Reason for the long-term violence in Congo
2023.02.01 03:34
Reason for the long-term violence in Congo
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – A meeting with approximately 60 victims of decades of violence in the east of the country, who traveled across the country to see Pope Francis on Wednesday, is one of the primary focuses of the visit that Pope Francis is making to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Following a resurgence of fighting in the mineral-rich region, where more than 120 armed groups are fighting for control of land and natural resources, the pontiff had intended to travel to the eastern city of Goma. However, the stop was canceled.
Since the 1990s, the violence in the east has resulted in the deaths of millions and the displacement of millions more.
According to Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group, the conflict in Congo dates back decades, making it difficult to pinpoint a few causes. He stated that the primary causes at the beginning were rebellions abroad with rear bases in Congo, local struggles over land, resources, and identity, particularly the status of groups speaking Rwandan languages, and the weakness of the Congolese state.
He asserted that the state bears a significant responsibility due to the fact that it has done little to eliminate, demobilize, or defeat any of the 120 armed groups in the east.
Violence has also been brought about by competition for control of the abundant natural resources in the region.
According to Pierre Boisselet of Kivu Security Tracker, which keeps an eye on the region’s unrest, ” The conflict appears to be self-sustaining because local and foreign armed groups, as well as the states in the region, have developed a class of violent professionals over the years.
The violence is being carried out by a wide range of armed groups, some with just a few dozen members and others with hundreds of armed combatants, sometimes fighting along ethnic lines. In recent years, the most active include:
The M23. The agreement that came into effect on March 23, 2009, brought an earlier uprising in eastern Congo led by Tutsis to an end. According to the group, the government has failed to fulfill its promise to fully integrate Congolese Tutsis into the army and government.
Since March 2022, it has retaken large swaths of land in a resurgence, displacing over 500,000 people as it advances on Goma’s gates, canceling the pope’s visit there.
An armed group known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is led by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. They are viewed as M23’s primary opponent. Congo has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 and Rwanda of using the FDLR as a proxy. The allegations have been refuted by both sides.
The Lendu farming community, which has fought Hema herders, makes up the majority of the fighters from the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, or CODECO. They are thought to be one of the most violent groups toward civilians. On January 19, 49 bodies, including 12 women and six children, were discovered in a mass grave, and the militia was blamed by the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo.
Another violent group in the region is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State-linked militia known locally as the ADF. In raids and bombings of villages, it has killed and injured numerous people. A portion of the ADF’s violence has been attributed to Islamic State. In a raid last week, the group is suspected of killing 20 people and bombing a church, killing 14 more.
