Destruction, palestinian muslims decided to continue to congregate as usual, and practice their faith. The ministry of residents volunteer to create the small space for worshippers to pray. Its meant to maintain our rituals. We hope this war will come to an end and at this most will be restored for it is the Central Mosque where worshippers for many surrounding areas flocked to offer their prayers. And the mosque once featured the library and main gary, big enough to accommodate more than 1500 the worshippers. Now prayers are in or reduced space. Friday. Prayers have been drawing crowds of worshippers saved them. Wisdom for the month of ramadan will be no exception, this problem or that it will hot each other even if it were adamant to keep the case the praise out loud. We clean doesnt aerospace out of the most of the entire area of the, by the grace of god to continue to offer out praise that the, the wiki friday praise was offered to you. I and worship. As were lining on and around the surrounding rubble. We will continue to also praise even on the roads and on the ruins. So audio, despite the impact of war, has less than causes historic sites. People say these really bombings have not been their hope to rebuild a stronger and United Community axles. I moved out to 0 streams up next and ill just see that were going to be back in about 13 minutes time. More on all our thoughts stories. Dont forget the website. Of course, ill just say to dont comfortable with use on schools on robots of stay with us and obviously the the russian president ial election will take place over 3 days from now. The 15th people will revising in russia. Crime in the full so called New Territories taken from ukraine, was listening position legend increasingly excessive. So when again, stay was altered 0 for the global react, 6000000 have died, and more than 6000000 have been displaced by a crisis, we have largely ignored democratic republic of homo has been involved in conflicts for nearly 3 decades. Now, were here today to remind you why im on these boards and this is this tree the we need to talk about the silent genocide happening in congo. The expectation of complex people has claimed millions of lives and the media is not talking about 2. 06000000 congolese people have lost their lives over the past decade. Around every hour, 48 women, sexually assaulted. Millions more have been displaced. Also, the west, the wall can continue to benefit of congress, Natural Resources like cobalt. The land of congress has the largest amount of cobalt which is a critical mineral used in techno j. West. The masons likes the us, the u. K. And for all and so given military and Financial Aid to groups and were wanda and uganda to invite cobra rich areas. And because of these invasions congolese people are the killed or in slaves and forced to mind cobalt which includes pregnant women and children. Did you know you are vague, its could be using materials extracted by child labor or that key components in your phone could be sourced from contested mines in a conflict causing the depths of thousands of people every day. These are the issues that people campaigning for the congo one to, to be thinking about. Among them are our guests today. How did you ali, from friends of the congo . Shes joining us from washington, d. C. Poppy orient founder of focus. Congress who fled the country as a child is joining us today from munich. And reagan, missouri, accompanies research her and human rights activists. Joining us from go my, thank you all so much for joining us here on the stream today for this very important conversation. Before we begin, though, heres a clip. How did you i posted on, took talk that may help us. Oh, scituate, this crisis right now is modern day slavery going on in the catawba province, which is down here of the d r c because the u. S. U. K, france, israel, china, everybody wants new york, these resources, they want the colton, they want the cobalt, they want the gold, they want the diamonds, they want everything thats in the d r c. And the eastern part of the d r c as well. They want everything that is in there that they have uprooted everybody who used to live in these communities so that they built mines. And here with the border with rhonda rebels funded by both the governments of the d r. C and wanda. See how these are the columns like the in the combo has been going on for decades now . Why is it important for you to bring attention back to it these days . Um, thank you for having me. First, the conflict and condo has been going on for decades. Now, since 1996 and largely of the world has been either ignoring it or just hasnt been told enough about it, we need to talk about it now more than ever because 8 affects all of our lives. And so one conflict in this world that is directly linked with the luxuries that we get to enjoy, like our mobile phones and our electric cause. Oh and all of us say is affecting millions of people like coffee, for example poppy. What would you say are the most pressing challenges right now . Once again, were talking about a conflict that has been going on for decades, but what are the most serious issues at the moment . Yes. All right, thank you again for having us. And i think the challenges humongous oh, in this conflict, right. And if youre on the ground in the Eastern Congress specifically and gama, you will see that the challenges we, the of, as i would say, the one challenge of the thing that human human that uh, i re deals at to, to nothing randy like we have in this display as comp one of the display as comp we have about at a 100000 people. But however, the people have not for their they have no, no, no basic need basically are, people are just living like undermines. And so i would say that would be the 1st challenges that were facing by of cause. They cannot be all is luxuries without without piece. And as i walk around not capable of me, it would grab us and between people that are doing that to our society. And i asked myself, what is going to happen to, to, to the people or tomorrow, and where is going to happen to even this kids that you have children touching your data on this comp. Ive been taken by different school. I took them