Nnthe congo wars conflict myth and reality pdf

Since 1996 successive waves of armed conflict in the congo have left behind at least 3 million casualties, overwhelmingly civilian. The congo free state was a corporate state privately controlled by leopold ii of belgium through the association internationale africaine, a nongovernmental organization. The long and brutal conflict in the drc has caused massive suffering for civilians. List of wars involving the democratic republic of the congo.

Turner throws new light on partisan and economically selfinterested military interventions by uganda, angola, zimbabwe this book, by a lifelong authority on the congo, makes sense of the worlds least reported and. Causes of the congolese civil wars and their implications. While the natural riches of the congo may be a primary reason for the perpetuation of the war, it was not the official cause. Sassou nguesso, took control of the capital brazzaville, thus ousting the current president pascal lissouba, after a five month long civil war. After a bodyguard shot and killed president kabila in 2001, his son joseph kabila was appointed president at the age of 29. History of the democratic republic of the congo wikipedia. Explore the conflict in congo by using a new york times interactive primer and discuss the existing. This post is a brief history, intended to provide a contextual background for understanding the complex issues that the enough project works on. Since 1996, the democratic republic of congo has been the battleground for was within wars, where networks of conflict interact to produce patterns of local resource extraction and patterns of local and regional violence, resulting in one of the most devastating, yet surprisingly understudied, humanitarian disasters of our day.

In the congo wars thomas turner provides the first indepth analysis of what happened. The major wars of the congo are termed as ist congo war and second congo war. The war officially ended in july 2003, when the transitional government of the democratic republic of the. Causes of the congolese civil wars and their implications for humanitarian assistance 4 patrons or from investors willing to invest23 is no longer dependent on taxation of domestic productive sectors. Background report on eastern democratic republic of the congo. On one side were congolese rebels backed and guided by rwanda, uganda, and burundi. The congo wars conflict, myth and reality thomas turner. The second congo war the ensuing conflict has often been referred to as africas world war with nine countries fighting each other on congolese soil.

This paper examines the history of conflict in the drc and the. A place of conflict, brutality, and exploitation, the congo documented by marlow, a belgian traveler journeying up the congo river in search of kurtz, the infamous ivory station chief and marlows fellow colonist, is not that different from its present reality. This reality shows that the data available can prove to be. A large section of the intel website is dedicated to information on the background of the conflict in the drc and how intel is going about its efforts to lead the way toward conflict free. Waves of armed conflict and atrocities against civilians have resulted in over three million casualties, making this one of the bloodiest yet least understood conflicts of recent times. Infant and child mortality rates are extremely high as a result of famine and malnutrition. During visits to brazzavilles garrison units, ndodou warned soldiers they could face execution for bad behaviour. The nature of armed conflict in africa is rapidly changing, a new study that annually catalogues all reported instances of political violence and conflict across the continent has claimed. Since 1996 war has raged in the congo while the world has looked away. The current conflict started in the aftermath of the rwandan sharife, khadija, dr congo.

Plunder and resistance, by david renton, david seddon, and leo zeilig. Intrastate violence in dr congo and human security perspectives from international relations abstract the aftermath of the cold war was marked by the shift from interstate wars to intrastate ones and brought along new issues for international security studies, and for international relations in general. Postindependence, under president mobutu, entrenched corruption through the 1970s and 80s caused the country to splinter. Beginning in the 1990s, the drc entered into a conflict between armed forces in rwanda, uganda, and domestic congolese rebels. Structural causes of conflict in democratic republic of.

