Foreign Correspondence

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The Democratic Republic of Congo
Tuesday, June 07, 2011

In the past four years, Congo has lost more lives than any other country that was once in a war state like it. By mid 2002, the International Rescue Committee reports that 2,5 million people had died because of the war in eastern Congo alone.

Some of those that died were hacked to death while others were shot. Others gave in to starvation while others died of diseases. Nine national armies and a shifting throng of rebel groups ravaged Congo into rubble through fierce battles. As of now, the death toll from this dangerous mayhem stands at 3 million, most of which are civilians.

Because of its less strategic importance to the Western countries, little or no attention has been granted Congo compared to the attention received by e.g., the oil rich Middle East. Other variables that have discouraged any human saving enthusiasts are the country’s impervious geographical terrain, i.e., bad roads, dangerous landscapes and hostile disease-infecting creatures.

A glimmer of hope though dawned for Congo in April 2002 when the young Kabila’s government signed peace accords with a good number of rebel groups. One omission in the signing was the Rwandan-Controlled Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) party. The RCD now controls up to 30% of Congo while the other relatively peaceful 70% formally controlled by warring rebels now casts flashes of economic germinations.Some commentators have dubbed the RCD controlled eastern area of Congo the ‘most miserable’ place on planet earth.

It is now common knowledge that the revolution in the former Zaire was triggered by the 1994 civil war in Rwanda where the majority Hutus sort to exterminate the prosperous yet minority Tutsis. In 100 days, the civil war in Rwanda had claimed 800 000 Tutsis and Hutus that had refused to cooperate with the dominant regime then. Exiled Tutsis in Uganda regrouped themselves and overthrew the Hutus in Rwanda.

The Hutus fled to Zaire then where they found refuge and Mobutu’s government. In fear that the Hutu’s would reorganize themselves in Zaire, the


Laurent Kabilae

new Rwandan Tutsi-led government mobilized a revolution for Zaire under the leadership of the ‘drunk’ Laurent Kabila the father of the current Joseph Kabila. When Laurent Kabila rearmed the Hutus in Zaire so as to conquer Mobutu, the Rwandan Tutsi-led government reacted with anger as they saw that as a threat to their new dispensation.

They then sought help from Uganda and Burundi to topple Laurent Kabila and nearly succeeded in doing so. Laurent Kabila then invoked help from some of his friendly nations comprising of among others, Angola and Zimbabwe. When the war settled a little, these foreign nations then started showing their major interest in the Congo by plundering most of Congo’s precious resources.

Zimbabwe mined diamonds in the south of Congo. Angola ventured into oil mining with the Congolese government. Rwanda and Uganda dug diamonds and Coltan. The latter also reaped timber and ivory. In fact, it is argued by many observers that these nations found sugar in these resources that they lost interest in war that had brought them there in the first place.

In January 2001, Kabila’s body guard shot him in his gut. The bodyguard was also killed instantly. The mystery of Laurent Kabila’s death is not well explained, however, political pundits suggest that it was his double crossing behavior that led to his death. Laurent Kabila was succeeded by young Joseph Kabila who is now the first democratically elected President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Unlike his father, Joseph Kabila now 36 has already proven a competent leader compared to his father. He, unlike his father has encouraged investors to settle and do business in the new DRC. He also went into peace agreements with former enemies who were hated by his father.

In a way, he has at least taken charge of more than 70% of the country and introduced some glimmer of hope in it. His triumph over the biggest opposition party of Bemba seems to bring political skepticism in the prevalence of peace in the DRC among many African political analysts.

For some, the verdict by the Court of Law that Joseph Kabila won the 2006 Presidential elections brings confidence in the powers of young Kabila, a gesture they may allow him to respectfully dispense his leadership with more authority than ever before. As he did in the past, they see him pursuing a further philosophy of a Government of national unity by co opting Mr Bemba back into the leadership structures.

The challenge however is still that of foreign troops that have found sugar in Congo’s natural resources. As the website for Assemblies of God suggests; “Over a hundred years ago, the lure in the then Zaire was ivory and rubber, today, it is diamonds, coltan and copper. Congo’s biggest problem may not be its own government however. Many foreign troops in the DRC



still remain in the DRC not to support local forces but to maintain their access to the Congo’s ever enticing natural resources”.

The suspicion that the genocidaires Hutus who still live in Congo could reorganize and re invade Rwanda seems to be the only justification as to why Rwanda still deploys its troops in Congo. This seems to be the major perpetuation of the tension in the eastern parts of the Congo as Uganda and Burundi seem to be sympathetic with the concerns of Rwanda hence prolonging unrests.

When one looks at Congo today, one would agree that democracy has finally triumphed in Africa. Congolese in general and Joseph Kabila in particular deserve a huge congratulatory gesture from Africa and the world at large for hosting a successful Presidential election in one of the most politically troubled spots on this planet.

http://www.economynews.us/economy/the-democratic-republic-of-congo/