Internal Displacement of people, Refugees and the Lack of food security:

Humanitarian crisis faced by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Genesis of a Regime of guns, conflict minerals and Mass murders.

Africa is a continent abundant with resources and wildlife. When nations like the Great
Britain or the French or the Portuguese started colonising other countries, the Belgians took
over the reins of Congo and made it any other colony. Congo was country rich in minerals
and other resources which the Belgians at that time, made use of and exported it overseas. In
1960, Belgium gave Congo (later known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) its freedom
and gave it chance to form its own government. Yet, two days later Belgium had to intervene
and send in their troops after noticing the public unrest and disorder that pushed the country
into an endless pit of chaos. Ever since the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) succeeded
in gaining its independence from Belgium in 1960, it had never had a peaceful political
transition. There is still on-going conflict and political instability in the DRC with the lack of
an effective government. As of recently, in December 2018, President Joseph Kabila had
planned to run for elections for a third time, which is impeded by the Congolese Constitution.
Despite that, Joseph Kabila had announced his intention for campaigning to become president
for the third time, which led the country fall into a pandemonium. More than 100 armed
groups are scouting for territory and control in the Eastern territory, politicking the Congolese
government to form a stabilized government and maintain law and order.

Though there isn’t much proof of the Government being involved with these armed groups or
militias, but their altercation for power is well established with the motive to invade and
conquer more land and their business with conflict minerals. These armed groups terrorised
people well before reports of the Congolese government being involved was uncovered. In
the Eastern part of the DRC, the conflicts were concentrated more on the Kivu region, as the
Rwandan Hutu militia fled into Eastern hills of Congo after the Rwandan Genocide. The
2006 election in the Democratic Republic of Congo was supposed to usher in a new period of
peace and stability for the beleaguered, exhausted Congolese people. But the Tutsi
community were apprehending their lack of representation in the national government and
decided the only way to bring stability and maintain law and order was through bullet shells
and guns but not the paper and ballot box. In Goma, the North-eastern region of the DRC,
conflicts between the Hema herders and Lendu farmers were so severe that at least 30 people

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were killed in two days. The conflicts in the Eastern region took a toll for the worse after
Joseph Kabila refused to step down from his presidency. The most recent ethnic conflict in
the DRC was recorded in the Yumbi region, where the UN stated that around 900 people
were killed in an ethnic conflict between the Banunu and the Batende communities. Most of
these ethnic conflicts arise through land disputes and cultural differences.

Not only have ethnic conflicts in Congo endorsed the country in guerrilla warfare; Congo’s
rich mineral resources have made militias and other armed forces to operate illegal mines to
sell minerals in the black market and fund their cause. Most of these conflict minerals come
from Eastern Congo where the Tutsi and Hutu militias have arbitrary control and other
corrupt Congolese officers’ turn a blind eye such illegal businesses. These minerals are seen
as the treasure chest of funds for the on-going armed conflict. Congo has abundant mineral
resources that have high monetary value, such as gold and other minerals. But three main
conflict minerals have been in the focus as these are a necessity resource that are used in the
fast growing technology we use in our day to day lives. Cassiterite (tin), Coltan (tantalum),
and Wolframite (tungsten), are minerals used in making cell phones, computers and other
technological devices, where the demand of the above said minerals is very high. These
conflict minerals don’t seem to be a problem when it is viewed from a third person
perspective. But, these miners are forced at gun point, to put their lives at risk and dig up
these minerals, children are forced to work at these mines, they are killed or they die of
diseases while working in mines, or their women are raped and most of all they don’t even
get enough money to feed more than two people. Since these militias and corrupt officials
understand the demand and need for these materials they take advantage of terrified civilians
who would do anything to survive.

These Ethnic conflicts and the conflict minerals draw a never ending cycle of money and
guns, as the demand of these minerals fund for weapons that are used in the ethnic conflicts
and the militias take advantage of the civilians and use them to dig up these minerals. Men,
women and children are in constant danger and threat of violence. Either these people are
killed in these conflicts, or women are raped and used as bush wives, or children are
converted into child soldiers.