into the army, us as an organization we had to pay for the time of this case to, to get back home by big challenge is correct and we, we dont know at this point was as soon as she is going to uh, reagan. You are in go more right now. Do you agree with poppy . The challenges are enormous. Yes, there is. Uh, a lot of challenges on the ground and yes, i think the biggest, uh, as he said is protection of cdn. So uh, the result of display, especially around the city. Uh there is also on going uh fi to right now, very close to the city notes uh to keep them it does from here. And uh, i bought some digesting does the 2nd because charlotte is the fact that the states you each you selected the date that is due stop. He already, you know, certain way, some place dates. So i think that is the biggest job is because it makes people know tabi annual put a student cost is less. You have the authority to your file. Those dates less. You have uh no rolls. Uh its means thats uh this will be going good. Oh no, so copying popular ones to way and im gonna, im gonna, i wanna bring back the whole political issue into the conversation. I will bring that on a little bit later, but poppy go ahead 1st. Yeah, i think just a 2nd let my brother joseph. As in the down, the dangerous thing is that people are taking this as a non nod because i see like there is no head. Oh, we dont have that. So exactly like as our company sizing around the was and so people on the ground are thinking, this is our gonna leave the rest of our lives and thats into either tomorrow or we died. Were gonna die because of lack of food or local chair to uh, basically it. And so you have these children working around that thinking. We dont, we dont have no future. Theres no vision for the future. So that is very, very dangerous. When youll see, when you really see that children dont think about anything as ben. Okay. The best thing i can do is getting beyond me. Oh, absolutely. There is no. There are no prospect rise in the face and is more like, because this is always going to be like this. I want to bring it into focus here the, the issue of these online campaigns. Theres quite a lot of talk going on online right now. How do use your the Online Movement is quite big at the moment to bring attention back to the congo. Do you think you can be translated into real action on the ground though . As absolutely it is big, but its not as big as it should be. And why, because this country is we get so much we take so much from it and the, the level of consciousness that though the level of the people of the world have regarding that conflict is just not nearly enough. Right . Like i said, theres a, um, a concerted efforts by the people who benefits these other governments and International Corporate media to hi, this conflict from, from, from the rest of the world. Right . So that they can take what they can continue the calendar. And so all of us each and every one of us has to speak about the title to come with these people because it affects each and every one of us that exploitation that is going on in the cold with minds in eastern call going goma. That exploitation directly benefits each and every one of us on a day to day basis. So each and every one of us really should be speaking about the conference and the d. R. C is very interesting, right . Again, i will go to you in just a minute, but i want to bring up an element that we found while researching for the show online. One of the things that campaigners are pushing for is for us to rethink our consumption habits. Take a listen. Over 6000000 people have been on a lived in the past 25 years. That is a little over 714 people a day. At least 48 women are being raped daily and dont even get me started on the men, women and children being blown up. And those mines just for us to have our dates and our carts. Im gonna just say this. Knowing that has completely changed my perspective and i love my carts do, but no hit or high in the world is worth the lives of innocent people. Reagan, would you agree with what the social media use or just said to yes, i think thats part of the problem, but its not the only problem i would say um i have some issues with people who just defined the conflicts here in a correlation in relation weve, weve minds, there is, are lots of to say about these conflicts done just the mind. Of course, there is a good mind in the some places of close the minds to this conflict. Of course, the people what then if they think of uh, of discount fees, because the big gets cheaper minds or the minds without going through the right way. But there is no more than these and nothing more that this is much more about uh when we talk about the 4 digits. Uh, theyve been ordered issue thank dental challenges, but also by spend which on his book. But i think its important. But especially when youre outside the country, its important to focus on your own responsibility. And of course, the why, the way you talk option, its a, its one way of thinking about google is thinking about was getting be down to about the school that i think, yes. Yeah, we, uh we, we, i book it for more drugs, speed on sci fi book as well. No, i put the ability for uh, both uh, governments and the, and companies i think thats the right thing to do. And the civil society. Ill said, yeah, see, can weve got the d r a so you just held the election late last year and the Campaign Slogan for the re elected president , read Unity Security prosperity. It couldnt be further from what certain congolese people are experiencing at the moment online. We found a significant amount of criticism like this one, for example, the people of congo deserve a government. The power its sizes, their safety and well be continued cooperation with the f d l r and other melisha undermines this fundamental expectation and requires immediate corrective action. How these are you . I saw your, your, you were not doing the for your take on this whole political issue within the country and the difficult to the authorities there have in terms of just getting a grip on the situation. Yes, i wanted to add on to what my brother had had just said that we cannot reduce the whole call these people or the companies