The Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in Central Africa. Its population reaches 78 million, and its area is comparable to Western Europe. It is blessed with mineral resources, producing gold, diamonds, and copper, as well as tantalum, tin, and tungsten, which are essential for electronic devices. Cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries accounts for more than half of global production.

Although this country may appear rich, it is actually in great turmoil. For two consecutive years it has had the highest number of displaced people in the world, in a worse situation than countries such as Syria and Yemen. In 2017, an average of 5,500 people per day—1.7 million in total—were forced to abandon their homes. The causes of what is now the world’s largest displacement crisis are not limited to conflict; the DRC also faces other domestic problems, yet it rarely attracts attention.

Internally displaced persons camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (South Kivu Province) (Photo: Enough Project/Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])

The difficult road the DRC has traveled

What is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo was recognized as Belgian possession at the 1885 Berlin Conference on the Partition of Africa and came to be called the Congo Free State. In reality, it was the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium, under whom brutal exploitation of the local population for rubber, ivory, and land took place. Following international condemnation, in 1908 it was transformed into the Belgian Congo under the direct control of the Belgian government. Thereafter, as in other African countries, an independence movement began, and in 1960 it achieved independence as the Republic of the Congo. However, it plunged into the Congo Crisis triggered by a secessionist movement in the southern province of Katanga, and conflict continued for five years. In this conflict, Belgium, which was supposed to have recognized independence, sought to maintain its influence by supporting the secession of Katanga, the resource-rich mining region in the south, and keeping troops there. Backed by Belgium and the United States, Mobutu of the army arrested Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in a coup; Lumumba was later killed, which escalated the turmoil.

In 1965, Mobutu became president and imposed military rule. Although the turmoil was nominally quelled, after he changed the country’s name to Zaire he strengthened his dictatorship with U.S. support and privatized the nation’s resources and finances, halting economic growth and perpetuating poverty. Under Mobutu’s long rule, not only did corruption deepen, but human rights repression continued and the functioning of the state deteriorated.

In 1994, following the genocide in neighboring Rwanda, many refugees and armed groups came to stay in eastern Zaire, and this led to an invasion by Rwanda, Uganda, and other countries that toppled the Mobutu regime in 1997. Laurent Kabila became president and the country was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, Rwanda, increasingly dissatisfied with this government and with stakes tied to the country’s abundant natural resources, organized rebel groups and, together with Uganda and Burundi, invaded the DRC. This second invasion saw Angola, Zimbabwe, and others intervene on the government side, turning it into a war involving a total of eight countries. This is what is called the “First African World War.”

After Kabila was assassinated and his son Joseph Kabila assumed the presidency, a peace agreement was concluded in 2003 and foreign troops withdrew, but armed conflict continued in altered forms in parts of the country. With issues such as mining rights, interethnic identity conflicts, and the involvement of neighboring countries, residents have been forced into precarious lives due to attacks by armed groups and the looting of food.

The ongoing conflict in the DRC has claimed more than 5.4 million lives between 1998 and 2007, the largest death toll worldwide since the Korean War in the 1950s.

Multiple conflicts unfolding simultaneously

What specific conflicts are occurring now? Fighting is especially intense in the south and east.

It is said that the major conflicts in the DRC began in the east. There, as many as 132 armed groups operate, fueling chaos. North and South Kivu, in particular, are at the center of the violence and humanitarian crisis. These provinces, with a complex historical background intertwined with neighboring countries, have become hotbeds of anti-government sentiment and activity.

Soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Photo: MONUSCO Photos/Flickr[CC BY-SA 2.0])

In response to conflicts across the country, the UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO has been deployed for nearly 20 years, but its numbers are insufficient for the vast territory and myriad problems, and with infrastructure collapsed, even moving around requires great effort. Support for the PKO is low, and it is also targeted by armed groups. In December 2017, there was an incident in which a PKO unit was attacked by armed groups, leaving 15 dead. The attackers are believed to have been the ADF (see note 1 for the full names of the armed groups), an Islamist extremist group that moved in from Uganda. In the DRC, where governance is weak, armed groups from neighboring countries often operate across borders. Originally an anti-government force in Uganda, they now engage in illegal activities in North Kivu such as arms smuggling, logging, and the sale of looted land. This was not their first attack on PKO units or civilians, and they continue to plague North Kivu.

Another group called the CNPSC is also gaining strength as an anti-government force and committing numerous human rights violations. They are a federation of “Mai-Mai” self-defense militias that move into areas where state authority has weakened and operate across regions. They are said to have originated from nationalist groups that fought against the Rwandan, Ugandan, and Burundian armies during the second invasion. Under the pretext of protecting local identity, they pursue various aims, including controlling resources through looting of migrants and illicit taxation, political or business objectives, and defending land from other forces. Among the Mai-Mai organizations, the CNPSC is considered the largest, but other factions such as the MNR and CMC also exist. Beyond the Mai-Mai, the LRA, a rebel group that originated in neighboring Uganda, continues to perpetrate inhumane acts—massacres, abductions, and the recruitment of child soldiers—across the Central African countries, including within the DRC. There are also conflicts arising from interethnic rivalries in Ituri Province (Hema–Lendu) and Tanganyika Province (Twa–Luba). In addition, armed groups born out of Rwanda’s genocide, such as the FDLR, as well as groups from Burundi, continue to operate in the DRC.