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The Humanitarian Crisis in the DRC.
The DRC is the second largest country in Africa with a population of at least 80 million
people spread out the country. And with its rich supply of minerals the DRC would have been
a well-developed country. But the non-stop conflicts, lack of government stability and lack of
economic development, in 2019, the DRC would be known as the country with the second
highest number of people living below poverty line. The various conflicts made life a living
hell for the Congolese people. More than 4.5 million people have been displaced within these
20 years. These conflicts in cities like, North kivu, Goma and Bakavu, have forced people to
leave their homes and look for safety, security and a stable inflow of income in another place.
The humanitarian situation gets worse by the day.

More than 13 million Congolese need humanitarian aid and 7.7 million face severe food
insecurity1. There were reports of at least 1.4 million people forced to flee from their homes
in north Kivu and had to look for displacement camps. The reason for these many
displacements is the fear of people being killed or being forced to join armed forces. Not only
are men targeted in these conflicts but women are mistreated and most of the time either are
sexually violated or are used as “Bush wives”. In a report from 2016, more than 2 million
children suffer from acute malnutrition, and a least one out of 10 women and girls have faced
sexual violence. These women and children often leave their homes with only the clothes
they were wearing and little things they could carry. “The scale of people fleeing violence is
off the charts, outpacing Syria, Yemen and Iraq” the Norwegian Refugee council’s DRC
director, Mr. Ulrika Blom stated 2. According to estimates provided by the UNHCR more
than 300,000 people were forced to flee and seek refuge in neighbouring territories in the
Djugu violence.

Not only is displacement a problem, but deadly diseases such as Ebola, Cholera, Polio and
the Zika virus have affected a large number of people in the DRC. The Ebola endemic had at
least claimed 1,500 people’s lives over the years. These Ebola outbreaks are happening in the
most densely populated areas and areas with conflict such as North Kivu which makes it
difficult to access affected people and contain the outbreak. The most recent Ebola outbreak

1
Jason Burke, 'The Wars Will Never Stop' - Millions Flee Bloodshed As Congo Falls Apart' (the Guardian,
2019) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/03/millions-flee-bloodshed-as-congos-army-steps-up-
fight-with-rebels-in-east> accessed 14 August 2019..
2
'Human Crisis In Congo 'Worse Than Syria' (BBC News, 2019) <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-
42250230> accessed 14 August 2019.

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in 2018 affected 54 people and killed 33 people. if this Ebola outbreak is not contained, it
would threaten the whole of Congo as it does not have proper medical assistance and lacks in
food security and unsanitary condition, exposing these displaced people to the disease.

With the increase in people leaving their homes and going to camps and the increasing risk of
disease, over 13 million people are living on only one meal per day. A country rich in
resources and where 70% of the population survive on agriculture, is struggling to make ends
meet and even have more than one meal to eat, as the fear of being killed if they go back to
their fields add on the burdens to these displaced people. “New displacements, lack of
financial support, little to no humanitarian access due to insecurity and the spread of a
deadly virus, are pushing DR Congo to the brink of disaster.” Says Maureen Philippon, the
Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council3.

Innocent civilians have to go through the pain of indiscriminate killings, sexual violence,
losing their houses and having to be on the constant run just because armed groups are not
ready to negotiate terms of peace or government stability. As a result, at least 4.3 million
children are malnourished, women lean on sex work to make ends meet and young boys join
armed groups to earn meals.

The Aid Congo is Holding On To.

The history of the intervention of the United Nations in the Congolese conflicts goes back to
1960, when Belgium gave Congo its independence. The Congolese government approached
the United Nations for military assistance to help protect the national territory against
external aggressions or other militias. The following years, the main focus of the United
Nations was to maintain and restore law and order, political independence and territorial
integrity of Congo. These operations were called the Opération des Nations Unies au Congo4
or also known as ONUC which later on dissolved in 1964. Ever since then, the UN had only
stationed there watching the country through the side-lines. But after a few years there had
been many outbreaks of conflicts between armed groups and the Congolese government, the
United Nations though has tried not to engage in the conflicts, focused on protecting civilians
and try to stop armed attacks. Yet, there was a terrifying and shocking attack on a UN base
3
'300,000 Displaced Following Fresh Violence In DR Congo | NRC' (NRC, 2019)
<https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/june/dr-congo-june-2019/> accessed 14 August 2019.
4
'ONUC' (Peacekeeping.un.org, 2019) <https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/onucB.htm> accessed 14
August 2019.

