Since the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, tensions have been high between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Thousands of Rwandan Hutu refugees fled to the DRC during and after the genocide. Among the refugees were soldiers, many of whom were responsible for the killings of 800,000 Tutsis and some moderate Hutus.
As a result of the genocidal perpetrators moving to the DRC, Rwanda and its northern neighbor Uganda attempted to invade eastern Congo, seeking retribution. The result of this invasion led to the toppling of DRC president Mobutu Sese Seko.
After Seko was deposed, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his allies installed Laurent Kabila as President of the DRC. But, in an attempt to decrease rumors about excessive Rwandan influence in his administration, Kabila turned on Rwanda. He attempted to remove the Rwandan influence from the DRC during the Second Congo War in 1998, even removing ethnic Tutsis from his administration and forcing Rwandan forces out to the resource-rich eastern DRC. This second war ended in 2001 when Kabila was assassinated in a coup, leading to Kabila’s son Joseph assuming power in 2002.
Rwanda and the DRC have made attempts at peace since 2002. However, in response to former President Kabila’s actions of removing Tutsis from his government, radical groups, such as the March 23rd Movement (M23), began trying to take control of the eastern region of the DRC. M23 claims its motivations are in response to the DRC government not abiding by the rules of the peace deal by incorporating more ethnic Tutsis into its administration.
Although Rwanda denies any ties with M23, the DRC, along with United Nations member states, is now accusing Rwanda of backing M23 to gain control of the resource-rich area in the eastern region of the DRC. Its resources, such as cobalt and copper, are minerals that are essential for the production of many modern electronic devices. More than 100 rebel groups are currently taking advantage of the political instability and engaging in armed conflict for control.
The unfortunate reality of conflict over this resource-rich area is the humanitarian cost. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates that the conflict has displaced 7 million people. Of that 7 million, around 1 million people are seeking refuge outside of Congo, many of whom are subject to violence. According to U.N. officials, many women and girls have been subjected to sexual violence on a “massive scale” in three of the DRC’s provinces. The United Nations has appealed to its member states for $2.3 billion to help alleviate the crisis. However, it has only received $764 million of that aid, meaning only “a fraction of the number of people in need” would receive it.
Within the northern Congolese town of Bambo, residents fleeing violence were the targets of bomb and mortar raids. 200,000 people have been displaced by attacks like these in the region north of Goma. The conflict between M23 and DRC militias has caused many civilian casualties, including the massacre of 171 civilians which the DRC accuses M23 of perpetrating.
Another example of the violence comes from an attack on a camp for displaced persons by a coalition of militia groups known as the Cooperative for Development of Congo (CODECO), leaving 45 people dead. According to the United Nations peacekeeping forces, they massacred the refugees at the Lala displacement site in the Djugu territory. The blatant attacks by militia groups on vulnerable groups constitute a severe violation of international law.
The displaced refugees place additional strain on the DRC government, which is already home to more than 500,000 refugees from other countries. Over a quarter of the DRC population is food insecure, and the World Food Programme estimates that 2.8 million children are acutely malnourished. Further strain was placed on the weakened government through outbreaks of cholera, measles, monkeypox, and ebola.
The conflict between the DRC and M23 is a mix of both ideology and control over resources. The instability of the DRC government seems to limit what it can do to prevent the armed conflict and protect its citizens. Yes, the United Nations is trying to raise funds and send peacekeeping forces, but conflict – and the suffering of the innocent civilians – is far from over.
Image source: United Nations on Flickr
