Since 1998, over 5 million people have died in the conflict in Congo. Hundreds of thousands more are now fleeing their homes from the recent upswing in violence. But as Nation contributor James North points out, such fighting had been flaring long before the recent media coverage. “If this crisis were happening anywhere but central Africa, there would be an army of correspondents,” North said. He joins Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! to shed light on the long-standing, and largely invisible, crisis in Congo.

—Christie Thompson

What role does the United States play in the current conflict? Check out James North’s coverage here.