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where more than 50 peacekeepers were left wounded and 15 peacekeepers were killed when
an Islamist extremist attacked. The base had a rare mandate to go on the offensive or to
engage with the extremists, hence the result in such causalities. The UN peacekeeping
mission in Congo has recorded 93 deaths of military, police and civilian personnel. It is the
one of the world’s largest and most expensive peacekeeping operations and yet it is still
aimed to stabilise the country and restore peace.

Despite the United Nations being involved as a silent party with a military, there are still
millions of people suffering with poverty or lack of food security. There have been many
organisations that have helped to help with the displaced people of Congo and those that need
medical attention. The UNHCR conjointly with the International Organisation for Migration
is managing and hosting various displacements camps and provides protection and assistance
to those affected by the conflicts or is forced to leave their homes in fear of surge of violence.
Not only does the UNHCR host DRC refugees but also refugees from Central African
Republic, South Sudan and Burundi who have sought refuge in the DRC. To sustain and
provide for such large amounts of people, there aren’t sufficient funds for the same cause.
The UNHCR has received only a quarters of the US$201 million required to provide for
medical or life-saving assistances and provide protection to the refugees and other vulnerable
people in the DRC5. Other NGOs like The Médecins sans Frontiers help in providing medical
support through hospitals, setting up mobile clinics and a fleet of ambulances. Though this
NGO works hard to protect these civilians, they themselves fall prey to such attacks and lack
of medical equipment and material pose a threat to the treatment of such sick or injured
people. And with the treat to Ebola being very high in Congo the need to have more medical
supplies is a necessity to prevent an epidemic from spreading. Also being able to reach
affected places or conflict-areas that need medical assistance is proving to be a difficult task.
Now that displacement is more and there is an increase in the lack of food security and
medicines, there is a more urgent need to help these NGOs or convince more NGOs to work
and provide aid to the DRC refugee victims.

The Present Scenario and some suggestions.

No person wishes to leave their home, their life’s total earnings and their livelihood. But
millions in the DRC are forced to leave everything they own and always be on the run in fear
of persecution or being violated or forced to work for armed forces. The continuous human
5
(2019) <https://www.unhcr.org/dr-congo-emergency.html> accessed 14 August 2019.

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rights violations, the mass massacres and the rape and sexual violence of women compel the
Congolese civilians to run for their lives. Adding to it, the situation is degrading as President
Joseph Kabila is trying to run of president for the third time, causing uproar within the
country and given an opportunity for the armed forces and other militias to try and grab land
and mineral mines.

The humanitarian crisis in Congo is as high as that of Yemen and Syria. The world isn’t
aware of the crisis on the African continent, where millions are looking for a roof to live
under, have at least two meals a day and have a peaceful life for them and their kids. Though
the humanitarian crisis in the DRC is as equal to that of Syria, the world has its focus on only
the Syrian conflicts. An entire country is being indiscriminately terrorised, pillaged and
starved with a lack of food security and medical assistance. The difference between the
conflicts in the DRC and other countries is that, there are way too many parties with
conflicting interests and very few have the intention of protecting civilians. Not only is the
Congolese government involved in these conflicts but various armed groups such as the
FDLR (Forces Democratiques De Liberation Du Rwanda), M23 (Mouvement du 23 mars),
the Mai-Mai, and others, cause the killings, rape and displacements of those millions of
people. Most of these armed groups have different objectives and causes for their fight, but
the victims have always been the innocent Congolese civilians. In Syria, there is an
established fact of who the war is being fought for and who are the parties. But in the DRC, it
is an unpredictable situation when it comes to intercommunity wars. It would have been
easier to solve political conflicts within different political and armed groups. But as of recent
events, there have been various mass murders not only for political reasons, but for ethnic,
cultural or even religious reasons. The Rwandan genocide was considered one of the most
deadliest and gruesome act in all of Africa. But gradually, the DRC is making its own
reputation with regards to internal conflict and mass murders.

The main issue as to the lack of knowledge on the plight of the problems faced by the
Congolese people is that they do not have enough media coverage and are neglected
worldwide. The world is not educated enough about what happens in Africa especially in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. How is it possible to not notice or give attention to a country
that is known to have the second largest population under the poverty line. The Democratic
Republic of Congo had also been nicknamed “the richest country with the poorest of people”
because of the fact that the minerals that the whole world depends on are abundant there but

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its people don’t even have a meal to eat. Even if we neglect that it is has the second largest
population under the poverty line, the internal displacement of people are off the charts and
difficult to ignore. Yet, the country is struggling to stand on its feet and support its people.

