Nightline: Heart of Darkness

The fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo is rooted in the genocide of Rwanda. This war, sometimes referred to as the first African world war, has involved as many as seven nations since 1998, and claimed more than two-and-a-half million lives. It has been an unrelenting war, brutal and countrywide, with rebel groups and the government fighting for power as well as control of Congo’s immense natural resources. This story of murder, greed, violence, and the quest for power is also a story of those who survive, who try to forge lives in the midst of terror, a story exploring the strength of the human spirit. Yet until now this continuing conflict has been all but overlooked—or ignored—by most of the world. It is as if Congo, in the heart of the great continent of Africa, remains an imagined world rather than the site of great human tragedy and ongoing political conflict. To create Heart of Darkness, Managing Editor and Correspondent Ted Koppel led a production team into the region, accompanied by Correspondent Maartin Seemungal. Camera teams were directed by Alex Bruckner, Francesca Neidhart, James Mitchell, and Trevor Barker. Eric Steven Wray, Cathy Barosky, Russ Freeman, and Joanne Lawler edited Heart of Darkness, and graphics were provided by Steve Bottorff, Suzanne Allison, Lisa Fisher, Sean C. Jackson, and John Merica. James Blue and Elissa Rubin served as Producers, with Production Assistant Kate Krauss. Tom Bettag is Executive Producer for ABC News Nightline, George Murphy is Director and Larry Douglas, Technical Director. For bringing the brutal war in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the attention of the world with this major, five-part exploration, a Peabody Award goes to ABC News Nightline: Heart of Darkness.