INTRODUCTION

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the result of subsequent humanitarian disasters with a never-ending cycle of violent conflict that has continued to kill millions for over three decades. The article intends to explore the cyclic conflict involving countries and ethnic communities from the mid-1990s to the current date. 

CONFLICT BACKGROUND (1996-2003) 

The conflict started with the First Congo War from 1996 to 1997, taking place on the eve of the Rwandan Genocide that heralded the killing of the ethnic Tutsi community by the Hutu extremists. Such a situation led to the development of genocide, triggering the massacre of two million Hutu refugees crossing the border to Congo. 

The pressure continued to intensify against the Hutu groupings and the interference of the foreign powers. The emergence of this conflict has led to the inception of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The grouping aligned against the Hutu-backed Rwandan government. 

The then-incoming Tutsi-led government extended its security operation at the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as The Republic of Zaire. Under the presidency of Paul Kagame, an invasion of Zaire was launched, leading to the demise of Mobutu Sese Seko’s regime. Rwanda justified its actions by arguing that Hutu groups were a threat to Rwanda’s Tutsi population. 

The actions accused the former Mobutu regime of providing a haven to the Hutu extremists in DRC. The first Congo War also led to the involvement and assistance of neighbouring African countries like Angola, Uganda and Burundi, citing Mobutu’s intentions of fuelling rebel groups across Africa. The invasion lead to huge casualties involving civilians and members of Hutu extremist groups. 

The war led to the death of non-combatant Congolese civilians from North and South Kivu, along with refugees. During the First Congo War in 1997, political power and governance were captured by Kabila, who was sworn in as the president and changed the country’s name from Zaire to The Democratic Republic of Congo. 

1998 witnessed the Second Congo War with deteriorating relations between Kigali and Kinshasa. Kabila attempted to remove ethnic Tutsis from government positions and took measures to further weaken the strength of Rwanda’s military in eastern Congo. The removal of foreign troops from Congo led to the rearming of Hutu extremist armed groups. Such actions intensified the presence of Hutu armed groups near the border of Rwanda. 

Rwanda launched an invasion in 1998 to create a zone near its border to create distance between the positions of Hutu armed groups and its troops in the eastern DRC. Such actions and the instability lead to the assassination of Laurent Kabila by his close aides and guards. The actions led to the transfer of power to Joseph Kabila, ending the conflict in 2002 with an estimated casualties of three million people. 

The period from 2002 to 2003 saw the adoption and implementation of peace agreements between DRC and neighbouring countries like Rwanda and Uganda. The peace treaties signed among the governments ensured the survival of the transitional government at Kinshasa led by Joseph Kabila. The implementation of peace agreements resulted in renewed clashes in easter DRC. Joseph Kabila’s regime saw its formal inauguration after the popular elections in 2006. 

INCEPTION OF M23 

The period from 2002 to 2003 saw the emergence of the March 23 Movement (M23). The group is comprised of ethnic Tutsis. From 2012 to 2013, M23 emerged as one of the uncontested forces in eastern DRC. The group’s emergence led to upheavals resulting in the inception of UN Security Council-backed offensive operations under the mandate of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) to launch counter-offensives against M23. 

The alleged involvement of Rwanda in supporting the Tutsi-led M23 has resulted in causing damage to Kigali-Kinshasa diplomatic relations. The period saw repeated clashes and the emergence of flash points caused by continued conflicts involving militant groups from diverse ethnicities. 

The group’s operations range from the North Kivu province. The latest conflicts emerged from the Tutsi-dominated National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), one of the active fighters in the Second Congo War. Despite the agreement, CNDP troops revolted in 2012, complaining of ill-treatment from the Congolese army. 

The group started the M23, launching offensive operations to capture several towns near the border with Rwanda. The special UN force drove the group towards the eastern hills of Congo in 2013. 

REEMERGENCE OF M23 

The group remerged in 2022 with M23 launching violent attacks and seizure of four major towns in North Kivu. The group withdrew from the towns in January 2023, being a part of a Nairobi Peace Process. The ceasefire lasted till October 2023, with DRC accusing Rwanda. The two countries, backed by the U.S., signed treaties to reduce military presence near each other’s borders. Despite efforts, the agreement resulted in renewed conflicts in eastern Congo, continuing unabated to date. 

IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA 

The UN peacekeepers have aided the conflict between M23 rebels and the Congolese army. Among the peacekeepers, ‘biue helmet’ peacekeepers under the UN-led MONUSCO from India have been necessary for mitigating the conflict since the early 2000s. 

In addition, the renewed conflict will impact the operations of India’s mining companies, which have a small-scale but growing presence in cobalt, copper, tin and tantalum products. Small Indian companies with little support from banks are likely to face operational delays and reduced profits due to political instability, which has the potential to negatively impact mineral purchases from artisanal diggers. The companies operating in Katanga province will likely face small to medium output and productive capacity interruptions. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the endless violence and conflict have revealed not only threats from long-lasting armed conflicts but also the expansion of poverty and associated human development challenges. The rise of conflicts in the eastern DRC will likely reduce benefits from the minerals not only to the private actors but also the ordinary civilians, leading to an ever-expanding trigger to conflict with possibilities of further large-scale lethal warfare and conflict in the region.

BY TEAM GEOSTRATA