Congo's Forgotten War

Congo's Forgotten War Every month, another 45,000 people are killed in the DRC, in a war that was supposed to have ended five years ago. Congo remains one of the world's most dangerous and isolated places.
"We live like apes. Our future is to die", states one 18 year old. Despite the agreed ceasefire, war is still raging here. At the Cheverie refugee camp, 5,500 families share one tap. There is no toilet. "Our life here is pitiful", laments one woman. Bands of militias roam the countryside, killing civilians and burning down villages. Gang rape has become the most common weapon of war. Sifi, 18, was kidnapped by rebel soldiers. Months of repeated rapes left her paralysed and incontinent. She became pregnant but her baby was stillborn. And it's not just young women who are at risk. Even toddlers and septugenarians have been raped. Many of those who survive contract HIV or are ostracized by the community. "When my husband realised I'd been raped, he abandoned me", states Odette. "He abandoned our two children as well". The rebels prevent food supplies reaching refugees, leading to acute malnutrition. Every month, more than 20,000 children die from hunger or easily preventable diseases. The war in Eastern Congo has gone on for so long, few can remember anything else. Every attempt to bring peace has failed.
FULL SYNOPSIS

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