Democratic Republic of the Congo
Last updated June 2007
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the
huge and resource-rich “heart of Africa,” has suffered decades
of external manipulation and internal conflict.
Like most conflicts in Africa, the causes of the DRC's quagmire are deeply
rooted in its colonial history. In the 1870s, King Leopold II of Belgium
claimed Congo as his private possession, accruing vast personal wealth.
His reign resulted in the mass murder of 10 million Congolese from forced
labor and starvation.
United States intervention in the DRC, from the time of its independence
in 1960 through the Cold War, undermined its stability and development.
The U.S. was involved in and approved of the actions that led to the assassination
of Patrice Lumumba, the country's first Prime Minister in 1961. Under
U.S.-sponsored dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, corruption and political oppression
scarred the Congo for more than 35 years.
Mobutu was finally overthrown in 1997 by forces led by Laurent Kabila.
Since 1998, the DRC has struggled with a highly complicated and destabilizing
conflict that has caused social and economic devastation. Termed “Africa’s
world war” by some, this conflict drew in forces from Rwanda, Uganda,
Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Uganda. According to the International Rescue
Committee (IRC), the war cost nearly 4 million lives in 6 years. More
than 2 million people were driven out of their homes and 18.5 million
people were left without healthcare.
Ultimately, African peace-making efforts succeeded in moving negotiations
forward, obtaining the withdrawal of foreign forces, and achieving a significant
peace agreement in April 2003. That same year, a “Government of
National Unity” was established to integrate the various armed Congolese
factions into a national army and to govern until multi-party elections
could be held to determine the country’s political future.
Four years after brokering a peace deal to end the war, the DRC still
faces many obstacles. In December 2006, it celebrated its first democratic
elections since independence and Joseph Kabila won the presidency in polls
which observers widely considered free and fair. However, Kabila’s
first year as popularly elected head of state (he had served as president
since the death of his father Laurent Kabila in 2001) has proven disappointing
so far. Government soldiers and bodyguards of the defeated opposition
candidate and current Senator Jean-Pierre Bemba clashed in Kinshasa in
the months leading up to the election. Violence between these two groups
continued into 2007, until Bemba left the DRC in April
Insecurity throughout the country remains high, especially in the militia-dominated
eastern regions that border Rwanda and Uganda. Political dissent also
simmers in western areas, and Kabila has responded to protests with repressive
force. This continuing insecurity, coupled with the destruction wrought
by over seven years of war, puts the lives of thousands of Congolese at
risk on a daily basis. UNICEF estimates that in 2007, 1,200 people a day
are still dying from war-related disease, hunger and violence. Most Congolese
do not have access to healthcare, education and other basic social services.
What this reality of poverty and hardship does not reveal is the immense
amount of mineral wealth that lies within the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, including thirty percent of the world’s diamonds and seventy
percent of its coltan. Throughout the war, these natural resources were
not only regularly stolen but they, in fact, partially fueled the conflict.
Today, they continue to be illegally mined both by the Congolese and by
surrounding countries. Unfortunately, even the wealth that is legally
obtained by the government often times does not reach the country’s
citizens. Graft, corruption and bureaucratic ineffectiveness remain ongoing
problems within the new democratic government.
As the DRC continues to grapple with the aftermath of war and seeks to
take concrete steps towards consolidating a multi-party democracy, the
U.S. has an important role to play. In addition to promoting transparency,
the U.S. must also support the newly elected government as it seeks to
address massive political, economic and social challenges. This is critical
for peace and democracy in the entire Great Lakes region.
The rehabilitation of the DRC is heavily burdened by the country’s
massive foreign debt, much of which is the legacy of the corrupt Mobutu
regime from the Cold War era. The Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) estimates Kinshasa’s total debt for 2007
to exceed $14 billion. This debt is illegitimate and should be canceled
by the U.S. and other countries as a gesture of support for the people
of the Congo and their new government. The DRC faces a serious fiscal
crisis, and the government has practically no budget to address either
social services or security.
Corruption remains a real obstacle to achieving stability and growth,
and to improving the lives of the people of the DRC. The U.S. should seek
to support Congolese efforts to counter corruption and promote good governance
in the future. In addition, to tackle the problem of ongoing insecurity,
the U.S. should provide strong financial support for the work of the United
Nations (UN) peacekeeping force (known as MONUC) especially in the eastern
regions of the country. Efforts must also be made by the U.S. to support
the reconstruction of the infrastructure and social services that were
destroyed during the war and undermined by earlier Cold War manipulations.
This kind of investment would save lives in the immediate term, and would
improve the future for millions of Congolese.
As the DRC moves forward after its 2006 elections, the U.S. and the international
community have an historical and moral obligation to support democracy
and development in the Congo. The country's size, its centrality, and
its potential wealth make this an investment not only in the people of
the DRC, but also in the future of the entire African continent.
Links
DRC Newspapers
Latest news from IRINnews.org
Latest news from AllAfrica.com
Basic information on DRC (CIA World Factbook)
DRC: Ravaged Land
May 28, 2003 - The Lehrer Newshour
Interview with Salih Booker
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