The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) conflict has killed over 6 million people and displaced another 6 million in the country’s east. This heartbreaking conflict has forced a once-thriving nation to live in fear and mourn the loss of loved ones as a result of foreign-sponsored violence.

It is concerning that the international community is paying so little attention to this crisis. Many media outlets have been chastised for failing to cover the events adequately unfolding in Congo, sending a stark reminder that some lives are worth more than others.

Read more: Genocide: How King Leopold of Belgium Massacred Over 10 Million Congolese

Since 1996, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been waging a “silent war” due to a lack of awareness or understanding about the number of casualties. The situation in Congo is dire, with millions of people killed or forced to flee their homes daily, and no hope of survival. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a land of contradictions, abundant in natural resources but failing to benefit its people.

With massive reserves of copper, cobalt, gold, diamonds, tin, tantalum, tungsten, oil, and 200 million acres of fertile land, one would expect prosperity. Instead, these resources have been exploited, and history indicates that they have been a curse rather than a blessing to the Congolese people.

How the West Began Plundering the DRC

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, European powers, particularly Belgium under the reign of King Leopold II, extracted ivory and rubber from the Congo. Leopold’s obsession with the Congo was similar to human’s desire for water, since water is an essential part of our survival. Leopold wasn’t concerned about the people of the land; he was more interested in the land than in its inhabitants. 

During a period when Europeans were actively seeking resource-rich territories to colonize, Leopold realized that the Congo was a gold mine with a wealth of natural resources that his homeland, Belgium, lacked. Congo became his personal property, which he used to make money, regardless of what horrible things he did. His goal was to extract as many natural resources as possible from Congo, regardless of the means. 

Many Congolese who failed to meet their rubber obligations were amputated, whether by cutting off their hands or murdering their families in plain sight. The Congo lost many lives during Leopold’s reign, with estimates putting the figure in the millions. Even after King Leopold’s reign, most Western nations used the Congo to advance their own interests.

Congo’s uranium influenced the United States’ efforts to build the first atomic bomb. The Shinkolobwe mine in the Congo supplied approximately 80 percent of the uranium used in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. Mining became very profitable in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960, particularly in Katanga Province.

This resulted in many attempts at secession, which contributed to the broader conflict in Congo. After achieving independence, the DRC faced numerous challenges. Patrice Lumumba’s murder and subsequent power struggles exacerbated internal discord under former president Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko’s regime.

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Joseph Mobutu ruled the DRC with an iron grip for over three decades after he seized power in a bloodless coup on November 24, 1965. His rule was marked by authoritarianism, corruption, and systematic plunder of the nation’s resources. This led to ethnic tensions and the formation of armed groups in different parts of the country. 

The 1994 Rwanda genocide had a profound impact on the Democratic Republic of Congo in a particular manner. Over two million Rwandan Hutu refugees crossed the Congolese border and settled in refugee settlements in the North and South Kivu regions in the eastern part of the country. Some of the Hutu refugees who had settled in the Congo were extremists and initiated the formation of militias within the Congo.

The large influx of Rwandan refugees destabilized the Congo and worsened ethnic tensions. This event served as the impetus for the first Congo War, during which rebel groups, aided by Rwanda and Uganda, attempted to overthrow Mobutu’s regime, alleging that he was providing sanctuary to Rwandan Genocide perpetrators.  

A coalition consisting of the Ugandan and Rwandan armies, along with the Congolese opposition leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila, eventually prevailed over the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Sensing the bitter taste of defeat, Mobutu was driven into exile. Mobutu, who was already afflicted with advanced prostate cancer, passed away in Morocco. Laurent Kabila took power and named the country the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Read more: How Western Nations are Causing Further Bloodshed in the DRC

Laurent Kabila’s rise to power didn’t stop other conflicts from escalating, as the second Congo War continued when Rwanda and Uganda turned against him, citing his neglect of their security concerns. This conflict was referred to as Africa’s World War, wherein nine nations engaged in combat on Congolese soil. By helping rebel factions, they created a complex web of alliances and conflicts that killed millions of people and involved many international actors. 

How Foreign-Backed Armed Groups Made the DRC Unstable

One of the most notable non-state armed groups in the Eastern DRC was the March 23rd movement (M23), primarily composed of ethnic Tutsis. The group’s return in 2022, with a major offensive, has again heightened tensions and chaos in the region. Despite the efforts made by regional organizations such as the East African Community and Southern African development Community to facilitate peace and enforce ceasefires, recent actions taken by M23 have rekindled apprehensions regarding the prospect of further instability. 

The apparent goal of M23 to capture strategic towns is particularly worrying, raising the possibility of renewed attacks on Goma, a city of nearly two million people. Despite being a non-governmental organization, M23 continues to receive aid from the Rwandan government, thereby escalating the ongoing tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

This tangled situation highlights how difficult it is to establish lasting peace and security in the region. Rwanda has denied contributing to the unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but UN experts have presented convincing evidence of its support and assistance for the M23. This assistance goes beyond just logistical support. It also indicates that Rwanda has been giving arms to the M23 rebels and sometimes sending military troops to fight them. 

