The Democratic Republic of the

Congo:

60 years of violence
Erica-Grace Lubamba

Appalachian State University

About the Author
Erica-Grace Lubamba is a sophomore Global Studies major. She chose this topic due to
her interest in African human rights and her personal connection to the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. The paper explores the violent and turbulent history of the
central African country and the factors that may have led to its current state.

Cover Image Citation: Lubamba, E. (2018). DRC Flag. [Digital Image].

 Since its first breath of the
freedom, the country has
been plunged into many
unfortunate circumstances
from Mobutu’s 30-year
reign, to becoming the
center of Africa’s World
War. The eastern side of the
country has been plunged
into violence since the end
of the war and countless
crimes against humanity in
the eastern region. The DRC
was liberated in 1960 and
has not had a moment of
An overview of the DRC. peace in its 59 years as a
country. But with the highly
1Independence
anticipated elections in
December 2018, there may
From the 1950s to the 1970s2, the tune of
independence rang through Africa and it did not be a chance for peace yet.

escape Belgian Congo. On June 30, 1960, the country

was free from Belgian rule, and with a president,
prime minister, senate and assembly3. Independence

1
Lubamba, E. (2019). Overview of the DRC. [Digital Image].
2 Office of the Historian. (2017). The Congo, Decolonization, and the Cold War, 1960–1965.
Retrieved from State Department https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/congo-
decolonization
3 Office of the Historian (2017)
did not come as peaceful as the Congolese would’ve wanted. The following year, the
prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, was assassinated. In 1965, Joseph Kasavubu, the
first president, was deposed from his position by Mobutu Sese Seko, an ally of the
United States, but a dictator to the Congolese people.

In January 1960, 6 months before independence, Congolese and Belgian leaders

convened in Belgium for a conference, La Table Ronde Belgo-Congolaise, to determine a
day for Congolese independence. There were different Congolese political party
representatives in attendance, promoting a more united front than the Belgian leaders,
most likely united by their common goal of a free country. By having a united front,
they quickly demanded to an immediate independence, ignoring the fact that the
heavily Belgian-led government. There were no experienced Congolese members, which
is an important catalyst in their unpeaceful history.4 Due to Belgian rule, Congolese
children were forced to learn trade skills, such as farming. They were not given a
chance to attend higher education such as secondary school, thus not giving them the
opportunities to learn skills that were necessary to run a country. The Congolese
delegation pushed for immediate independence and the Belgian coalition allowed it to
happen. Instead of advocating for a smoother transition of government, which
would’ve saved them from the violence that has plagued the country for almost sixty
years.

4 Weiss, H. (2012). The Congo's independence struggle viewed fifty years later. African Studies
Review, 55(1), 109-115. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41804131
 Patrice Lumumba

5
Patrice Lumumba was a prominent figure in the Congolese Independent
Movement. As leader of the Congolese
National Movement (MNC), he advocated
for a united and strong Congo. One that
was free from foreign influence. By the end
of the electoral campaigns and election,
Lumumba and several of his allies had won
seats in the Parliament. Elected by his
party, Lumumba became the Prime
Minister. In his position, he gained a lot of
enemies including foreign countries such
as the United States and Belgium, and
Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime other Congolese individuals such as
Minister of the DRC Mobutu Sese Seko. Lumumba was a radical
nationalist, promoting ideas of “pan-
Africanism, unitarism and nonalignment”. On September 14, 1960, Mobutu
organized a coup d’état against Lumumba and his supporters6. Just a week
before the coup, President Kasavubu announced on the radio that he had
dismissed Lumumba as prime minister. Lumumba retaliated by dismissing
Kasavubu as president. Mobutu, along with the support of the Central
Intelligence Agency and the United States7, decided to get rid of both Kasavubu
and Lumumba.

On November 27, Lumumba fled Kinshasa after learning of a plot against him.
He was captured a few short days later and sent to jail. Lumumba was still an
influential figure, that while he was in jail he continued to pose problems for
the, “moderate leadership in Kinshasa and its Western backers.8” During a

5 SA History. (2018). Patrice Lumumba is killed [Digital Image from web page]. Retrieved from
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/patrice-lumumba-killed
6 Nzongola-Ntalaja (2014)
7 Nzongola-Ntalaja (2014)
8 Nzongola-Ntalaja (2014)
 scheduled transfer on January 17, 1961, the former Prime Minister was shot and
killed. Since his assassination, only Belgium has acknowledged its role due to
the release of a book that called out the Belgian government’s role.9 Patrice
Lumumba had been an instrumental role in the liberation of the DRC, and by
sticking to his ideals that did not align with the international community, he
was robbed of the chance to do good for his country.

10Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent Kabila

Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent Kabila were both

presidents of the DRC/Zaire, each taking over the
country in the same way as their predecessor. During
Mobutu’s thirty-two-year reign as president, he
robbed the country of important economic
opportunities by taking the country’s money for
himself. In Africa’s World War by Gerard Prunier,
Prunier describes the state of Mobutu’s government
before Laurent Kabila takes over as “what passed as Mobutu Sese Seko, the
government structure was so rotten that the brush longest ruling president
of a hand could cause it to collapse.11” Mobutu had in DRC history

led the country to ruin and by the time that Kabila

had led forces against him, Mobutu had fallen ill. In 1997, Laurent Kabila
declared himself president. Mobutu had become weak to the point that he was
unable to defend himself as president during a conference between the two
leaders hosted by South African president, Nelson Mandela on a navy ship in
Pointe Noire12.

9 Nzongola-Ntalaja (2014)
10 Wikipedia. (2019) Mobutu Sese Seko [Digital Image from web page]. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobutu_Sese_Seko
11 Prunier, G. (2009). Introduction in Africa’s World War. [Print]. New York: Oxford University Press.
12 Prunier (2009) Winning a Virtual War in Africa’s World War.
 13
Laurent Kabila, with the aid of
Rwandan Patriotic Forces and his
own forces, was now president.
Kabila was compared to “Rip Van
Winkle14”, as he did not have a single
public appearance until a couple
days before his swearing-in
ceremony. Laurent Kabila only ruled
for 4 years before he was shot by
Laurent Kabila, third president of the DRC
one of his child bodyguards. He was
known for having children in his
armies15. After his sudden death, the presidency was passed on to his son
Joseph Kabila, who was president until August 2018.

13 Roessler, P and Verhoeven, H. (2016, December 31). How a dispute between comrades in
Congo sparked Africa’s deadliest war [Digital Image retrieved from web page].
Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/how-dispute-between-friends-congo-
sparked-africas-deadliest-war-534272
14 Prunier (2009) Losing the Real Peace in Africa’s World War.
15 Misser, F. (2001). KABILA II. (cover story). African Business, (263), 9. Retrieved from

https://login.proxy006.nclive.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bth&AN=4153460&site=eds-live&scope=site
16Africa’s World War

The DRC was in the middle of the

world’s largest conflict since
World War II, which was dubbed
“Africa’s World War”. The conflict
raged from 1996 to mid-2003,
when the formal ending was
declared. In the east, there is still
fighting and gender-based
violence happening.

The war was a direct effect of the

Rwandan Genocide, which took
place during the spring of 1994,
claiming upwards of one million

A map detailing every country involved in the Second lives. The ethnic cleansing of
Congo War. the Tutsi was perpetrated by the
Hutu, another ethnic group in
Rwanda. After the genocide,
many Hutu sought refuge in neighboring DRC, setting up refugee camps along the
shared borders. The Rwandan Patriotic Force (RPF) that had put a stop to the genocide
was led by the current president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, wanted to come after the
Hutu refugees. Since the refugees were in the DRC, fighting mainly took place in the
country, inciting the First and Second Congo wars. Neighboring countries and different
armed countries became involved in both conflicts.

16 Wikipeda. (2019). Second Congo war Africa map [Digital Image received from web page].
Retrieved from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Congo_War_Africa_map_en.png
 First Congo War (1996-1997) Second Congo War (1997-2003)
An invasion from Rwanda in to the DRC, A more international incident between
a joint effort between Laurent Kabila’s nine countries and close to 30 different
forces and Kagame’s RPF. armed forces.

The Congo Wars took close to six million lives, most of them Congolese lives. The
Eastern region of the country is one of the most violent regions in the world. The
formal end to the war should’ve signified an ending to the violence in the country; but
that is not the case.

