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Congo Resource Wars: Everyone has a finger in the pie…

Andrew Gavin Marshall's avatarAndrew Gavin Marshall

Congo Resource Wars
Global Research, March 12, 2008
geopoliticalmonitor.com – 2008-03-01
This report examines the current war and genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which started in the mid-1990s, placing emphasis on the roles of Western covert operations, corporations and the plundering of resources that has resulted.

War in the CongoKing Leopold’s War for Rubber

Nearly 125 years ago, during the beginning of the European ‘Scramble for Africa’, European empires competed with each other to take over Africa and plunder it for its resources. The King of Belgium at the time, King Leopold II, sought to take control over the Congo, as during the time, “the demand for rubber increased dramatically,” and the “Congo contained wild rubber trees which could be harvested immediately to meet the spiraling demand.”[1] This was achieved by forcing African males to work by taking “their families hostage until a certain amount of rubber…

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Check out this clip –  a sneak peek into our documentary, currently titled ‘Mad Vs Bad’.

We are in post-production, about to start editing with renowned Australian editor Bill Murphy.

Let us know your thoughts and please follow our progress on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

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Well the past few months have been very interesting. We are excited to announce that we have a new producer on board, Jason Byrne!

Also, we have just returned from yet another filming trip, this time it was back in the UK! It was quite last minute, I was in Sydney packing a container of bikes just 10 days ago for an upcoming shipment to Cambodia for my charity Bikes 4 Life, and that’s when I got the call!

I was offered an opportunity to conduct some exclusive interviews with some people who are extremely difficult to access, but those who could add enormous insight into the film. There was also an ‘invitation only’  press conference that I was invited to attend. How could I refuse?

So, I had about 4 days to get everything sorted, get a camera man, get flights, and get all the way from Melbourne to London! As it turned out, I did go, and it all worked out rather well! My new producer organised a great camera man / DP, Ellery Ryan, who was simply brilliant!

I won’t mention all the interviews I conducted, but I will touch on the event that I was invited to attend and document. It was the press conference and launch of the recently formed Ugandan Party, FUF (Freedom and Unity Front) and its Manifesto.

The function was held at the London School of Economics (LSE) Alumni Theatre Hall on Saturday. Speakers included Professor Kaveh Moussavi of Oxford University, Dr. Amii Omara Otunnu (FUF Chairman) and Genral David Sejusa (formerly known as Tinyefuza).

General David Sejusa (Tinyefuza)
Renegade General David Sejusa (Tinyefuza)

General Sejusa, fled Uganda in April after authoring a controversial letter to internal security bosses to investigate reports of planned assassinations of members opposed to the alleged grooming of the President’s son, Muhoozi, for presidency. Sejusa fought in the National Resistance Army war that brought President Museveni to power in 1986. He also led military operations in northern Uganda against brutal warlord Joseph Kony. Sejusa was accused of highhandedness and committing atrocities in the bloody war. After an on-and-off relationship with Museveni, Sejusa in April decided to break ranks with government before escaping to London, UK where he has helped form FUF, with aim to cause regime change in Uganda. (http://chimpreports.com)

At the launch General David Sejusa, formerly the most senior army officer and closest ally of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, lifted the lid on what has been going on in the country during the 27 years of Museveni’s rule. It included heavily the state of corruption, and explicitly detailed the election rigging of the 2006 elections, stating that opposition leader Kizza Besigye clearly one the election in a landslide victory.

FUF Launch in London: General David Sejusa, Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu and Professor Mouvani
FUF Launch in London: General David Sejusa, Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu and Professor Kaveh Moussavi

FUF claims it intends to front “the global campaign to transform Uganda into a nation of peace and sustainable development based on the ethical values of democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.”

The day before leaving I also had the chance to meet again with Milton Allimadi, who had flown in from New York for the event. Milton is the publisher of Black Star News, and I had the privilege of interviewing him back in New York in 2011.

Ebony and Milton Allimadi of Black Star News
Ebony and Milton Allimadi of Black Star News

I also was honoured to meet with the brother of Dr. Olara Otunnu (UPC President) and human rights expert, Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu, who I also conducted an interview with. He is the interim Chairman of FUF.

Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu is the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Human Rights and Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. In addition to his UNESCO chairmanship, he is also the Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Human Rights at the University of Connecticut.

I will release some footage from the interviews and press conference soon so please check back!

Uganda is going through some very interesting times. Times of change.

I’m back in Australia now, and have to get everything together, as a new and final stage of post-production is to begin in early 2014.

Related articles

 

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We have recently moved into new studio in Melbourne, as we enter the final stages of post-production.

