Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series. Part one focused on assistance to rape victims and educational efforts for everyday Congolese. Part two looks at efforts to reform the groups responsible for rape in Congo.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- A team of U.S. Army medical personnel arrived in this crowded capital city the first week of September. For two weeks, the Americans trained alongside 300 members of the Congolese army. The goal of the exercise? "To increase interoperability with Congolese forces . . . and give them the opportunity to learn from us," Lt. Col. Todd Johnston told World Politics Review.
There were two reasons behind the exercise's timing: the U.S. and other countries' growing reliance on Congo for rare minerals, including cobalt and tantalum, and the increasing fragility of the Congolese state.