In February 2024, reports surfaced claiming that Rwandan Army supported M23 rebels fired what is believed to be surface-to-air missile from the Rwandan Army at a UN observation drone. A UN report from the previous year outlined that Rwandan military goals in the DRC included strengthening M23 by providing troops and materials, securing control over mining sites and exerting political influence in the DRC. 

While Rwanda was accused of backing the M23, the Democratic Republic of Congo was also accused of backing the Hutu FDLR, which is, in fact, a rival-armed group composed of foreign soldiers. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is an anti-Rwandan government rebel group operating in the Eastern DRC. They are considered the M23 main opponents and war rivals.

Following their involvement in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi population, the FDLR has played a significant role in the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the M23 and FDLR are widely recognized as the primary protagonists in the DRC conflict, there are also over 100 foreign-backed militias that are causing instability in the Congo, with their stakes in determining who will assume control. 

At the same time, foreign powers, some of whom are the instigators of this conflict, are trying to take advantage of Congo’s vast gold, oil, and Coltan reserves.  The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to approximately 80% of all Coltan in the world. Coltan is widely recognized as a crucial mineral for electronics and electric vehicles, which is why Western nations regard the DRC as a battlefield for its resources. 

Corruption is widespread in the DRC, with frequent incidents of massacres and sexual violence against young girls and women. Humanitarian organizations are currently faced with the challenge of bringing to light the plight of approximately 100 million people. 

Since October last year, the Rwandan-backed M23 has been controlling major roads leading to Goma, the regional capital, and the hilltops overlooking Sake, a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the eastern province of North Kivu. On the other side, you have the Congo’s Army, which is known for its lack of discipline, even despite recent fighting. 

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo sought the assistance of two new allies to strengthen their position in the conflict. The first Allies are the Wazalendo, who are a coalition of former rival militias gathered by the government to confront the M23, despite their reputation for internal conflict and brutality. 

The second Allied forces are a group of 1,000 Romanian mercenaries, many of whom were previously associated with the French Foreign Legion, deployed around goma and sake. There are reports that most of these Romanian mercenaries were former soldiers hired by a Romanian businessman, Horatiu Potra, who runs a PMC (Private Military Company) company called Asociatia RALF. 

They were reportedly hired to train Congolese soldiers and provide special security in key, strategic areas. Moreover, these Romanian mercenaries were assigned the responsibility of safeguarding the city against potential M23 raids. 

Rwanda and Congo were on the verge of a full-scale conflict in January due to the escalating violence of M23 and the growing awareness of Rwanda’s role in it.  The diplomatic dispute began when Rwanda launched an attack on a Congolese fighter jet at the Goma airport.

The Present Situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Millions of Congolese people are caught in another cycle of misery, and the greatest threat is now looming. Over half a million have fled their homes in the past three months alone, mainly seeking refuge in the makeshift camps burgeoning around Goma. 

Food is also in short supply. According to the latest integrated food security phase classification, an estimated 23.4 million people are experiencing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity, including 5.4 million people in the three eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

The World Food Program acknowledging its ability to provide for only 2.5 million of the estimated 6.3 million people who go to bed hungry each night in eastern Congo. Even the DRC soldiers face the consequences of the conflict, as they attempt to cope with the dire circumstances. 

At the deteriorating public hospital in Sake, wounded soldiers were awaiting treatment on filthy mattresses. However, their main concern remains food. Even medical professionals have confirmed the hospital’s incapability to provide meals for a duration of several days or more. 

In a region where the law is dominated by firearms, women are particularly vulnerable to the actions of unrestrained militias who compel rape by force. Many people from the camps around Goma trek to Virunga National Park to find firewood, only to find armed militia. 

This conflict has divided the Western powers. While the United States is openly criticizing Rwanda’s intervention in Congo and has recently cut some military support to Rwanda, Britain, whose government is seeking to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, is playing the silent treatment. 

It remains unclear why the Western media are not providing the Congo crisis with the same media coverage as Ukraine and Gaza. There are those who believe that the Congo conflict is more complex, as it has involved over 100 armed groups, regional actors, and underlying socioeconomic issues.  This makes it challenging for the international community to come up with viable solutions. 

The Big Picture

The abundance of precious metals in Congo, including gold, diamonds, and coltan, attracts numerous parties determined to prolong the conflict. Certain Western nations and multibillion-dollar corporations benefit directly and indirectly from the conflict by extracting resources and aiding armed groups. Neighbouring countries like Rwanda and Uganda are also involved, making a resolution harder to achieve.

The conflict’s limited media coverage leads to low public awareness and pressure for action. The international community’s response has waned over time, resulting in compassion fatigue. Key stakeholders lack the political will to allocate substantial resources or take decisive action due to conflicting interests and priorities. The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is dire, and the path forward uncertain.

Sources

A guide to the decades-long conflict in DR Congo – Al Jazeera

Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Council of Foreign Relations

History of the conflict – Eastern Congo Initiative

Photo Credit: © Lynsey Addario/Corbis (DARA)