening to see all the relocation that has forced civilians from their own villages. I can’t imagine leaving my own country because of fear, never knowing if I’ll ever return. The DRC’s civil war officially ended in 2003, and some refugees still have not returned to the country, I can only imagine and hope that these current refugees will one day be able to return to their villages and make peace again.
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