Squiz Shortcuts - Conflict in DR Congo

Your Shortcut to… conflict in DR Congo

A major humanitarian crisis is happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the most populous and mineral-rich nations in Africa. Nearly 3,000 people have died and millions have been forced to leave their homes since fighting between militia and the Congolese military broke out in recent weeks… but it’s part of a conflict that’s been going on for decades. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across:

• the background to the conflict

• who’s involved

• and what’s at stake.

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Squiz the Shortcut

Where exactly is the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
It’s the second-largest country in Africa with a population of 102.3 million people and it’s positioned right in the centre. If you imagine the wide part at the top and then the thin bit at the bottom, it’s the top of the thin bit.

Got it… Is it the same as the Republic of the Congo?
No, but they’re often mistaken for one another because they’re right next door (the Republic of the Congo is to the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and they also gained independence from colonising countries at the same time. 

Who colonised them? 
The Democratic Republic of the Congo - which used to be known as Zaire - gained independence from Belgium, and the Republic of Congo achieved it from France. But in this Shortcut, we’ll be focusing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

When might I have heard of the DRC?
Sports fans might remember/have heard about a famous boxing match that took place there in 1974 called the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman… Others might remember it being in the headlines during the mid 1990s for a much darker reason.

What was that?
It was where a lot of people escaped to after a period of Africa’s history known as the Rwandan genocide…

What happened in Rwanda?
There are two main ethnic groups to know about in terms of that event - the Tutsis and the Hutus. It was extremist members of the Hutu population - the majority at the time, that killed an estimated one million Tutsis in Rwanda… During those events, 2 million Rwandans had to escape the country… Many of them went over the border to Congo (which was just called Congo back then) - and they included several Hutu rebel groups…

Then what happened?
A few years later, Rwanda - which was now governed by the Tutsi after they ended the genocide and took over the government - invaded the east of the Congo specifically to go after those rebel Hutu groups, with the support of some other neighbouring countries like Uganda, Angola and Eritrea. 

Did they succeed?
No, they didn’t. The country’s government, and its military at the time, were weak, and so it collapsed pretty quickly. One of the leaders of the rebel groups took over, and that’s when it was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo… Rwanda and its allies invaded again a few years later, and those 2 conflicts are often called the first and second congo wars, or Africa’s first and second world wars. Many experts say the conflict is still going on today, just not as officially… 

What has the human toll been?
Fighting in the region has cost an estimated six million lives in the last 30 years and it’s resulted in widespread homelessness, poverty, disease, and lawlessness.  

Who are the main players now?
The fighting has mostly been driven by militant groups in the area. One main group to know is M23, which is a Tutsi-led group that’s been active since 2012. Their mission is to, in their words, “protect the rights of the Tutsi”. On the other side is the Congolese military, which is supported by regional peacekeepers including UN forces, allied militias, and troops from neighbouring Burundi.

What are the sides fighting over?
One of the big things to know about the DRC is that it’s a big mining economy. In particular, there are large reserves of valuable critical minerals in the east of the country, which borders Rwanda… Think gold, copper, and tantalum - a mineral that’s extracted from Coltan ore - used in a lot of electronics like mobile phones, so there’s a huge demand for those minerals.

Sounds lucrative…
It is. In addition to the other valuable minerals, reports say at least 40% of the global supply of tantalum comes from the DRC, so the potential riches on offer for any group that controls the territory means there’s a lot of incentive to be in power, which has fuelled the conflict. Reports say the value of the country’s tantalum alone is expected to reach nearly US$2 billion by the end of 2026.

Have the militants taken control of mines?
Yes. Reports say M23 now controls a number of large mines in the region which operate in unsafe conditions, often using child labour, and the money they get from them funds their weapons and fighters. The battle to control territory and mines has been going on for months, but it’s gained international attention in the past 2 weeks…

Why now?
Militants, led by M23, invaded and captured the city of Goma, which is a mining hub bordering Rwanda, in late January. The UN estimates nearly 3,000 people died and millions were forced to leave their homes in that offensive. We won’t go into the details here but there have also been reports of human rights atrocities, and horrific accounts of sexual and gender-based violence coming out of the region…

What has the international reaction been?
The United Nations has made a “special appeal for peace” and called on the international community to send urgent aid to Goma… But there’s a big question mark hanging over funding from one of the world’s largest distributors of aid to Africa - USAid - while US President Donald Trump and his administration attempt to suspend international support programs...

Yikes…
That’s not all. The UN is also worried about the conflict widening to a regional war, with Rwanda and Uganda supporting the rebels, while Burundi is backing the Congolese government. If the fighting spreads, it could mean even more people being displaced and needing urgent medical and humanitarian aid.

Onto our Recommendations

Watching: If you want to get a bit more up to speed on the Rwandan genocide, the movie Hotel Rwanda is an excellent film about that period in history with a wonderful performance from Don Cheadle. 

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