Many international organisations have helped with assisting displaced people and protecting
them with medical existence such as the UNHCR, the International Organisation of
Migration and the Médecins sans Frontiers. But these organisations fall short of the sufficient
funds needed to be able to provide for such a large number of displaced people. Though the
United Nations, UHCR and other organisations are trying their best to protect and provide for
the victims of these conflicts, the lack of funds are proving it to be difficult to sustain all of
the displaced and conflict-affected people. Most of these displaced people seek refuge in
Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola and other neighbouring countries. But these countries
have also exhausted their resources to provide for these displaced people.

As human beings, letting other people suffer for crimes they did not even commit is a
disgrace to humanity. Many have given hope on Africa thinking that nothing could solve the
problems there. Yet, leaving millions of people to die either by bullets, disease or starvation
is not a solution. The lack of media attention or the knowledge that the Congolese people are
suffering does not make it any less real. Bringing the internal displacement, refugee crisis and
lack of food security crisis into light, it is our responsibility to act and help these people out.
This is a Humanitarian crisis that needs immediate attention and support from more
international organisations and countries willing to help. There are ways where some of the
conflicts can be controlled such as, companies that buy these “conflict minerals” can refrain
from buying them from the black market and could rather buy them through a clean
distribution chains or track down these chains. As for the millions of displaced people,
organisations like UNHCR and other NGOs are requesting for donations which if not a
country, an individual could help at least one displaced child to have a meal. As for the armed
groups and militia, once government stability has been established in the DRC, it would be
easy to handle and negotiate terms with them. Yet, there has been no government stability
since 1960, resulting in the deaths and the plight of the Congolese people.

To conclude, the only way to stop the suffering of the Congolese people is by establishing a
stabilised government with a fair law and order system and protects the civilians and their
rights. After understanding the DRC crisis, it is a clear fact that the DRC has fallen into an

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endless loop of guns, violence, death and rape. There is a need to stand by each other and
help the displaced Congolese people. Hence, help a brother in need, because saving one life is
saving the world whole.

REFERENCES

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ARTICLES:
1. '300,000 Displaced Following Fresh Violence In DR Congo | NRC' (NRC, 2019)
<https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/june/dr-congo-june-2019/>
2. Burke J, 'The Wars Will Never Stop' - Millions Flee Bloodshed As Congo Falls Apart'
(the Guardian, 2019) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/03/millions-flee-
bloodshed-as-congos-army-steps-up-fight-with-rebels-in-east>
3.  'Human Crisis In Congo 'Worse Than Syria' (BBC News, 2019)
<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42250230>
4.  'Ethnic Clashes In Northeastern Congo Leave Dozens Dead, Officials Say' (Nytimes.com,
2019) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/world/africa/congo-ethnic-clashes.html
5. 'How Conflict Minerals Funded A War That Killed Millions, And Why Tech Giants Are
Finally Cleaning Up Their Act' (TechRepublic, 2019)
<https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-conflict-minerals-funded-a-war-that-killed-
millions/>
6. Conflict Minerals In East Congo | Global Witness | Global Witness' (Global Witness,
2019) <https://www.globalwitness.org/it/campaigns/conflict-minerals/conflict-minerals-
eastern-congo/>
7. 'Intervention Brigade: End Game In The Congo? | Africa Renewal' (Un.org, 2019)
<https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/august-2013/intervention-brigade-end-
game-congo>
8. 'Quick Facts On The Humanitarian Crisis In DRC' (Mercy Corps, 2019)
<https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/dr-congo/quick-facts-humanitarian-crisis-drc>

OFFICIAL WEBSITES:
1. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs- 'Democratic
Republic Of The Congo (DRC)' (OCHA, 2019) <https://www.unocha.org/drc>
2. UNHCR- (2019) <https://www.unhcr.org/dr-congo-emergency.html>
3. 'ONUC' (Peacekeeping.un.org, 2019)
<https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/onucB.htm> accessed 15 August 2019-
ONUC.

OTHER SOURCES:

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Youtube documentaries-
1. Conflcit Minerals, Rebels and Child Soldiers in Congo- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=kYqrflGpTRE
2. Congo: The broken heart of Africa- AL Jazeera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CWwGRz3kdBQ)
3. Congo’s war from all sides (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-UF_Ju8ip4)
4. Congo: A journey to the heart of Africa- BBC News Africa
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43xTvpxWLW4)

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