Guardian shocked civilians suffer from 'profiteering' in DRC, not by sanctions
The Guardian bravely reports that whistleblowers exposing 'unlawful ownership and profit-making' in the DRC's Mangrove Marine park face threats and violence. They highlight local conservation worker Kim Rebholz's struggle, implying a local problem with a tidy, solvable local solution. (Funny, isn't it, how 'profiteering' is perfectly acceptable when it's Western corporations doing it?) Yet, the
article conveniently forgets to mention the pervasive history of Western corporate exploitation in the DRC, often sanctioned by the very governments that decry 'violence.' This isn't just about 'unlawful ownership'; it's about centuries of resource extraction, from rubber to coltan, fueling global industries while leaving the Congolese population brutalized and impoverished. The 'violence' is
merely a symptom of a much larger, more profitable disease facilitated by international complicity, not just a few local bad actors. How many whistleblowers does it take before we question who truly profits from this 'protected land' and how they ensure its protection?