Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Research Paper Example

Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo Violence in a majority of African states has been largely accounted to the political and economic instability, internal ethnic and religious conflicts as well as the overall failure of national and international peace keeping missions, to keep the violent forces at bay. The Democratic Republic of Congo, is one such African state, which has been marred by decades of violence and despite innumerable attempts at the international level and mediation by the UN to end the brutal forces and prevent further bloodshed, peace has not yet been successfully restored. Establishment of a stable political, economic and liberal state still remains a distant dream. This paper on violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) discusses the historical background, the origin of violence in the state, the fundamental reasons behind such persistent aggression within its boundaries, and attempts made by the national governments in association with the international communities to resolve the conflict. The DRC is a vast country in the African subcontinent, comparable in size to Western Europe. The African nation has been gripped by warring forces within its territories ever since its emergence from the Belgian colonial rule in the 1960s (Global Policy Forum, 2010). Ever since then the country has been gripped by a constant state of war involving as many as nine other neighboring nations, with DRC on one hand supported by Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe who were pitted against rebels from Uganda, and Rwanda on the other. The war plagued African nations included local rebels, members from various religious and ethnic communities, militia, as well as government forces. The states were dragged to such a state of turmoil that the situation was described as the “African World War” claiming millions of lives and leaving the country in a state of acute humanitarian crisis (BBC News, 2010). It is estimated that approximately 45,000 deaths are reported every month, either from starvation or on account of some disease (IRC, 2007). Sexual violence is heightened in the warring zones, and it is often used as a weapon in the ghastly war. Sexual assault on women by civilians as well as armed forces alike, has triggered off a "rape epidemic" in the country which continues to be on the rise, with no signs of any preventive measures being successfully applied to protect the victims (NY Times, 2010). The government too, controlled by a diabolical alliance of governing elites on one hand and rebels and mafia on the other, is highly corrupt and impunity continues to thrive in all government departments making the matters even worse. Despite regular and persistent efforts by the UN peace keeping forces and overwhelming international response towards restoring peace in DRC, violence refuses to fade. Some of the main reasons for the continued state of agitation and war include, economic exploitation, ethnic and religious rivalries, and poverty along with a corrupt governance, vested self-interests and lack of political stability which constantly threatens to disrupt the fragile efforts of restoring peace and harmony in the nation. Congo has vast amount of rich natural resources including timber, copper, diamonds, gold, uranium, etc which has attracted the attention of various neighboring regions and has been one of the major causes, which have fuelled the violence. Local militias as well as the rebels from neighboring states and mining multinationals have all preyed on the rich natural resources giving rise to violent clashes among the groups, thwarting and blatantly disregarding the peace and safety of the thousands of civilians, to pursue their own self-interest. Innumerable attempts by international peace keeping agencies to draw the world attention towards the fact that there is a strong association between violence in DRC and the vast amount of rich natural resources in the land, have proved to be futile, and were brought to light, only in 2003 following a report by the UN Panel of Experts which was set up to probe the causes behind such an exploitation. This was subsequently followed by resolution on conflict prevention which was passed in the year 20005 by the Security Council which acknowledged the recommendations made in the report presented before it in 2003 and passed a resolution to promote lawful and transparent use of natural resources among the rightful owners in the region (Global Policy Forum, 2010). According the report presented by UN such illegal exploitation of natural resources cannot be arrested because “necessary networks have already become deeply embedded to ensure that the illegal exploitation continues independent of the physical presence of foreign armies” (UN, 2001). Ethnicity and religious and ethnic differences have historically played a major role in fuelling conflicts and the situation is no different in the DRC. Although the fundamental cause of violence in the region is believed to be vested economic interests of the governing bodies, and rebels alike, ethnic differences have been reported to have furthered the cause by refusing the agitating rebellion to subside. The two causes, economic as well as ethnic differences have blended together seamlessly into the fabric of the worn torn nation, in such a manner that it is now become almost impossible to segregate the two in the hope of regaining peace. Political leaders in DRC unabashedly exploited the ethnic differences in the region for pursuing their own political interests thereby further widening the ethnic divide and continuing the trend of violence and bloodshed, with no hopes for restoration of peace and justice (Horowitz, 2003). The government in DRC is highly corrupt with most of the governing elites being active participants in the mass genocide and continuing violence in the state, and impunity being an inherent part of the system. Despite the massive deaths and research reports provided by international agencies offering credible evidence of gross violation of human rights in the nation, and the appalling state of thousands of civilians who are forced to live as displaced refugees in their own land, there has been hardly any sign of corrective measures being taken by the government to prevent or arrest such a development. According to the International Council of Human Rights Policy, Accountability is one of the most vital aspects of responsible governance and an inevitable tool of a legitimate