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Pols 2100 Essay 2 1
Pols 2100 Essay 2 1
Professor Moore
24 July 2019
POLS 2100
In 2014, the Ebola virus erupted in western Africa. The epidemic continues today, yet
most disturbingly, this was perhaps the most attention Sub-Saharan Africa received in American
media. Something that is often excluded from the media are those conditions in these countries.
One such country being the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Situated in the center of
Sub-Saharan Africa, the geography of the region is very lush with plant life and grasslands.
Forests consume the landscape, and beneath the roots lies precious minerals and metals that
sustain modern technology. The region is turbulent; immense corruption, predatory companies,
militant ethnic groups, and a host of other problems prevent the region from enjoying the full
wealth the Congo has. The Congo often ranks low on public health, infrastructure, inflation, Gini
coefficient, and a host of other ailments. United Nations Peacekeeping operations have been in
the Congo since 1960 attempting to resolve militancy and unrest. Peacekeeping is ongoing in the
wake of two regional wars and countless insurgencies, although three major conflicts are
identifiable.
Sources of the current conflicts have roots in 1965 when Mobutu Sese Seko established
an authoritarian state controlling the country and, in the process, embezzled billions of dollars of
aid to the country then named Zaire. Due to spillover from the Rwandan Genocide,
Hutu-Rwandan militias began to operate in Zaire and feared reprisals from Rwanda’s new
government. Subsequently, Tutsi-Rwandan forces and unsatisfied local Tutsi-Congolese tribes
reacted to the continued attacks by Hutus against Rwanda and, with backing from Tutsi-lead
Rwanda, toppled Mobutu. This came to be known as the First Congo War and in its aftermath,
Mobutu was deposed and Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Continuing
from the first war, the Second Congo War saw revolutionary armies sweep across the Congo
turning against the transitional Congo government. The second war had main causes in
dissatisfaction with foreign soldiers and influence in the Congo (Global Security, 2015).
Thus, the first and oldest current conflict follows the chaos of the Second Congo War. A
general named Laurent Nkunda started a breakaway faction against the new government under
Joseph Kaliba in 2006. Nkunda called for the overthrow of the government citing corruption and
began fighting the Congolese Military (France 24, 2008). Armed groups in the east of the
country continue this fight despite peace deals that have been signed throughout the mid 2000s.
An additional and more recent rebellion began as a rejection of one of the peace deals in 2009,
and the “M23” rebellion harassed Congo troops, but more or less was destroyed by government
forces in 2013. Battling Nkunda in the east began to be known as the Kivu conflict, which saw
both Nkunda’s forces allying with local militias and continuing the fight to the present day
although Nkunda has been captured and remains in prison (The Guardian, 2009).
A concurrent conflict faced by the United Nations Mission is with the spillover Ugandan
Allied Democratic Forces. The primary motives of this group lie in radical Islam, and merged
several other organizations under its control. They were held responsible for the Beni Massacre,
although it is speculated that the Congo Armed Forces operated in tandem or orchestrated the
killings (Amnesty International, 2014)(Al Jazeera, 2017). A recent fight in 2017 left 15 UN
peacekeepers dead, and the UDF further destabilize the region. The attack was justly attributed to
the UDF. Additionally, the third conflict is tribal violence in the Congo’s east, with conflicts
between Hema nomadic herdsmen and Lendu farmers battling over water rights and land usage.
Both the United Nations and the Congo government is attempting to quell the violence (United
Nations, 2019).
In many cases the conflict is perpetuated by the control of the supply of minerals. In 2005
the “tech boom” inflated the demand for Coltan as it is found in most lithium-ion batteries.
During the early 2000s, militias and other armed groups controlled the extraction of minerals and
extorted labor out of workers, including children (VICE, 2012). The OECD has published
guidelines concerning the use of the “conflict minerals” that enter the supply chains of major
firms. Although ironically, not purchasing from the Congo hurts the miners on the ground
(VICE, 2012). Militias still control some of the mines, however the government has gotten better
at putting that practice to an end. Yet, expliotation, child labor, and general abuse is still
prevalent, with foreign companies and local bosses also taking much of the needed profit away
The peacekeeping operations have trouble containing the violence due to the economic
condition of the Congo and the geography. Much of the wealth that could possibly turn fighters
away from fighting is redirected toward other pockets. The political and economic anarchy
represent no established form of living and conditions in the country can vary wildly over time.
The dense forests and mountain ranges pose excellent shelter for rebel groups, and local villagers
can be persuaded to join if they feel they can secure a better future. The World Bank has lent aid
to the Congo to develop infrastructure, and perhaps the United Nations should focus on helping
to build infrastructure, industry, and safe cities for the residents of the Congo in order to end
imagine that the hostilities will end over its wealth, however, conditions are slowly and slightly
Al Jazeera (2017) “DRC blames Uganda's rebel group for Beni massacres,” Extracted from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeT8FVvdqkU
https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/demand-justice-for-the-victims-of-
beni-killings-in-drc/
Central Intelligence Agency (2018) Congo, Democratic Republic of, Extracted from:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/congo-2.htm
xtracted from:
France 24 (2008) Fact-File: Conflict in Kivu Region, E
https://www.france24.com/en/20081112-fact-file-conflict-north-kivu-dr-congo#2
https://www.britannica.com/place/Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo
Rumeny, Emma (2016) “Congo gold rush exploited by ‘predatory’ companies and officials,”
Extracted from:
https://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2016/07/congo-gold-rush-exploited-pre
datory-companies-and-officials
http://scir.org/2013/11/explaining-the-kivu-conflict/
The Guardian (2009) Profile on Laurent Nkunda, Extracted from:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/23/profile-laurent-nkunda-congo
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/monusco
VICE News (2012) Conflict Minerals, Rebels and Child Soldiers in Congo, Extracted from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYqrflGpTRE