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DR Congo-Rwanda
US Denounces Escalating Conflict
The US has urged both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to “step back from the brink of war” amidst escalating tensions in the eastern DRC. In recent days, M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel militia, advanced through a portion of the North Kivu province to surround Goma, the main city in eastern DRC. The UN, DRC and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebel group in a bid to control the mineral-rich eastern region. Rwanda has denied involvement. However, the country accuses the DRC of supporting the FDLR militia, an ethnically Hutu group whose original leaders included army officers responsible for the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda. Fears of regional escalation loom, as troops from six neighboring countries have already become implicated in the fighting. In the DRC, 135,000 people have been displaced in the past month, joining the half million already displaced persons in the region. Experts maintain hope for a diplomatic solution, however, to date US efforts to broker a compromise have failed as neither the DRC nor Rwanda appear willing to back down.
This map depicts clashes involving the M23 rebel group in the North Kivu region, west of Goma, the main city in the eastern area of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Economist
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Venezuela
Illegal Gold Mine Collapse Kills 23
At least 23 Venezuelans are feared dead after an unsanctioned 114-foot (35 m) deep gold mine collapsed, trapping over 100 men inside. The wall of the illegal open-pit gold mine, named Bulla Loca, collapsed on Tuesday, sparking a frantic rescue effort in the remote town of La Paragua, near the Venezuelan Amazon in Bolivar state. Bulla Loca mine was opened last year and is under the control of several criminal groups. Illegal gold mining boomed in Venezuela during an unprecedented economic crisis from 2013 and 2020. The industry has attracted vulnerable Venezuelans, lured by deposits of iron ore, gold, bauxite, quartz, coltan, diamonds, and copper extracted from informal mines across Bolivar. Venezuela’s regime has increasingly relied on gold mined in Bolivar state to cover its expenditures and get around US sanctions on its oil industry.
This map depicts the location of the Bulla Loca mine in Bolivar state, Venezuela, which collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CNN News
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United States
Universal Human Microbes
A new study published in the journal Nature Microbiology has revealed a universal set of bacterial and fungal decomposers appears to be involved in the decomposition of human remains, regardless of environment or seasonal variation. The research team took measurements of the decomposition process of 36 donated human bodies in Colorado, Tennessee, and Texas, over a 21-day period during different seasons. During that observation window, the researchers identified a community of roughly 20 microbes that were not only active in every body’s decomposition, but appeared at precisely the same time in the process, regardless of environmental or seasonal differences. These discoveries offer new tools for forensic science when investigating death scenes, and can also have applications in the agricultural and food industries.
This map depicts the locations in the United States where the natural decomposition of human cadavers was observed throughout different seasons, revealing a universal community of microbes involved in the process regardless of location or season. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the longest and most trafficked river in western Africa?
A: Niger River
The Niger is the principal river of western Africa. It is the third longest river on the continent, after the Nile and the Congo. It is about 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) long. The Niger rises in Guinea 150 miles (240 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean. Flowing northeastward in a great arc, it enters Mali and approaches the Sahara. Its northernmost point is near the ancient city of Timbuktu, Mali. The river then bends southeastward through western Niger to Nigeria and continues southward before emptying into the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger passes through virtually all of the vegetational zones of western Africa, including grasslands, rainforests, and swamps. Fishing is an important activity along the length of the Niger and its tributaries. The discovery and exploitation of petroleum in the delta region, however, has seriously disrupted fishing there. Most of the Niger is used for commercial shipping.
Source
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Q: Where can you find the biologically richest savanna in the world?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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