government (ICHRP, 2006). However in DRC, there is not only a total lack of accountability but a deep rooted system of corruption, supported by impunity and the poorly funded courts further add to the gravity of the situation, letting the trouble-makers go scot-free, thus further giving testimony to the fact, that the courts in DRC are weak and highly incapable of bringing the violators to justice. Furthermore, not only the rebels and the governing elites but certain sections of the peacekeeping forces deployed in the nation by international agencies are a party to this illegal trade of exploitation of human as well as natural resources. It is quite apparent that as long as there is widespread corruption supported by impunity, the woes of the civilians will continue to remain unaddressed thereby leaving them to fend for themselves. In such situations it is highly likely that the civilians, in the absence of proper government support will be forced to take up arms and resort to violence, thereby making the efforts of restoring peace an unattainable task. The MONUC or the Mission of the United Nations Organization in the DRC is a UN peace keeping force established by the UN Security Council in 1999 to supervise and administer the peace process in the war torn nation. In 2003, the council imposed a 12 month arms embargo in the eastern territory and later on expanded it throughout the DRC territory in 2005. It also imposed a travel ban and assets freeze on all those involved in aggravating the conflict and fuelling violence. However, such efforts hardly proved to be sufficient owing to the vast and porous borders of the nation, thereby leading to the failure of the peace keeping mission to contain the violence (Global Policy Forum, 2010). Similar efforts by the global peace keeping missions were systematically thwarted by the local rebels as well as on account of various other reasons. According to reports, the MONUC was alleged to be involved in sex scandals and sexual abuse of young girls and women. A confidential U.N. report which was leaked in 2004 supported the claims of the human rights violation and abuse of the helpless civilians by the peace keeping troops themselves. Currently, after decades of war, bloodshed and violence and millions of dollars worth of efforts to restore peace in the warring nation, president Kabila, has requested for withdrawal of UN peacekeeping troops from the nation. As many as 20, 000 peacekeepers equipped with adequate tools and power to safeguard the innocent and helpless civilians' safety, have failed to protect them from the rebels, militia and other anti social elements who have categorically violated all laws of the nation, and exploited children, raped women and incapacitated innumerable civilians, in their quest for power and money. With reports of a majority of the peacekeepers themselves being involved in such loot and corruption, they have been rightly called off from the site (Global Policy Forum, 2010). After decades of war and violence, the DRC is finally beginning to show signs of stable and aptly functioning governance, on its path towards forming a well functioning democratic state. Although incidents of sporadic violence and other illicit activities continue to thrive, the global attention received by it, has managed to bring some order to its disorderly state and secure, if not total, some peace with hope for a better and brighter tomorrow. The international investments from the world over in DRC, for instance, Chinese investment (WSWS, 2008), as well as the possibility of investment from the powerful western economies such as U.S. and U.K. (Newsnight, 2008) can prove to be of immense help in speeding up the process of halting violence and restoring peace, and ultimately pursing its goal of establishing a peaceful, well functioning liberal democratic state. Such an investment from across the globe, can pave way for economic stability and play a major role in eliminating most of the social evils such as poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, and hence eliminate some of the key causes that instigate such violence. It will give the people an opportunity to lead their lives in a peaceful manner, by engaging themselves in a respectable occupation, rather than engage in senseless violence. With the increase in gainful employment, the human resources can be engaged in productive works which in turn contribute towards the economy, strengthening it in the process. Political stability can soon follow economic stability and help in enhancing the lifestyles of the people, thereby making way for the development and establishment of a peaceful Congo. DRC is a mineral rich nation. Its resources hence, if exploited properly can help the nation to rise out of misery and lead it towards economic prosperity. It has been observed that violence has been the only option for the helpless civilians who take up arms to survive in a poverty ridden state. Where food is offered in exchange for taking up arms, the long term stability of a nation cannot be expected. Corruption and impunity, which are the evils of a lawless state, can only be done away with, if the governance is strong, liberal and powerful. Thus, it can safely be concluded that peace in the warring state is possible, with the right measures adopted at the national and international level. DRC today requires the support from the global community, and a chance to come out of the grips of utter chaos towards peace and harmony. References: BBC News (2010). Democratic Republic of Congo Country Profile. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: Global Policy Forum (2010). Democratic Republic of Congo, Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: IRC (2007). International Rescue Committee Report DRC November 2007. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: New York Times (2010). Congo: Rapes by Civilians Rise Sharply, Study Says. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: Newsnight (2008). Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: UN (2001). Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: UN Peacekeepers at Crossroads in DRC. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: WSWS (2008). China Steps up Investment in Congo as War in East Continues. Accessed: May 16, 2010 from: Horowitz, D. L., (2003). The Deadly Ethnic Riot, University of California Press, Pp. 234 - 238 ICHRP (2006). Repairing the Past: Refugees, Displaced Persons, Land and Property in International Council on Human Rights Policy, Negotiating Justice?: Human Rights and Peace . Read More