The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the site of one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crises. Ironically, the country is rich with abundant minerals, wealth from copper, diamonds, cobalt, tin, cassiterite, uranium, gold, oil, natural gas, to coltan used in consumer electronics products such as cell phones, DVD players, video game systems and computers. Export of coltan from eastern Congo to European and American markets has been cited by experts as helping to finance the present-day conflict in the Congo and much of the finance sustaining the civil wars in Africa, especially in Congo, is directly connected to coltan profits. An estimated more than 6 million people have died since 1998 in the Congo war dubbed: ‘Africa’s First World War’.
Although the country emerged from civil war in 2003 following a power-sharing agreement, credible mortality studies estimate that up to 1,200 people continue to die every day from conflict-related causes, mostly disease and malnutrition but ongoing violence as well. Rampant corruption and pervasive state weakness allows members of the national army and members of armed groups alike to perpetrate abuses against civilians. With the help of the world’s largest peacekeeping operation MONUC, the country overcame major logistical and political challenges to hold its first free and fair elections in 40 years in July and October 2006. However, the country faces substantial challenges, including the creation or recreation of state institutions that are accountable to the Congolese people and the construction of an integrated and professional army that protects civilians rather than abuses them. Congo remains a fragile state.
Sexual violence against women is used as a weapon of terror to destroy family values in eastern Congo. In the absence of a serious push for a political solution to the crisis by the international community and the United Nations security council in particular, the situation could quickly spiral out of control. The only way out of the crisis is a coherent political strategy, implemented through consistent and concerted help from the security council and influential member-states from the region.
A peace-building strategy for the eastern Congo should have six priorities: 1) A credible and comprehensive disarmament strategy for dealing with Rwandan Hutu rebels in both North and South Kivu 2) Security sector reform (SSR) with a new focus on building capacity and accountability: Increased international support to the existing effort to build a national army capable of projecting state authority over all parts of the DRC is crucial. The police must not be forgotten during the SSR process. In the future, the provision of domestic security should shift away from the Congolese army towards the police. 3) Political engagement dedicated to improving governance through increased economic transparency, equitable taxation, decentralisation and local elections. 4) Army reform must include comprehensive training in human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as the systematic prosecution of culprits by military authorities 5) continuing efforts to sustain stable regional relations. 6) End to impunity: The international community must state clearly that impunity for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity will not be tolerated and perpetrators, especially those most responsible, will be held to account. The International Criminal Court should be encouraged publicly to continue or to expand its investigations of past and present activities by all belligerents in North and South Kivu.
International engagement and support for peace building in the Congo should continue through the 2011 elections and this needs to be maintained and coordinated by the UN and Great Lakes envoys Olusegun Obasanjo and Benjamin Mkapa.
The British government is the largest bilateral aid donor to Congo and a key diplomatic player. Its failure to hold British companies to account is undermining its own efforts and allowing one of the main drivers of the conflict to continue unchecked. The UK government should pay more attention to the role of minerals in fuelling the conflict and hold British companies to account for involvement in the illicit mineral trade from DRC, including reporting them to the UN security council’s sanctions committee.