by Admin | October 1st, 2008
The Congo wars, claiming millions of lives between 1996 and 2003 alone, have earned the dubious distinction of being called Africa’s “first world war” because of the involvement of six African national armies, countless foreign ambassadors from the north, and the first deployment of European Union troops in what is seen by many as a trial balloon for the recolonization of the continent. It would be a vast understatement to say that the current conflicts are rooted in historic misadventures, yet the popular notion that the causes lie in longstanding tribal, ethnic, or regional rivalries is, at best, greatly oversimplified disinformation. A nation-state the size of Western Europe, with a far greater number of mineral resources than any other similarly sized single patch of land on the planet, has been the envy of every greedy businessman for over a century. During that time, what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) served as the personal cash cow for the brutal dictatorships of Belgium’s King Leopold II, and of Mobuto Sese Seko. Mobuto, Africa’s most notorious neocolonial master, was backed by the U.S. since his part in the 1960 CIA-coordinated assassination of democratically elected Pan African socialist Patrice Lumumba. Leopold and Belgium were the colonial rulers of the Congo from 1885 till 1960; Mobuto was head of state from 1960 through the 1990s. Lumumba was in power for little more than three months, and the Congo’s second elected President, Laurent Kabila (an associate of Lumumba), was himself assassinated in 2001 after a short several years at the helm. Survival mechanisms for the common Congolese citizen during the years of kleptocracy became something of an art form. Now, instead of being known as the richest and most creative country on the planet, the DRC is still associated with the century-old “heart of darkness” literary refrain.
More and more, local Congolese NGOS understand the need to work on their own, with out the assistance of international aid agencies, and to heed the pleas of the young people who have been most affected by the wars. The Kinshasa-based Ligue des Femmes pour le Development et L’education a la Democratie (LIFDED) is one such group, an affiliate of Pax Christi International, whose co-president is Congolese Archbishop Monsignor Laurent Monsengwo. Their emphasis is on independent work from a Congolese-centered perspective, training women and youth from grassroots communities across the country. LIFDED’s seminars, in nonviolence, conflict resolution, human rights, and empowerment, have put them in direct support with organizations formed to network and assist former child soldiers, such as the Association des enfants soldats demobilises.
The Voice of the Voiceless (VSV) organization similarly suggests the need for new mentality and training, and makes the connections between war, violence, gender, and the economy. “We are making a plea for a governmental audit,” stated VSV president Floribert Chebeya, “because there was a large amount of money put at the government’s disposal for demobilization of child soldiers, but it didn’t have much emphasis or effect.” Georgette Nyembo, a Protestant church activist who prepared election observers for the Ministry of Reconstruction, noted that the first step in rebuilding the Congo is, as it has ever been, making it clear to every child that “there is a choice between the gun he’s had and the other, nonviolent lives he could lead.”
The complexities of the Congo’s multi-national war, with a myriad of interlocking financial, military, patriarchal, and historic factors, can no longer be used as an excuse for the continuation of conflict. With a vibrant civil society working collaboratively towards social change in several diverse communities, utilizing thoughtful, often indigenous techniques, it is time that the international community provide the type of attention and solidarity that could strengthen the grassroots groups in their efforts for democracy and peace. It has been too easy for human rights groups around the world not specifically focused on Africa or the Congo to incorrectly characterize or dismiss the Congolese movements as disorganized because of their great number, and the diversity of tactics and ideologies they employ. It is time to re-commit the energies of global humanitarians, both to help the Congolese and their neighbors to end the Congo wars, and to allow for the kind of Congolese self determination which would diminish the causes of war as well.