It would be very difficult to understand the reasons for this conflict without taking into account the background struggle for influence between french and us imperialism. A brief history of congos wars key to understanding congo today is understanding the violence that has defined the countrys recent history. They were separated at most by a year and a half and no one can say for sure that the second war is over as we speak. Congo brazzaville, the reasons behind the civil war. The conflict theoretically ended in 2003, when the transitional government took charge in the country, but fighting still persists as of today. The congo wars not to confused with the congo crisis, which occured in the 60s against the backdrop of the cold war were two conflicts that have ravaged the democratic republic of the congo starting from 1996. Since the early 1990s, eastern congo has been home to the worlds deadliest war since world war ii, with 5. The book describes a resourcerich region, suffering. Conflict profile since its period of colonial rule 19081960, dr congo has repeatedly suffered conflict. Congo have passed through unimaginable chaos caused by the wars that have taken place in the region. The first phase of the second congo war led to a stalemate in the democratic republic of the congo. Its aims to create peace and reconciliation, to bring broken families together, to give vulnerable children hope, and encourage women who have been affected by.

Intrastate violence in dr congo and human security. Over a half million tutsi and moderate hutus were slaughtered by the huturun government and army. Congos chief of defence staff, general jacquesyvon ndodou, said last week the army would no longer put up with undisciplined elements within its ranks, radio congo reported on 21 october. These efforts have resulted in the worlds first microprocessors that are validated. In congo, wars are small and chaos is endless the new. The democratic republic of congo has been at the heart of the. Conflict, myth and reality is written by veteran congo scholar thomas turner. Congo must be sweet image and ideology in the congo wars 4. The conflict in congo is one of the bloodiest since world war ii, and each time i come back, i meet a new set of thoroughly traumatized people. Thomas turner, who twentythree years ago published a seminal study of mobutus regime with crawford young, rails against seeing pillage as a combination of political thriller, a stark moral tale of right and wrong an angstridden quest of what to do to. The roots of this war go back to the 1994 civil war and genocide of the tutsi ethnic group in rwanda by the hutu ethnic group.

This dissertation explains the complex political sociologies of. In central africa, the democratic republic of the congo drc has fallen victim to a raging war fuelled by the global demand for electronics kinniburgh, 2014, p. They are the caretakers, the breadwinners and the transporters. Through research and participation in a simulation of a meeting of african nations, students will investigate and attempt to resolve the current conflict in congo and the neighboring nations. This book, by a lifelong authority on the congo, makes sense of the worlds least reported and least understood major war. Structural causes of conflict in democratic republic of congo, 1996 2006 gilbert o. The bloodiest war since the second world war unfolded in the democratic. The state included the entire area of the present the democratic republic of the congo. First of all i am not sure it is entirely correct to see these as two wars. On october 16, 1997, the troops of the former president of congo brazzaville, m. Causes, impact and implications for the great lakes region executive summary the democratic republic of congo is recovering from conflicts, posting substantial improve ment in overall macroeconomic performance since the cessation of the war, on the back of robust copper and cobalt exports. Under leopold ii, the congo free state became one of the most infamous international.

Ochieng kamudhayi a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of master of arts in international conflict management september, 2010 university of nairobi library 0478586 1. Essentially it is much easier to think of it as the. The first and second wars, 19962003 posted by mollie zapata on november 29, 2011 editors note. Brutal clashes between groups has had very serious consequences for people. Pdf thomas turner begins his book with a bold assertion. Conflict, myth, reality can be read as an answer to the first book. The consequences of rape during conflict in the democratic. The first congo war 19961997, also nicknamed africas first world war, was a civil war and international military conflict which took place mostly in zaire presentday dr congo, with major spillovers into sudan and uganda. The war in the democratic republic of the congo drc. With the aftermath of the rwandan genocide exercising its shockwaves, and united nations troops in position, but apparently powerless to secure the lives of ordinary citizens, this book sheds light on the interventions of other african powers in the region and cuts through the historical. The second congo war also known as the great war of africa or the great african war, and sometimes referred to as the african world war began in the democratic republic of the congo in august 1998, little more than a year after the first congo war, and involved some of the same issues. Conflict, myth and reality, by thomas turner african. The armed conflict and violence in the democratic republic of the congo has affected thousands of families and created a deteriorating humanitarian situation.