Ncivil war in congo pdf

Nov 10, 2016 opposition leaders are warning that the democratic republic of the congo drc faces civil war if president joseph kabila does not relinquish his grip on power and step down when his mandate ends. The war economy in the democratic republic of congo edited by sagaren naidoo igd occasional paper no 37 published by. The war claimed over five millions people lives and is sometimes called africas war due to the number of countries involved in the conflict, which include libya, angola, chad, namibia, rwanda, sudan and zimbabwe. The upcoming election 2017 may determine the future of the democratic republic of the congo. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former marxist president denis sassounguesso. The republic of the congo civil war was the second of two ethnopolitical civil conflicts in the african state of republic of the congo, beginning on 5 june 1997 and continuing until 29 december 1999. Congo democratic republic foreign relations 1997 3. Conflicts in the democratic republic of congo united nations. Yet the rich country leaders and their media drew everyones attention to 2000 ethnic albianians being killed in kosovo to gain support for a war there. The great african war congo and regional geopolitics, 19962006. Worldwide covid19 cases surpassed one million people.

Yet the network of problems gripping the easternmost quarter of the drc war seems like lazy shorthand in a place with 30 armed groups isnt about competing visions of the countrys future or about the fate of nations or ideas. There have also been strains regarding the presence of nearly. The war officially ended in july 2003, when the transitional government of the democratic republic of the. The army has provided protection and security to the individuals and companies extracting the mineral. Millions of people in the democratic republic of congo, the largest member in a neighborhood wracked by. The civil conflicts in neighbouring countries of car and south sudan are. President mobutu sese seko is replaced by laurent kabila, a rebel leader, after a foreign invasion by rwanda. Civil wars in the democratic republic of congo, 19602010. Congo brazzaville, the reasons behind the civil war. It seems incomprehensible that the biggest country in. It boasts grandiose architecture including an enormous chinesebuilt parliament and some of the bestdressed people in the world known as sapeurs, or members of the society for. Former military ruler dennis sassou nguesso seized power in the republic of congo during october 1997 with the help of angolan troops. Net june 2011 introduction slavery in the democratic republic of the congo is nothing new. After 15 years in power, president kabila is no longer.

Emizet francois kisangani is professor of political science at kansas state university. Kongo civil war 16651709 in the republic of the congo formerly known as congobrazzaville. In central africa, the democratic republic of the congo drc has fallen victim to a raging war fuelled by the global demand for electronics kinniburgh, 2014, p. The second congo war also known as the great war of africa or the great african war, and sometimes referred to as the african world war began in the democratic republic of the congo in august 1998, little more than a year after the first congo war, and involved some of the same issues. For there to be any hope of change for women in the drc, rape as a weapon of war must be. Congo government president laurent kabila, angola, namibia, zimbabwe and chad.

First, the level and growth rate of national income increased the risk of war by reducing the cost of organizing rebellions. The war served as the continuation of the civil war of 199394 and involved militias representing three political candidates. Abstract the democratic republic of congo drc is slowly getting back on. The war in the democratic republic of the congo drc. Nine african countries eventually became involved in the war other than the drc. The logic behind this is obvious as weak states show a mixed profile. The congo war 1998 present map of the congo war circa 2003.

Kinshasa is the centre of congolese cultural life and politics. The first and second wars, 19962003 the enough project. Red lines indicate approximate zones of control in 2003. While the natural riches of the congo may be a primary reason for the perpetuation of the war, it was not the official cause. The war began in 1998 and officially ended in 2003 when a transitional government took power. It would be very difficult to understand the reasons for this conflict without taking into account the background struggle for influence between french and us imperialism. The republic of congo is one of africas oil rich states, however its economic potential is hampered by the current ongoing civil war. The great african war south african history online. By september 1998, a month after the second congo war had begun, the two sides were at a stalemate. Congolese civil war or congo war may refer to any of a number of armed conflicts in presentday countries of republic of the congo and the democratic republic of the congo in western africa. Identification of arms sources found in the conflict in drc. Jan 27, 2019 in the first congo war, the support of rwanda and uganda enabled congolese rebel, laurent desirekabila, to overthrow mobutu sese sekos government. Ches adventure in 1965 was the precursor to an intensive intervention in africa, most spectacularly in angola as noted above which transcended cuban involvement in its latin american base.

Coltan has permitted the rwandan army to sustain its presence in the democratic republic of the congo. The second congo war was a conflict that took place largely in the territory of democratic republic of the congo formerly zaire. The congo, decolonization, and the cold war, 19601965. Sep 12, 20 the first civil war was sparked by the 1994 rwandan genocide, which led around two million rwandan refugees to flee to eastern congo. Democratic republic of congo the shifty neighbor kinshasa, the capital of the drc, lies just across the river from brazzaville and the two capitals have a tradition of providing asylum for political figures fleeing from one congo into the other. The democratic republic of congo is slowly recovering from a conflict known as africas first world war, which led to the loss of some five million. Jun 26, 20 the conflict in the eastern democratic republic of congo, which i visited over the last week of april, has killed somewhere between 3.