 

We have partnered with filmmaker Bernie Ryan from Cyber City Films, and are working hard to complete our first edit for the documentary.

 

We haven’t yet updated anyone on our recent trip to Uganda, and will do that soon! It was an eventful trip and we accessed some people who we thought would have been impossible.

 

Victims of all sorts of atrocities, with an important story to tell.

 

eb and penny studio

 

 

 

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Friends, we’d like you to take part in naming our documentary film!!

 

Help us come up with a new name for our documentary Child Troopers (current working title).

Post your ideas here as a comment, or send them to us privately!

You can also join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

www.facebook.com/childtroopers

www.facebook.com/atlanticstarproductions

www.twitter.com/madvsbad

www.twitter.com/atlanticstar233

 

Thank you, and we hope you choose to take part and help us come up with the best name for our documentary!

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In 2012 we travelled to Uganda and New Zealand to continue filming for our documentary ‘Child Troopers’.

In early 2013 we then traveled to the UK to find out more information and hear more stories for our film. This continues again in Uganda in the coming months.

We will be posting some clips form the recent filming in London in the next few weeks so please check back soon for a sneak peak!

We are also sending a 2nd container of bikes to Uganda through our partner organisation Bikes 4 Life, helping the lives of former child soldiers and victims of war.

We wish everyone success and happiness in 2013 and hope you continue to follow our progress with Child Troopers as we enter the final stages of post production later in the year!

Please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/childtroopers  and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/madvsbad

Peace!

 

Vincent Magombe in London being interviewed by Child Troopers director Ebony Butler.
Vincent Magombe in London being interviewed by Child Troopers director Ebony Butler earlier this year.

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This is a short video clip (sneak peek only) from an interview with Adam Branch for our documentary, at Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda) earlier this year.

The interview touches on military intervention in the hunt for Joseph Kony and the LRA, in Uganda and neighbouring countries such as the DRC  (Democratic Republic of Congo) and CAR (Central African Republic).

Adam Branch is senior research fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, Uganda, and assistant professor of political science at San Diego State University, USA. He is the author of Displacing Human Rights: War and Intervention in Northern Uganda. (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/profile/adam-branch.html)

Follow our documentary and it’s production on:

Facebook at www.facebook.com/childtroopers and

Twitter at www.twitter.com/madvsbad

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Here’s a snippet from an interview we did with Michael Kirkpatrick in Dallas, Texas…

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Hey everyone: friends, fans and dear supporters!

Unsigned Management celebrated it’s 1st year in business last Thursday and they decided to do something a little different by asking various artists both locally and overseas to collaborate with them!

They celebrated with an art exhibition and auction, with all money raised going to us at Bikes 4 Life! The auction started on Thursday night and is still going!

The artwork is up for Auction and will be on display at Artmix studio located at 42 Clifton Street, Prahran Victoria. 

Opening times:
Monday 10th – Friday 14th December 2012
10am – 4pm. 

Auction is going to be open a little longer than originally planned. Closing Friday 14th at 3pm. So please feel free to pop over to Artmix and take a look.

Size of the pieces are A0. 

BIDDING

If you’d like to bid or have a sticky beak at what’s happening, 
SMS 0429 362 207 and write: R bikes your full name 
eg; R bikes Wendy Lilley. 

Pass onto your friends and family as all money raised goes to our current projects in Australia and Abroad!

And, it’s easy to do and loads of fun!

See the link below for more info and to see the art work on auction!!

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=26b421cd110c38dd708c63982&id=9d9b039291&e=a7eeaa4525


Happy Bidding!

 

Watched TV & Ate Ice-Cream
Watched TV & Ate Ice-Cream

 

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I will be interviewing the author of this blog (Ddungu Musa Evans) next week in Auckland, New Zealand where he resides.

Musa Evans Ddungu's avatarddungu Musa Evans.

Tyrant Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government has been implicated in several human rights abuses in the new report released by Human rights watch. And these abuses include faced forced closure of meetings, threats, harassment, arrest, torture, killings and punitive bureaucratic interference. In over three decades of Museveni rule lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the north remain blighted by one of Africa’s most brutal rebellions which Ugandans believe that Museveni is the main architecture

Since 1980s Museveni’s  was notorious for his human rights abuses, first during the war which topped military leader Idi Amin from 1971-79 and that of 1980 – 1986. When Museveni butchered over  a half million  Ugandans in Luwero triangle when he started guerrilla war to remove Milton Obote whom he had accused of rigging elections during 1980 general elections.

Human rights watch report in summary.

Nairobi) – Research and advocacy organizations in Uganda that deal…

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