Continued Warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
Note
The Great Lakes Region of Africa
- The Great Lakes region of Africa refers to the area surrounding the African Great Lakes, primarily including countries around Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Albert.
- This region typically encompasses Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, and sometimes Kenya and South Sudan.
Regional Instability
- Instability after the Rwandan genocide
- The 1994 Rwandan genocide triggered massive instability in the Great Lakes region, especially in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
- Up to 5 million people died during the ensuing conflicts.
- Refugee crisis in Eastern Zaire
- United Nations agencies, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), along with other humanitarian organizations, set up camps in Eastern Zaire.
- These camps sheltered hundreds of thousands of Hutu refugees fleeing Rwanda after the genocide.
- However, the camps also became bases for former Hutu government forces and génocidaires, which complicated the humanitarian situation and regional security.
- The Zairean government under Mobutu Sese Seko allowed the camps but was accused of tolerating, and in some cases supporting, armed Hutu militias operating from within.
- Mobutu’s role and ethnic tensions
- Mobutu and his army were implicated in arming Hutu militias, which worsened ethnic tensions in eastern provinces with mixed Hutu-Tutsi populations, such as North and South Kivu.
- Mobutu’s tolerance or complicity in violence was seen as a way to maintain control by keeping opposition groups fragmented.
Note
- Zaire officially became the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on May 17, 1997.
- This change occurred shortly after the overthrow of President Mobutu Sese Seko by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who renamed the country following his victory in the First Congo War.
- It is possible that sources in Paper 1 could refer to the region as Zaire or as DRC instinctively.
The Congo Wars
- RPF involvement and the First Congo War
- The RPF supported Congolese Tutsi groups to counter Hutu militias and opposed Mobutu’s regime.
- Rwanda aligned with the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL), led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
- This fueled the First Congo War (1996–1997), toppling Mobutu and installing Kabila as president.
- Aftermath of Mobutu’s removal
- The fall of Mobutu did not bring peace. Instead, it created a power vacuum, leading to renewed ethnic tensions and violence.
- Conflicts broke out between various groups, including the Banyamulenge Tutsi and Hutu militias.
- Civilians suffered most, facing massacres, displacement, and widespread human rights abuses.
- Escalation into the Second Congo War
- Violence escalated into the Second Congo War, which involved multiple African nations.
- Millions were killed, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.
- The war exposed the failure of the international community to intervene effectively, despite large-scale human suffering.
Case study
The Second Congo War (1998-2003)
- Laurent-Désiré Kabila, then president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), faced rebellion supported by Rwanda and Uganda, as tensions over influence and ethnic conflicts intensified in eastern DRC.
- This conflict involved nine African countries, including Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia backing the DRC government, as well as numerous armed militias. The war devastated millions of civilians through widespread massacres, sexual violence, forced displacement, and famine.
- It is estimated that over 5 million people died, mostly from disease and starvation exacerbated by the conflict. The complex web of armed groups and foreign armies prolonged violence, hindering humanitarian access and peace efforts.
- The conflict officially ended with the 2003 Pretoria Accord and the formation of a transitional government, which included former rebel groups and the Kabila government.
- Currently, while the DRC government controls much of the country, the eastern regions remain embroiled in active conflict, with significant humanitarian implications.