In the southern Kasai region, conflict has also broken out in recent years. In the DRC, traditional leaders of local areas have long played important roles. In addition to self-governance and resolving community issues, they sometimes serve religious functions. Such leaders are chosen according to local custom and formally take office upon recognition by the state. However, in 2016 the government refused to recognize a prominent leader in Kasai who supported the opposition, Jean-Pierre Mpandi, and clashes began after he was killed by government forces. Even after his killing, the anti-government movement that followed in his wake (Kamwina Nsapu) has continued, claiming many victims.

Thus, the factors behind the DRC’s political instability are intertwined with complex historical circumstances and relations with neighbors. It also stems from poor governance caused by issues such as embezzlement by officials and capital flight abroad. As a result, the national army is weak and, far from providing security, its soldiers themselves are said to commit many human rights abuses. The problems the DRC faces are also deeply tied to President Kabila, the incumbent. He became president in 2001 after succeeding his father and served two terms. However, though his term expired in 2016, the election was postponed by the regime, citing a lack of funds, and he has remained in office. Although Kabila himself rarely appears in public, in 2018 he issued a statement that “there is no instability.”

Citizens rising up against President Kabila

In recent years, beyond the conflicts, discontent from civil society has also led to violence. In the capital Kinshasa and elsewhere, demonstrations demanding the president’s resignation have broken out repeatedly. The Catholic Church has been voicing citizens’ concerns in opposition to the regime, leading to clashes with the police. Since the colonial era, the Catholic Church has played an important role, and it helped broker an agreement allowing Kabila to stay in office on condition that elections be held in 2017, but with the elections postponed again, the Church’s anger has grown. Security forces are cracking down on anti-presidential gatherings; tear gas has been fired into churches where worshippers had gathered for Mass, and church officials have been arrested. There are also reports that the government has mobilized former rebels (M23) for harsh repression.

People praying at Mass (Photo: Steve Evans/Flickr[CC BY-NC 2.0])

The UN Secretary-General has called for an investigation into the abuses, but President Kabila has ignored it. At a January 2018 press conference—his first in six years—he again criticized the UN’s activities in the country and asserted that the DRC is democratic. It appeared aimed at signaling his commitment to security. The opposition, however, has grown increasingly suspicious that the president intends to amend the constitution (see note 2) to extend his term.

Thus, even amid criticism at home and abroad, President Kabila continues to wield influence over the police and security forces. It is no exaggeration to say that standing up to the government is a life-or-death endeavor, and the prominent opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi, once seen as a strong presidential contender, died only recently in 2017.

President Joseph Kabila addressing the UN (Photo: a katz/Shutterstock.com)

Mounting problems

Conflicts are erupting across the DRC. But that is not the only problem.

As noted at the outset, the country is blessed with many natural resources and minerals. However, much of this mineral wealth is captured by government insiders and foreign companies. In some cases, minerals also finance armed groups. Working conditions in mines are harsh and dangerous, wages are low, and child labor is an issue.

Hunger, especially in Kasai and elsewhere, is also a major problem. It is caused by farmland and fields being destroyed by conflict. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), about 10 percent of the DRC’s population is on the brink of starvation, amounting to ten times the number affected in Syria. Food assistance is indispensable. These are secondary harms caused by the conflict, and blame is being directed at President Kabila, seen as a source of national instability.

Children working in mines
(Photo: Enough Project/Flickr[CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])

The DRC, ignored by the world

You may be surprised that the DRC faces so many problems. In recent years, as the world’s attention has focused on the Middle East, little notice has been paid to the tragedy unfolding in the heart of Africa. It may be natural that people are unaware when the media does not report it. But as humanitarian crises—including hunger—expand on top of casualties and displacement from conflict, we must recognize that the world is tightly interconnected and that events in distant places are by no means someone else’s problem. For example, through the trade and use of minerals, the outside world is implicated in the exploitation of the DRC’s wealth and the issue of conflict minerals. We need to break the pattern of uneven global attention by region and shine a light on situations that have been left in the dark.

Note 1: Major armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

     ADF (Allied Defense Forces)

     CNPSC (Coalition Nationale du Peuple pour la Souveraineté du Congo; National Coalition of the People for the Sovereignty of the Congo)

     CMC (Commandement Militaire pour le Changement; Military Command for Change)

     FDLR (Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda; Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda)

     Kamwina Nsapu (Kamwina Nsapu)

     LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army)

     MNR (Mouvement National de la Révolution; National Movement of the Revolution)

Note 2: The DRC’s constitution limits the presidency to two terms.

Writer: Madoka Konishi

Graphics: Hinako Hosokawa