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Africa: Making Sense of the DRC
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New Era (Windhoek)
2 November 2007
Posted to the web 2 November 2007
Daniel Ngeno
Windhoek
The difficult road to democratize the DRC, General Nkunda's rebellion, the democratic process, war of aggression, transition period, democratic elections, president Joseph Kabila's reconstruction programmes and General Nkunda's myopic goals
The resumption of armed rebellion in the DRC Easter North Kivu province by a renegade general(General Laurent Nkunda) from the minority Tutsi ethnic group of the DR Congo, poses another huge challenge for a young yet an intelligent president, President Joseph Kabila, and his fragile government.
This rebellion is also a big challenge for SADC, AU, and UN leaders who have been working hard for the sustainability of peace in the Great Lakes Region in general and in DRC in particular.
General Nkunda's reason of waging the rebellious war of protecting his Tutsi ethnic group in DRC does not hold water at all. His Excellency President Joseph Kabila during the interview with the BBC in October 2007 posed this question - If Mr Nkunda is fighting to protect the Tutsi ethnic group in the Kivu province, who is protecting the Tutsi in Kinshasa, Goma and in other provinces of DRC where Mr Nkunda does not have soldiers? This is indeed a legitimate question.
Historical Perspectives
But why there has there been absence of peace and stability in the DRC since independence in 1960? To be able to answer this question and to understand the political conflict that has engulfed the DRC, there is a need to look into the historical background of this huge and resource endowed SADC country.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is situated in the heart of Africa, has an area of 2, 345, 409 square kilometres and a population estimated at 60 million people. DRC boasts having one of the largest deposits of mineral resources in the world and has equally rich forest resources and a fertile soil and lots of rain.
The country shares its borders with 9 countries from the four largest political and linguistic groupings of the African continent which are: Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone and Arabophone. Islamic and Christianity are the main religions in the country. DRC belongs to various economic communities such as SADC, COMESA and CEAC (Communaute Economique de l'Afrique Centrale). DRC's strategic position is crucial for peace and sustainable development of the African continent.
On the 30th June 2007, the DRC celebrated its 47th year of independence. It is indeed on 30th June 1960 that DRC became a free nation, liberated from the oppressive yolk of colonial dependence and humiliation, but this political freedom has not been easy to maintain in the Congo.
In July 1960, less than a month after gaining political freedom, a tentative partition of the Congo was recorded with the secession of Katanga and South Kasai provinces. It should be noted that this partition was orchestrated by the economic lobby groups of the Western imperialists.
The history has it that in September of the same year (1960), the same western imperialists backed Mobutu Sese Seko in his senseless and brutal actions to destabilize the fragile democratic institutions that were put in place soon after independence.
It was in November 1965 when Mobutu staged a coup and overthrew His Excellency Joseph Kasavubu, the first president of the Congo. We all know what prevailed in Zaire as DRC was known during Mobutu's regime of 32 years with his one party dictatorship.
Democratic Process in DRC
It all started with the end of the cold war and the wind of change that rocked the world in general and the African continent in particular. The wind which brought the system of multiparty democracy. Mobutu tried by all means to block the wind of change but failed. Nobody can stop or control the wind apart from Jesus as recorded in the Bible.
So, at the beginning of 1990, Mobutu bowed down to the wind of change but wouldn't totally give up as he came up with a system of mult-partyism limited to three political parties only.
During that period Mobutu conducted a massive campaign throughout the country hoping to legitimise his system with only three political parties recognized, but the Congolese people rejected his myopic political ambition.
On 24th April 1990, Mobutu had to totally bow down to the multiparty democracy system by allowing any political party formed in the country under specific conditions with the view to hold democratic elections after three years. In a short period of time the country has registered over 400 new political parties, but that was not Mobutu's original plan because he wanted to cling on power forever.
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Mobutu's love of power and plundering the Congolese wealth, motivated him to stay in power for another period of seven years and I believe that if the Alliance of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo (AFDL) led by the late Laurent Desire Kabila did not come on the scene in 1996, Mobutu would have died in power as he was officially suffering from prostate cancer since the early 1980's.
Has the editor learnt nothing from the bloody reign of king Leopold 2? Blaming one another makes no sense at all and is part of the campain to wage war between the tribes so as to get hold of the riches of DRC. Colonialism contains the aim to plunder Africa and there has nothing changed since 500 years. The actors for this reside in the european, US-american regions. In this club of exploiters has joined China. There strategy to get hold of the riches of DRC started with construction of railway through Tansania to Goma. Not enough, they organised a... [Read Full Text]
Some further questions to Daniel Ngeno Windhoek. You mention the qualities of Joseph Kabila during his rule in DRC. I can find none. On this ocasion I should like to draw your attention to the late general Alexander Lebed of Russia who was killed in a helicopter crash. In the conflict of Djnester Republik he managed peace with dissidents to the wellbeeing of both sides. In the case of Tshetshnia there exists the world famous picture when he sits at table playing chess with dissident Basajew. But what happens during rule of Putin? Endless bloodshed! Joseph Kabila tells the world... [Read Full Text]
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