Ushahidi is a crowdsourcing tool that lets ordinary people report the news via txt, email and the web — a crucial thing in fast-developing crises when there’s little mainstream media on the ground. Ushahidi was built in a few days earlier this year, in response to the chaos following the Kenyan elections. It’s become a vital tool for mapping outbreaks of violence, and for tracking efforts of peace, in Kenya and in South Africa during the summer of 2008.

Now Ushahidi has launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo, so that locals can contribute reports on the Eastern Congo conflict. Visit the DRC page to read reports, or report an incident by texting +0992592111. And visit Ushahidi’s home page to find out how you can help develop the tool into an open-source platform for reporting breaking news in Africa.