conflict, all the beautiful country. And the d r c to mining. We cannot do that. We have to remember that cobra is also home to the largest, the 2nd largest rain forest in the world. And so this the color base, it is very important in combat and climate change. And so us with our organization in front of the congo, we work in all those areas in the, in the, in the mines as well as in the reinforcement also with governance. Right . Because we need to support the local Police Communities in grass roots, organizations that are trying to combat the images in that you know, that goes on. And so thats the sort of the Companies People become the beneficiaries of the people who benefit the most from the lands Natural Resources instead of the few at the top a coffee your take here. I mean, you have to clear country when youre really young and its been going on for 30 years. Why comp, politicians in the congo just get a grip and fix this. And it says, yeah, im looking back here my childhood and how i was however, affected by these being recorded as a child surgeon and having to leave because of fear of what would happen where it happened to me and the, and on and coming back to the air tacoma, and looking the same is like a cycle. The same thing is still happening today. And that really, that really touches my heart so see to look at these kids and know that theyre in the same case that i was in bed being recruited. And so, and then i look at the politics of the country and im like a, i dont know, i dont see, i dont see know how to, because youll see all these corrupt is in colorado, to a politician. And as election was going on. I was there, my says and that so i see a south cable which is my region. We have a 1000 times over a 1000 people contesting for, for government because they understand the magnitude of the money that the theyre getting from their, from the government and eat so many young people. Theyre just went. They dont want to to be in the plastics in order to better their lives of the people. But they just want to be there to, to get that in mind. You to, okay. All right, and all these companies that are kind of Multinational Companies that are going to come in and doug was also, oh, overlaps, was minding, giving them corrupting them with money in order to lobby for them on their own, the national level. And so they want to be able to do that. So the level of corruption is, is, is a huge and going back to our, to mining again, of course, is not the, the only problem we have. But i think amounting to as a huge drawing. Because our lives compet demeanor level, which is coming out of the chromebook and ive been surprised to, to, to the outside world is quite a huge. And we about that the outside world is not functioning. And so for many, much a National Company about sponsoring this politician in order on hold on for them to know before the man. Of course, we have some human rights activists that are out now also part of their government because theyre being corrupted by this government that was speaking against it. Now this, this pitching pro, their government, so this is, is a huge problem and its a part of the picture that youll paint here. I mean, as you said, the cycle of violence in the cycle of hopelessness, that seems never ending reagan. You brought a little bit of hope earlier into terms of the organizations and, and just the way the initiatives coming up from among the people. Uh, can you tell us a little bit more about that . Do you see that spreading and having a little bit more strength or like copying, do you think that were going to keep watching more of the same address . Congo . Send out there is some cool. Uh and thats because of, uh, the people are the grounded ship is which of the grounds . Yes, i think uh with this uh, with this graphics grounds. I lot of sorrows that are of um uh uh i can say, i know i love it separate but so, so i dont know resilience of poppy. You wanted to add something. Uh and then how do you get a copy 1st if thats all right. Yeah, i definitely, i think that there is a help in colorado and we have been working and, and really trying to change the narrative because thats our ad focus from the realize that, you know, the major Media Outlets of the one that were not really talking about the help of chrome and what chromebook because this is like if this mineral is either we know, telling people, okay, dont, dont come in mind and come back this mind, this mind must, uh, beneficial to people whove come of course, you know, thats why we want and we want to show their young people of color that this, why dont you have your quote and better have the it belongs to you. It doesnt belong to. Some force is coming from outside the audience so that you make a very good point. How does uh you want to weigh . Yeah, and then ill, ill go back to reagan, how did you want to do what i wanted to in, on the hopeful part. There is a lot of hope and now especially more than ever on now, the more people, right, the world is being exposed to the long standing suffering of the Companies People. Just last month, december of 2023 friends of the combo was able to raise 100000. 00 an average of 20. 00 from 5000. 00 people across the world. You see this kind of solving there it is kind of Global Solidarity sports and companies. People need and they will get it because its about time that we put a focus on the d r c and whats been going on there. So theres absolutely is hope for this and an end to the conflict, hopefully very soon. Um on the Global Solidarity aspect and reagan, i have not forgotten about you. I will go back to you. But on the Global Solidarity issue, many aspects of this crisis are being talked about online as we mentioned. Heres another casualty. All the conflict and the mining the d. R. C that had deja has mentioned the environment. The one thing you can do right now in regards to speaking up is talk about the congo bass, get the environment on the line because a lot of smaller tech and other companies are trying to get in because what they want our resources, they get the congo basis is the largest or is the continent of after a bunch of companies are buying different plots of the land to do oil extract. As far as we h