I just finished reading Radio Congo by Ben Rawlence which piqued my interest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. You don’t hear much about the country unless you actively seek out news and information about it. The mainstream media almost never reports on it, even though the country has been through the most violent wars and grotesque human rights violations of modern time. So sadly, while most of us probably remember the Rwandan genocide of 1994, we are largely oblivious of the wars it triggered in neighboring Congo in 1996; the Second Congo War of 1998, also known as the Great African War because of the large scale involvement of African countries; and the violent outbreaks of conflict that continue to plague the country to this day.
There are political reasons, other than just a mere lack of interest, that this war is so underreported – the top being the illegal and unethical exploitation of Congo’s mineral resources, a business that is worth millions, if not billions, of dollars a day!
Congo’s mineral wealth makes it the richest patch on earth. It holds 80 percent of the world’s coltan reserves – which is used to produce high-end electronic goods and so will not run out of demand anytime soon; more than 60 percent of the world’s cobalt; and is the world’s largest supplier of high-grade copper. Other than that, gold, tin, zinc, diamonds are among the minerals mined there. Although war may have started because of ethnic antagonism, it has been perpetuated due to the mineral wealth of Congo, making the country a victim of the resource curse.
This is how the war economy is working. The corrupt government headed by Kabila grants concessions to multinational firms to mine minerals in return for cuts and support against opposition groups in the country. Cuts make their way to the private coffers of the government. In areas where the government does not have a stronghold, these corporations are able to assert authority and exploit minerals by making alliances with rebel and militia groups, who use the small profits made in the partnership to buy weapons to threaten the local population and maintain their control. The result of this is that around 80 percent of Congo’s mineral wealth is being smuggled out of the country to neighbouring countries, where it is then transported to Europe and the west.
So it is clear who the winners are in this conflict – and this is not to say that the Congolese government is without blame. They have sold the future of their country very cheap. On the other hand, despite all the riches and resources their country holds, the people of Congo have not benefitted in the least. Per capita income is approximately 200 dollars, which is among the lowest in the world. Education and healthcare is almost non-existent. They only make cheap labour for the multinationals and warlords, often working for no wages, only the promise of food and shelter.
Backgroud
The modern conflict started with the end of the war in Rwanda when 1.2 million Hutu refugees and militia fled to Congo in fear of the newly instated Tutsi government. Mobuto, then president of Congo used the Hutus in his own ethnic war against the local Tutsi groups. Rwanda and Uganda, backed by the U.S., joined in to fight the aggression against Tutsis, arming guerilla and rebel groups against Mobuto. Mobuto was overthrown and replaced by Laurent Kabila. Kabila didn’t want to continue serving the economic interests of Rwanda and Uganda and demanded the foreign forces to leave. Seeing their economic interests at risk, Rwanda and Uganda attacked the government in 1998 using local rebels and militia. Other African countries joined in to support Kabila, in what would become the Great War of Africa. Although the war ended in 2002, it was impossible for the government and international organizations to disband the rebel groups that spread throughout eastern Congo. Just recently, fighting has broken out again between a local militia group M23, said to be backed by Rwanda and Uganda, and the Congolese army. There is no telling how many more lives this renewed conflict will claim.
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