Brennan Stock

Professor Moore

24 July 2019

POLS 2100

United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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

from the workers directly (Rumney, 2016).

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

hostilities by improvements in living standards. With a nation so rich in wealth it is hard to

imagine that the hostilities will end over its wealth, however, conditions are slowly and slightly

improving but with new consequences of their own.

 Sources:

Al Jazeera (2017) “DRC blames Uganda's rebel group for Beni massacres,” Extracted from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeT8FVvdqkU

Amnesty International (2014)Justice for Beni Killings, Extracted from:

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

Globalsecurity.org (2015) ​Second Congo War, ​Extracted from:

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

Payanzo, Ntsomo et al (2019) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Extracted from:

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

Sassoon, Alessandro (2013) ​Explaining The Kivu Conflict, ​Extracted from:

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

United Nations (2019) MONUSCO, Extracted from:

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