When a country or region is known to be extremely vulnerable to very high harm from conflict, any escalation of violence should lead early on to an adequate response in the form of efforts for peace so that the situation can be quickly prevented from any further deterioration.
Unfortunately this has not been seen recently in the context of the worsening situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country where millions have perished during the last three decades in conflicts. While there are several worrying factors at work here, the most concern has been regarding an attack in the eastern parts of DRC from the side of Rwanda, killing thousands and displacing perhaps about 3 million people (including those who were already in shelter camps) over a period of slightly over a year.
Disturbing as these figures are, the situation is in fact even more threatening than what is conveyed by them as several old hostilities can be re-ignited by the latest wave of aggression. In the waves of violence here women have suffered a lot (including sexual violence), so this is an additional and very important cause for concern.
DRC’s exceptionally rich mineral wealth has led time and again to exploiting and plundering elements unleashing violence on common people to gain access to minerals. First Belgium and its king caused untold distress to the people of Congo, and when the country became free around 1960, before it could even dream of a new future, it’s most promising leader and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was killed under a joint conspiracy by Belgium and USA’s CIA. This paved the way for the brutal dictatorship of Mobotu Seko who renamed the country Zaire. Mobutu enjoyed the hospitality of top western leaders, including three US Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Bush Sr. as the west turned away its eyes from his repressions and tortures to enjoy the fruits of mineral exploitation as facilitated by a friendly dictator.
Hence the emergence of democratic institutions and traditions in initial years of freedom was strangled, while several discontents instead got channelized in the emergence of armed groups who could also seek assistance from neighbouring countries to carve out their own areas of control over mineral wealth, whether gold and diamonds, or the increasing valuable industrial minerals like cobalt or coltan. In due course of time, China also got increasingly involved in the DRC economy.
The 100 day genocide in the neighbouring country of Rwanda in 1994 in which extremist Hutus assisted by armed forces killed about half to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus was an extremely tragic and shocking event of this region. In addition it had wider impacts which continued to rock the region over a longer time. Rwanda’s attacks on neighbouring eastern parts of the DRC, for example, were attributed to protecting the Tutsis experiencing discrimination or injustice here, or else to targeting the genocide perpetrators some of whom had escaped here. In addition, however, there was always the lure of trying to capture and control some of the gold mines here. Similarly forces came from Uganda for objectives like helping the Rwandan forces in the stated objective of protecting Tutsis, but getting involved in gold mines as well, something emerging in competitive rather than friendship roles with the Rwandan forces. Meanwhile, the DRC authorities kept protesting against all such foreign intrusions. During the late 1990s these and other factors led to two big wars and the second one (1998-2003) proved to be particularly very destructive as many countries of Africa became involved on one side or the other. It has been estimated that in the actual fighting and the ensuing humanitarian disaster and denial of basic needs nearly 5 million people died in this war.
Even later when the wars were over and there was leadership change, several resentments lingered on as it was widely believed that Rwanda and Uganda were obtaining significant amounts of gold from DRC’s eastern mines.
It was against this background that alarm bells started ringing when last year again the Rwandan militia M23 started making advances in the eastern parts of DRC and more recently this advance became very rapid with the capture of Goma and Bakavu cities and threats appearing to other cities and mining areas. It has been alleged that this rapid advance is possible because the militia is being helped by regular Rwandan armed forces. Complicating the situation is a senior DRC former official now emerging as a rebel leader and assisting the attacking force with the goal of unseating the current DRC President. There are other senior former leadership figures including former presidents who would like a leadership change. In addition there are serious internal dissensions within the DRC army and a proliferation of other armed groups. Keeping in view the fragility of his own position, the DRC President Tshisekedi, in keeping with the spirit of these times, has made an offer of giving high control to USA over mineral wealth in return for security guarantee. However before rushing in USA and allies have to protect their existing good relations with Rwanda too, while DRC too may be keeping open the option of making a similar deal of some other powerful or influential country.
On the whole, there are several factors which make the situation here highly volatile, and there is great urgency for peace steps to be scaled up here and strengthened. The UN has been present here for all these decades with its peace keeping mission now called MONUSCO, but the UN has to play a much more important role in attending to not just rescue and rehabilitation but also to contribute to more durable peace. Without engaging all the stakeholders in much higher commitment to peace, the existing situation can more easily deteriorate further than it can improve. Hence the United Nations assisted by all countries should play a much bigger role in securing peace at a relatively earlier stage as well as in increasing and improving the humanitarian aid effort.
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine, Earth without Borders, A Day in 2071 and Planet in Peril.