Η εμπόλεμη κατάσταση στην Λαϊκή Δημοκρατία του Κονγκό (Republic of the Congo) μαίνεται εδώ και δεκαετίες. Τι ακριβώς συμβαίνει;

For more than three decades the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been plagued by relentless war and instability, making it one of the world’s most troubled areas. Africa’s second-largest country, surpassed only by Algeriaand bordered by nine nations, the DRC’s ongoing turmoil extends far beyond its borders, threatening the stability of the entire continent. The unchecked use of violence has led to widespread human rights abuses, a staggering human rights crisis, and the displacement of millions of people.  In a divided world, where conflicts rage daily, the situation in the DRC is often overlooked. However, as of early 2024, escalating tensions and violence have forced the conflict into the spotlight, demanding immediate global attention.

The roots of the DRC’s current crisis can be traced back to colonial history. Congo, formerly under the ownership of the King of Belgium, gained its independence in 1960. King Leopold seized the country by force in 1885, using it as personal property due to the area’s rich natural resources. His reign over the former “Congo Free State” was marked by great brutality, with many people dying from intensive labor, punishment, and malnutrition. After the King was forced by international pressure to relinquish the Congo to the state of Belgium, the country became known as “Belgian Congo” and remained a colony until its independence.

The passage from being King Leopold’s personal playground to becoming a Belgian colony didn’t much improve the situation. Punishment and exploitation were a constant for the already troubled people of the DRC. Even after gaining independence, the country struggled with political instability, a lack of infrastructure, and the lingering scars of colonial exploitation. The Congo is home to manydifferent ethnic groups, including Belgian settlers, which fueled ethnic tensions and conflict. In the same year of its independence, the government faced mutinies, with the most significant being that of Moise Tshombe, a prominent businessman and politician who declared the independence of the mineral-rich Katanga region. The Belgian State and the UN became involved, each seeking to protect their interests, further complicating the situation.

In 1965, Mobutu Sese Seko seized power, and changed the country’s name to Zaire, leaving his own mark on the tragic history of the Congo. The situation deteriorated further in 1996-97, which marked the beginning of a decades-long bloody conflict. The First Congo War, instigated by rebels who replaced President Mobutu with rebel leader Laurent Kabila became a catalyst for future instability. The rebel government faced another civil unrest, drawing in several other countries and armed groups. Amid the widespread chaosof the Second Congo War, the UN intervened with a large military delegation, responsible for maintaining the peace. The MONUSCO mission is one of the most expensive missions documented in the history of the UN, with over 12.000 troops.

Following the end of the Second Congo War and the fall of President Mobutu’s regime, the country took the name “Democratic Republic of the Congo” and entered another era of terror.  The involvement of many neighboring countries, like Angola and Rwanda in the DRC’s internal conflicts, had turned the country into an open battleground for the entirety of the African Continent. The funding and arming of various independent militias during the two Congo wars and the ineffectiveness of the peacekeeping missions have resulted in the existence of various armed rebel groups that were never integrated into the Congolese army.

One of the most prominent ones, the March23 group, became the most recent plague to befall the DRC, with its rebels upturning the country even today. In 2012, the DRC faced a new wave of violence, with the emergence of the March 23 Movement (M23), an ethnic group composed largely of ethnic Tutsis. The Rwanda-backed group claimed to defend the rights of Congolese Tutsis, but their true motives were deeply entangled with the region’s complex history of ethnic conflict and external influences. M23’s attacks, including the recent advance on the strategic city of Goma, have kept the eastern region of the DRC in a state of constant instability.

If all this has not been confusing enough, it is worth mentioning that the DRC crisis is not just a national issue.Having drawn in multiple African countries, such as Rwanda and Uganda, the DRC has become a multi-front battlefield, where opposing interests battle each other at the expense of the local population. The conflict has called for international involvment, with UN and US-led efforts to facilitate ceasefires over the years. Thousands of civilians have been killed by armed groups and the Congolese security forces, and millions have been displaced. Sexual and gender-based violence remains high, and human rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are repeatedly violated.

The international stage is no stranger to conflict and crisis. Delegating resources is complicated and choosing a side is often abysmal. What happens then when silence and inactivity only worsen a situation? For the people of the DRC, conflict is all they’ve known. For decades they’ve been living in fear, be it from foreign exploitation or internal power struggles. Can these people ever truly live in peace? Is it possible for a nation as tormented as this one to outgrow its colonial history and forget the divisions that keep it in pieces? Throughout the DRC’s history, external influences have dictated its fate. Foreign help is received with suspicion and often creates more problems than it can solve. A lack of understanding of the area’s history and a willful effort to transform the state no matter the cost is only perpetuating human suffering and tragedy in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

Ultimately, the world is left to wonder whether states such as the DRC can ever be fully functional. By the idea of Western standards, the DRC is a failed state, or at least a fragile one, tiptoeing on a thin line between survival and political annihilation. No matter the outcome, it is imperative to remember that the cost of human lives is always too steep a price, and this conflict has already claimed thousands of innocent people.


Author: Έλλη Ματθαιάδη

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