Twenty-two people were recently killed during a protest in what is absurdly still named the Democratic Republic of Congo, not to be confused with the Republic of Congo. The name is absurd because the CIA has long since had its planted stooge in the nation’s seat of power, as well as having its fingers intricately intertwined with the political process for decades. Yet, this is old news. It was not until the recent president chose(or was instructed) to disregard the country’s constitution–which allows a given president no more than two consecutive terms–and instead opted to forgo the next election and just remain on what has now become a dictator’s throne.

As of December 19th, Mr. Joseph Kabila became an ex-president, or should have according to the country’s constitution. Yet, he instead chose not to have elections, unofficially naming himself president for an unconstitutional third term, and likely more to follow. Similar to the manner in which the US saw a political rise in the younger generations that typically had not gotten involved in the past, the young Congolese have organized acts of civil disobedience and protests(one of which saw 22 people killed and 275 arrested) accusing Kabila of attempting to cling to power. On Wednesday security forces repressed protests in Lubumbashi that left 10 dead and 47 wounded according to a lawyer and activist for the NGO Humanism and Human Rights. According to local journalists, those killed are mostly due to government security forces opening fire on protestors.

Kabila and his supporters have denied any plan to stay in power and said elections were delayed by logistical problems. Yet, that stands in stark contrast to the majority of reports from the ground. In a recent interview with RT, Kambale Musavuli, a Congolese journalist and activist, explained why this has come about, and how the US is largely responsible.

“President Kabila, who has caused this crisis in the Congo today, is a product of the United States. The United States actually placed him there. They supported him in 2001 when he ascended to power as a rebel. Then in 2006 and 2011 with the elections in the Congo, the United States was one of the first countries to recognize Kabila as the president though those elections were illegitimate.”

Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa’s biggest miner of copper and metals used in gadgets such as cobalt, has not known a peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. The case could be made that the major influence of outside powers in the area, due largely to its vast resources, have made it very difficult for a real election to take place, or some semblance of structure and stability to be maintained. With a country in turmoil, or lead by a US-backed puppet, those with the power to do so can easily take advantage, and this has been happening for centuries.

This is also why the story has received almost no major coverage, and those who do cover the story give a vague overview of yet another African country in chaos, and fail to include the factors at play that effectively created the chaos to begin with, or even that the president is failing to step down. The only aspect they want the American people to take note of, is that Africa = Chaos. All those involved want nothing more than to maintain the wildly profitable status quo where they can do basically anything that is desired with essentially zero consequences, as very few are actually paying attention. As always, this is by design.

“All of this is very predictable. We have a president that was imposed on the Congolese people mainly through US foreign policy, to have a leader that will provide access to Congo’s resources.”

Musavuli says there are many reasons that Americans should care about what is taking place in the Congo, as there are clear parallels taking place between the two countries, and their respective political upheaval. He also asserts that not only should the American people care for moral and civic reasons, but due to the fact that what is taking place in the Congo is being funded by US tax payers. This not hard to imagine, knowing the extent to which the US has been “nation building,” both publicly and covertly, for decades. Dating back to 1960, with the help of the CIA, Congo’s first Prime Minister Patricia Mercy Lumba was assassinated. Then for 32 years there were ‘dictator wars’ imposed on the Congo orchestrated by the CIA. Knowing that Kabila himself was placed in power by the US, it becomes clear that the US government is deeply tied to this event, and that the people are left holding the check.

As this story continues to go uncovered in the mainstream, ask yourself why…

Related Reading: A Forgotten Continent: The Hidden Truths of Africa

Sources: http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/275-arrested-22-killed-in-drc-protests-7260601, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOlBL2AvhiU, http://therealnews.com/t2/story:17993:20-Killed-In-Protests-Demanding-Congo-President-Step-Down-and-Respect-%0D%0ATerm-Limits#pop1