17Al Jazeera summarizes Joseph Kabila’s presidency

Joseph Kabila’s
presidency has been
marred by many
allegations. In an
interview18 by Al-
Jazeera in December
2018, Kabila had a
defensive stance
towards many of the
Joseph Kabila, the fourth president of the DRC questions asked by the
interviewer. Once asked about the allegations towards the lack of correlation between
the growth of the economy and the wealth of the people, Kabila essentially responds
that was a problem with whoever did that analysis. Replying that the Congo is a
potentially wealthy nation and that the resources must be exploited to create jobs,
which “they were doing”. Yet, if they were creating jobs, there would be some

17 BBC. (2018 August 8). DR Congo President Joseph Kabila not seeking third term [Digital Image
retrieved from web page]. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-
45112960
18 Al Jazeera English. (December 29, 2018). Joseph Kabila on DRC elections and future: 'The sky is

the limit' | Talk to Al Jazeera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbATwzjqG2o


Resource-wise, the DRC is
one the richest countries on
the planet, most of the
cobalt in electronics comes
from mines in the DRC.
correlation between a growing economy and the
average wealth of a citizen, which would be
increasing. Poverty, as of 2014, remains
widespread with 63% of the population below the
poverty line19.

In 2016, Bloomberg released a report that summarized the Kabila family,

“extracurricular activities”. The interviewer brought up this report when Kabila denied
that he was the “main beneficiary” to Congolese wealth, even asking how much he had
made during his presidency. Kabila claims that the question is baseless and without
facts. In response to the Bloomberg Report, he says it was “nonsense” and that
Congolese people, not foreign powers, needed to invest in their country. This is true,
without the appropriate funds to do so, the Congo’s resources will always belong to
foreign powers.

As mentioned above, Kabila was a driving force to ending the Second Congo War in
2003, signing a treaty that ended violence throughout the country. But today there are
“four million people internally displaced, regular massacres in the east and brutal
violence in the Kasai province.”20 Kabila claims that does not mean there is a civil war
in the country and that there are only two provinces out of the twenty-six, that are
violent prone, Beni and North Kivu,21 neither of which are Kasai. The interviewer shares
the concerns of the people, which is that “the government is involved, or they are not
doing enough” to protect and help the people. Kabila runs to the defense of his army
and government, placing the blame on a domestic terrorist group, IDF, who are the real
ones running around, causing havoc and attacking the population. This prompted his
army to fight “violence with violence.”

Kabila finally stepped down in August of 2018, with elections set for December 2018.
Many people, Congolese and foreign, were left hoping that the first elections without
Kabila running would be held after being delayed for two years.

19 CIA World Factbook. (2018). Congo, Democratic Republic of the. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html
20 Al Jazeera English (December 29, 2018)
21 Al Jazeera English (December 29, 2018)
Eastern Region Violence
The eastern region, along the Rwandan border, has been trapped in a vicious cycle of
violence. Since the end of the Second Congo War, rebel groups and government
soldiers have been fighting in the area. Both groups have committed crimes against
women and children. Countless political activists, journalists and opposition leaders
have been arrested, tortured and even killed. Though with a new president, there is
hope that peace may once again be found throughout the region.

M23 Rebellion2223

In 2012, M23 was a rebel group that had been responsible for dozens of war
crimes including summary executions, rapes and recruitment, all in eastern
Congo. They were defeated in November 2013 by the Congolese army. In
December 2016, Kabila has refused to step down at the end of mandated two-
term limit. In response, Congolese across the country, go to the streets and
protests. In the span of three days, sixty-two people were killed and hundreds
more were arrested. Not only were Kabila’s security forces behind the attacks on
the people but also former M23 rebels. They had been recruited to protect
Kabila and to quell any anti-Kabila movements, by any means necessary,
including lethal force. M23 was a rebel group that had terrorized east Congo
over several months, and Kabila chose to use them to protect himself, which
was a conflict of interest. M23 rebels left the DRC and during May and July of
2017 for training, in case of any future threats to Kabila’s power.

22 Humans Right Watch. (2017, December 4). Special mission. Retrieved from
https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/12/04/special-mission/recruitment-m23-rebels-suppress-
protests-democratic-republic-congo
23 Humans Right Watch. (2012, November, 9). DR Congo: M23 rebels committing war crimes.

Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/11/dr-congo-m23-rebels-committing-

war-crimes
 Gender-Based Violence and Dr. Denis Mukwege24
25
In 2018, Dr. Denis Mukwege became the first Congolese to receive the Nobel
Peace Prize. He was recognized for his work with Congolese women and girls
who are often victims of brutal rapes. In
eastern DRC, countless women and girls are
victims of rape and gang-rape. Rape is
classified as a war crime but that does not
stop soldiers from violating women. Since he
opened his hospital in 1999, Dr. Mukwege
has helped over 50,000 women and girls not
only with physical wounds, but the hospital
has also provided psycho-social and legal
services. Dr. Mukwege opened his hospital
expecting to help those with gynecological
and obstetric issues but upon seeing the
countless victims, he could not sit idly by.
Denis Mukwege, first Congolese to
win a Nobel Peace Prize, is a voice for Dr. Mukwege has become an advocate for
those who are survivors of sexual them, seeking justice and protection for
violence. women.

The war may have ended in 2003, but the violence certainly has not.

24Panzi Foundation. (2018). Dr. Denis Mukwege. Retrieved from

https://www.panzifoundation.org/dr-denis-mukwege
25 Time Magazine. (2016 April 20). Denis Mukwege [Digital Image retrieved from web page].

Retrieved from http://time.com/4298232/denis-mukwege-2016-time-100/

A New Future26

On January 24, 2019, Felix Tshisekedi (right) was sworn in as president with Joseph Kabila (left)
present.

More than two years after Kabila’s mandate ended, elections were finally held. On
December 30, 2018, a week after they had been pushed back again, the DRC flocked to
the polls to vote for a president. But the elections weren’t as peaceful as people
would’ve wanted. Many voting places were using electronic machines. In some of the
more rural areas, some of the machines broke, delaying votes. Then just several hours
after voting had finished, there were rumors going around that Felix Tshisekedi had
won. This prompted the government to shut the internet down in the country, not
allowing anyone to communicate with the outside world unless they had a card with
credit to call anyone. On January 10, 2019, the results were announced that Felix
Tshisekedi had won. It was not a smooth transition for him, as one of the other

26 Citizen. (2019 January 24). DR Congo’s Tshisekedi falls ill during inauguration speech [Digital
image from web page]. Retrieved from https://citizen.co.za/news/news-
africa/2070295/dr-congos-tshisekedi-falls-ill-during-inauguration-speech/
candidates, Martin Fayulu, claimed that Tshisekedi had not won and had earned the
least number of votes and that he, Fayulu, had won. The Constitutional Court of the
DRC proved that Tshisekedi had indeed won. On January 24, 2019, Tshisekedi was
sworn in as president of the DRC.

Since then, Tshisekedi has worked hard on diplomatic relationships with countries
such as Rwanda and the United States. He has been putting the DRC on the radar of
other African countries in the Great Lakes region and advocating for peace in that
region27. As for the violence, he was recently at a Rwandan Genocide memorial, laying a
wreath ahead of the 25th anniversary. It was a diplomatic first, as Congolese and
Rwandan relations have not been good. Hopefully this is a step towards healing for
both countries.

Conclusion
I am a first-generation American. My parents came from the DRC in the 1990s in
hopes of finding better opportunities for their children than those available back
home. That is one of the main reasons I chose to write about the DRC. I have yet to
have had the opportunity to go visit and so therefore I find it important that I know
where I came from. Historically, my tribe is from Kasai-oriental, a province in the south
of the country. My mother was born in Kinshasa and my dad in Likasi. The DRC since
its independence has been smothered by violence. My mom told me a story of one time
when she was at home and bullets came flying into the house. As a Global Studies
major with a concentration in peace, conflict and human rights, I want to help my
people achieve an era of peace and prosperity. To do so requires looking back at
history and find out what went wrong. Hopefully, more people gain an interest in the
DRC so that these next sixty years will be regarded of sixty years of peace.

27 Munaita, Peter. (2019, March 27). Tshisekedi fronts DRC as key to Africa’s energy, water woes.
Retrieved from https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Tshisekedi-fronts-DRC-as-
key-to-Africa-energy-water-woes/4552902-5044804-9tiqtl/index.html