The complex wars of the congo journal of asian and african. Although the war in the republic of congo ended in october 1997, shooting and other acts of violence between elements of the. Republic of the congo civil war 19971999 wikipedia. Rape as a weapon of war in the democratic republic of the. Democratic republic of congo drc is an example in numerous regards. Structural causes of conflict in democratic republic of congo, 1996 2006 gilbert o.

The current conflict started in the aftermath of the rwandan sharife, khadija, dr congo. The third congo civil war became the deadliest conflict since world war ii. Generally, resource rich countries are less wealthy and less competently governed, due to an increase in domestic political corruption, a reduction of economic diversification, and reduced investment in human capitol. But a year later, crossborder violence persisted in the countrys east and ethnic tensions, new and old, spread. Democratic republic of the congo faces civil war if. Causes of the congolese civil wars and their implications for. The icrc is stepping up its emergency assistance in the democratic republic of the congo to the people affected during the civil war. Causes of the congolese civil wars and their implications for humanitarian assistance 4 patrons or from investors willing to invest23 is no longer dependent on taxation of domestic productive sectors.

Congo 196068 mercenary wars and soldiers of fortune. Beginning in the 1990s, the drc entered into a conflict between armed forces in rwanda, uganda, and domestic congolese rebels. Second congo war mcgill school of computer science. The many different ethnic groups in congo and the large refugee population led to general unrest and periodic brutality.

More people were killed in a recent civil war in the democratic republic of congo than in conflicts in vietnam, syria, iraq and korea combined. The heavy price of the worlds hightech, new african. Since the late 19th century, congos vast natural resources have continually attracted violent intervention from abroad and stoked internal conflicts. This also raises the question of cubas focus on african liberation. Oct 14, 2003 the cost of the war in the congo put the uns finances into a precarious position. Political instability and civil war as a wave of popular pressure swept across eastern europe in 1989, ousting congo s overseas communist allies, prodemocracy street demonstrations spread throughout subsaharan africa. This part of the web site looks at the conflict in the democratic republic of congo. This resulted in a rwandanugandan joint invasion in 1998. See the real impact of war in the democratic republic of congo.

The civil war resulted in more than 10,000 deaths in brazzaville alone. The first congo war 19961997, also nicknamed africas first world war, was a civil war and international military conflict which took place mostly in zaire presentday dr congo, with major spillovers into sudan and uganda. The current war in congo is multicausal in nature but explanations are often reduced to describing it as. The country that began as a kings private domain the congo free state, evolved into a colony the belgian congo, became independent in 1960 as the republic of the congo, and later underwent several name changes to the democratic republic of the congo, then to zaire, and back again to the democratic republic of the congo is the product of a complex pattern of historical forces. Fueling the violence has been the illicit sale of minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, which are in abundance in certain parts of congo, where most of the fighting has taken place. Understanding the conflict in congo observer research foundation.

A brief history of the democratic republic of the congo. As in 1997, congolese seeking to overthrow the leader in kinshasa mobutu sese seko, then, and now laurent kabila are backed by rwanda and uganda. For nearly 2 decades, drc has been divided by armed conflict as a result of the first and second congo wars 19961997 and 19982003, and the. The decolonization of subsaharan africa from the late 1950s to the mid1970s resulted in several proxy cold war confrontations between the united states and the soviet union over the dozens of newly independent, nonaligned nations. The democratic republic of the congo enough project. Civil war in the congo by dietrich student on prezi. The bloody war in the democratic republic of the congo, the largest nation in central africa, is in one sense a civil war and in another sense an invasion. Nothing in the world is more heartwrenching than the frequency of sexual violence in the democratic republic of the congo. Congo democratic republic politics and government 1997 2. Dr congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has been at the centre of what some observers call africas world war, with widespread civilian suffering the result. Displaced peoples resulted in significant habitat loss, as occurred in the virunga national park, drc, where an area of 300 km 2 was deforested during the refugee crisis following the genocide in rwanda in 1994 3, 4. Government forces fought against the ninja militias.

Political violence and government repression intensified in 2016 as president joseph kabila clung to power beyond his constitutionally mandated twoterm limit, which ended on december 19, 2016. The democratic republic of the congo roots of the crisis the crisis in the democratic republic of the congo, or drc, has many layers. The people of congo, having shed the former name of zaire as well as the rule of mobutu, cheered kabila as he swept into power, hoping for an end to years of poverty and decline. Dr congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has been at the centre of what some observers call africas world war. Its glitzy hotels and restaurants are where the money looted from the rest of the country is spent. On october 16, 1997, the troops of the former president of congo brazzaville, m. Shortly after the chaotic dissolution of the belgian congo, president moise tshombe proclaimed katanga, one of the territorys wealthiest provinces which had accounted for nearly fifty per cent of congolese revenues, an independent and autonomous nation. Under the new president, the countrys name is restored to the democratic republic of the congo. Civil war continued shortly after sassounguesso was sworn in in 1997. He is coauthor of the democratic republic of congo. Kabila turned on his former backers rwanda and uganda and allowed hutu armies to regroup in eastern congo. With ethnic tensions going on, kabila did not have total control over. Prior to the war, the country was known as zaire and was ruled by. Brutal clashes between groups has had very serious consequences for people.

