[Godefroid Niyonkuru]

DRC is one of the poorest countries in Africa despite its immense mineral endowment. Its most unfortunate to see the level of underdevelopment in DRC while its mining and extraction rights are being given to foreign companies to the expense of its own people. DRC has never got the real independence to start with, the king of Belgium Leopard the 2nd made it a slave colony for 30 years, the government of Belgium ran this colony for another 40 years and when it got a fake independence in June 1960 with the struggle of their popular first prime mister Mr. Lumumba, the same colonizers killed him and installed another dictator Mobutu for another 30 years. So, mining rights have never belonged to RDC people instead they have been controlled and handed over to their former colonizers since independence to appease them and for these puppets governments that ruled it after independence to stay in power and enrich themselves and their inner circle. Whenever the story of DRC is being raised it makes people really reflect on what is going on in Africa, to see a country like that which is rich in all precious mineral resources being exploited to its knees while its people are being killed like ants and nobody cares because those who are meant to help DRC solve its problems are the ones who arm the rebels and keep this insecurity just to allow them to exploit the country. DRC is the explicit example of what neocolonialism really means and how it can destroy a country in spite of its God given mineral resources. What we are observing in west Africa today, I mean the string of coups in former French colonies is the revolt against these injustices and it is a good sign that young Africans are sick and tired of the exploitation and domination being done by France in those countries. DRC needs a wakeup call as well.