A Brief History of the Conflict in The Democratic Republic of Congo: What’s Happening Now?
The most recent massacre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in nearly 928,000 Congolese asylum-seekers and nearly 270 killed, says the United Nations Council on Human Rights (UNCHR). Since 1962, the DRC and its neighbours have been defined by conflict, genocide, coup, and corruption. What has led to these horrifying statistics, and is there a prospect of peace?
The path towards Congolese independence from Belgium was tumultuous from the beginning. After multiple coups and skewed elections, ultimately, the US-funded Mobutu Seko group cinched control of the region. Nearly 30 years later, a tense conflict between ethnic groups, perpetuated by their previous colonizers, spiralled into a full-fledged genocide of the Tutsi group by the Hutus in Rwanda. Nearly 800,000 Tutsis were murdered, raped, and displaced with the help of the Rwandan government. Tutsis fled into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo to build up arms, numbers, and seize back power in Rwanda. This cycle of power continued with the Hutus fleeing to the DRC as well and allying themselves with Mobotu; Mobotu then engaged with the violence towards the Tutsis in retaliation towards the Hutus. By now, the Rwandan government was Tutsi-aligned and joined forces with Uganda to invade the DRC. The conflict led to an overthrow of Mobotu in 1997.
A complicated and twisted history can be generally summarized by corruption and lack of diplomacy between the allied Zimbabwean, Angolan and Namibian governments and the Rwandan and Ugandan forces. Furthermore, the trade of minerals present in the region fuels conflict and supports militia and rebel groups. National companies refuse to engage in trade attempts to defund the rebel groups. The Catch 22 is that because of this, miners are put out of work and thus driven to militias and rebel groups.
Recently, the notorious M23 group, and ethnic Tutsi group supported by the Rwandan government have captured the city of Kitshanga in the DRC. Facing incredible condemnation from the U.N. and Western forces, Rwandan funding of M23 is facing pressure. Peace talks, calls for ceasefire and dialogue between Rwanda and the DRC are hindered by M23’s atrocities and war crimes committed on civilians.
So, how is peace pursued and finally established? The tension between ethnic groups creates an inevitable cycle of violence, fuelled by corrupt government and militant groups. The U.N.’s involvement has been geared towards militant groups, rather than exploitative third parties seeking profit from Congo’s resources. John Ahere, a Kenyan sociologist writing for ACCORD, and African Journal for Conflict Resolution, sums up key factors within the region and the steps towards peace; The U.N.’s close watch of exploitative third parties within the region, robust civil society organizations, and an established, non-affiliated trusted government.
Image Courtesy of Sangjinhwa via Wikimedia, © 2016 some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
