‘GOALies’ save lives in war-torn nation

IT has been called the Belgian Congo, the Congo, Zaire and more recently the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Almost as large as Western Europe, rich in minerals, with lush vegetation, DRC is also emerging from a catastrophic war, which at one stage involved the armies of seven countries and several rebel groups.

Estimates vary, but as many as 4.7 million people have died as a result of this "low tech, high mortality" war. The equivalent of the population of Ireland was killed in just five brutal years and the international media paid hardly any notice.