The refugee camps in this area soon served as an army base for the rwandan tutu tribe, who terrorized the local population until 1996, when congolese forces pushed the rwandans out of the congo. The history of the democratic republic of the congo, the 18th largest country in the world, is fraught with violence, conflict and exploitation. Pdf this essay analyzes the role of insurgent groups in the antikabila civil war in the congo. Congo s regime was forced to allow freedom of speech and to. Sassou nguesso, took control of the capital brazzaville, thus ousting the current president pascal lissouba, after a five month long civil war.

Background report on eastern democratic republic of the congo. Drc the prevalence of this atrocity did not transpire overnight it was an uninterrupted result of congolese warfare. The congo civil war, or congo crisis, was a complex political tumult that began just days following belgiums granting of congolese independence in 1960. They retaliated by invading the democratic republic of the congo, starting the second congo war. The second congo war, also known as africas world war and the great war of africa, began in august 1998 in the democratic republic of the congo formerly called zaire, and officially ended in july 2003 when the transitional government of the democratic republic of the congo took power though hostilities continue to this day. All three reports produced compelling evidence that linked the continuation of the conflict with the exploitation of the countrys resources3. Despite the new government, the eastern congo continued to be an unstable war zone. Civil war in the congo the conflict conflict continued in the congo following the 1967 civil war that brought laurent kabila to power.

A ceasefire agreement that included amnesties for rebels finally brought conflict to an end in 1999. The third congo civil war also known as africas world war was a fiveyear conflict that occurred primarily in the democratic republic of the congo drc. The result is a publication that provides a vivid and sobering contextualisation of the drcs contemporary history. Congo has become a neverending nightmare, one of the bloodiest conflicts since world war ii, with more than five million dead. The war also meant the tragic loss of hammarskjold who had been a fine secretarygeneral. The war economy in the democratic republic of congo. Central africa was a site of slave raiding for the red sea and indian ocean slave trade long before the arrival of europeans. The wars in the drc have multiple causes revolving around four clusters of factors. A civil war has raged in the democratic republic of congo for more than 15 years, resulting in the deaths of millions and displacing millions more. Ochieng kamudhayi a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of master of arts in international conflict management september, 2010 university of nairobi library 0478586 1. Congo was a precursor then unforeseeable to the fate of the cold war itself. The armed conflict and violence in the democratic republic of the congo has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Much of the literature about contemporary wars in africa treats them as civil war phenomena, when they are, in fact, complex hybrid wars combining civil war. The icrc is stepping up its emergency assistance to the people affected during the armed conflict and violence in the democratic republic of the congo.

Angolan forces intervened in congo s civil war and secured a victory for sassounguesso. Congos government has never effectively represented or. Emizet f kisangani wars of secession, ethnic wars, rebellions, mutinies, and congoleseled invasions have been part of the political landscape of the democratic republic of congo since the country became independent in. Vianney dong, world vision congo communications manager 1 1885 king leopold ii of belgium announces the establishment of the congo free state, headed by him. The roots of this war go back to the 1994 civil war and genocide of the tutsi ethnic group in rwanda by the hutu ethnic group. A brief history of the democratic republic of the congo, the. This study analyzes the causes of civil wars in the congo since independence and investigates how the congo case fits the model of civil war proposed by collier and hoeffler. However, in the congo many fought along side katangan citizens which is why the.

Congo brazzavilles ambivalent resource curse article pdf available in comparative politics 371 october 2004 with 657 reads how we measure reads. Economic dimensions of war and peace a choice outstanding academic book in 2006 and of the historical dictionary of the democratic republic of congo. Democratic republic of the congo history britannica. Structural causes of conflict in democratic republic of congo. The prokabila forces controlled the west and central part of the congo, while the antikabila forces controlled the east and part of the north. Media coverage is poor and yet there have been millions of refugees and over five million killed since the war began around august 1998. Causes of the congolese civil wars and their implications. The war claimed over five millions people lives and is sometimes called africa s war due to the number of countries involved in the conflict, which include libya, angola, chad, namibia, rwanda, sudan and zimbabwe. The horror of congo chaos in the heart of africa subtitles. Angola, chad, namibia, zimbabwe, sudan, uganda, rwanda, and burundi. This paper will analyze various contexts and how they relate to rape in the congo, specifically looking at war, poverty, and patriarchy, as well as the physical and psychological effects of sexual violence. Kinshasa, zaire the democratic republic of the congo drc is most notably known for the second congo war.

In 1876 a vast zone in central africa was allocated to the international african. From the personal colony of king leopold ii of belgium, to the dictator joseph mobutus personal piggy bank, to a country divided by a twentyyear civil war, the drc has a history of division and conflict. To answer the question whether a state is strong or weak, the whole set of mentioned goods is necessary. The slow burn of war has long ravaged the heart of africa. Nov 29, 2011 second congo war the great war of africa. Congo s second war officially ended in 2003 when a transitional government took over after the signing of peace agreements between african nations.