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Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
The Rwanda-DRC peace deal must include the voices of the voiceless
More than three decades after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda plunged the African Great Lakes region into unprecedented turmoil, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to struggle in establishing collaborative and neighbourly relations for the collective benefit of their peoples. Following the genocide, in which approximately 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans – including some members of the defeated Rwandan armed forces and militias responsible for the genocide – crossed into the DRC and settled in refugee camps in the country's east, close to the Rwanda border. This became a security concern for the new government in Rwanda. The eastern DRC has not seen peace since. In 1996, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL), a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and some Congolese dissidents, launched a war against the government of Zaire. The AFDL, primarily a Congolese movement against the Zaire leadership but receiving significant support from the governments of Rwanda and Uganda, ousted President Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent-Desire Kabila to power. However, this change in government and the brutal dismantling of Hutu refugee camps that accompanied it did not usher in meaningful intra-governmental collaboration or an end to Rwanda's security concerns. Over the subsequent decades, Rwanda's government continued to monitor the perpetual conflict in the eastern DRC, citing concerns about dissidents based there. According to United Nations reports, since 2012, this involvement has included direct support for the M23 rebel group waging an uprising against the DRC government. In January 2025, following numerous UN reports confirming Rwanda's support for M23, the DRC government severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda. Subsequently, Rwanda's development partners imposed sanctions on the country, some of its officials, and the Gasabo Gold Refinery, requesting Rwanda to halt support for M23 immediately and withdraw its troops from DRC territory. For the benefit of Rwanda, the DRC, and the entire region, the conflict in the eastern DRC and the decades-old tensions between the two neighbouring governments need to come to an end. As someone deeply invested in delivering democracy and development to all Rwandans, I have long called on the Rwandan government to engage in positive diplomacy to resolve its differences with the DRC government. Rwanda must engage in such diplomacy to overcome its structural constraints to development as a small, landlocked country with limited natural resources. If it resolves its issues with its neighbour, Rwanda could finally achieve true regional integration, participate in lucrative regional supply chains, and become a dependable partner to the wider international community. The peace deal the United States is currently attempting to broker between Rwanda and the DRC could put Kigali on the path to achieving all these gains. However, certain conditions are necessary for any peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda to be effective. As many have suggested, I agree that only a peace deal supported by a bilateral mineral cooperation incentive, guaranteed by a global power like the US – which would help control competition for natural resources – has a chance of succeeding. After all, there is little doubt that illicit trading of minerals has been used to finance the conflict in the eastern DRC. Yet this dark trade is not the fundamental cause of the conflict, and its cessation alone cannot resolve the issues between the two neighbours. The root cause of the eastern DRC conflict is, in fact, a lack of good governance and robust democracy across the African Great Lakes region. Lack of democracy, justice, and respect for human rights, coupled with social and economic exclusion, has caused Rwandans who survived the brutal dismantling of Hutu refugee camps not to return to Rwanda, and others to leave the country to seek refuge in regional states. Some Congolese have also made their way to Rwanda, escaping war, persecution and exclusion. According to the most recent figures by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are still more than 200,000 Rwandan refugees in the DRC and close to 83,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda. There are more Congolese refugees in other regional states, such as Uganda, which hosts more than 600,000 of them. Some of these refugees have been enrolled in armed groups. All this has enabled power holders to abuse their authority and create chaos in the eastern DRC. While illicit trading of minerals has financed the conflict, the fundamental cause of the violence remains the lack of good governance and the inability or unwillingness of authorities to address the core concerns of refugees – the reasons why they sought refuge in either Rwanda or the DRC, and why they do not want to return to their countries of origin. The US can help address this problem and bring sustainable calm to the region by including a condition in the peace deal it is currently brokering that requires the Rwandan and Congolese governments to engage in direct dialogue with their respective opposition – both within and outside their borders – as well as with refugees, and commit to achieving good governance based on political inclusiveness, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. This would enable the voluntary and dignified return of refugees to their countries of origin and could finally put an end to the decades of chaos in the eastern DRC. Rwanda does not even need US pressure to embark on the path of positive diplomacy and dialogue, as a continuous quest for solutions through dialogue is one of the fundamental requirements of its constitution. The Rwandan opposition has already expressed its eagerness to enter into such constructive dialogue with the government. Four years ago, in June 2021, we submitted to the Rwandan government a roadmap for a promising future, officially requesting an inter-Rwandan dialogue to be organised. Similar efforts are under way in the DRC. Opposition figures in the country have recently called for an inter-Congolese dialogue to resolve internal governance issues. It is high time for Rwanda and the DRC to engage in dialogue with their respective refugees and opposition members, both within and outside their countries. This will ensure not only the long-term success of a Washington-brokered peace deal but also lead to trust-building between state officials on both sides and pave the way for true regional cooperation, which will help both nations prosper after finally achieving peace. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Minerals, mobile phones and militias: how war unfolded in DRC
H ello and welcome to The Long Wave. This week, after three months of fighting, a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the works. I spoke to our east Africa correspondent, Carlos Mureithi, about the conflict, how quickly it escalated and the prospects for peace. The long shadow of the 90s Flag bearers … People scale a monument during an anti-government rally in Bukavu in February. Photograph: Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images In late January, in a fast and shocking development, the M23 militia group seized Goma, one of the largest cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Weeks later, these rebels captured Bukavu, another large city of strategic importance, thwarting the Congolese army's attempts to halt their march. M23's mobilisation and rapid gains were the culmination of decades of political and economic tensions. Carlos tells me that the roots of this conflict lie in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which millions of refugees crossed from Rwanda to DRC and brought with them Hutu and Tutsi parties still litigating ethnic agendas. M23 is led by ethnic Tutsis, who took up arms more than 10 years ago and have engaged in several skirmishes since. The justification for the military action is that M23 needs to protect the minority group from further threats and marginalisation. Hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were slaughtered in the genocide by Hutu extremists. Carlos says that although this conflict has raged for decades, M23's progress this year seems to have a different momentum, as the group has made larger inroads and significant territorial gains in a short space of time. 'This year, [the fighting is] the worst we have seen.' Conflict minerals Heavy metal … DRC is the largest producer of cobalt from mines, accounting for more than 70% of global production last year. Photograph: Junior Kannah/AFP/Getty Images M23's advance amounts to a grave breach of DRC's sovereignty. Carlos says this is especially the case because the Rwandan government is backing the rebel group. 'Rwanda denies it but according to the UN [and the international community], it is Rwanda that funds M23.' The country claims whatever support it is extending to M23, it is not full sponsorship, only an attempt to 'protect Tutsis, who were targeted in the genocide', Carlos adds. But according to experts on the region, Rwanda is heavily invested in securing proxy control over parts of DRC, not only because of political enmeshment through overlapping ethnic demographics, but also due to DRC's abundance of lucrative natural resources. Notoriously known as conflict minerals, these assets are of significant interest to Rwanda, Carlos says, a covetousness that is extending and entrenching military strife in eastern and southern DRC. It is striking that these areas are rarely spoken of in terms of their extraordinary beauty and almost otherworldly natural habitat of hills, lakes and soil tinged with red and orange. Buffeted between political and economic agendas, the region became the site of an ethnic and now commercial battle. While the conflict began as friction between communities, minerals also play a huge role, Carlos explains. Such minerals are exceptionally bountiful in DRC and are some of the most critical in modern technology. Cobalt, lithium and coltan are used in lithium-ion batteries in circuit-board electronics and power laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. DRC is home to a staggering 60-70% of the world's supply of these minerals. Carlos says vast sums of money are made from capturing and trading these natural materials, which are a source of funding for even more territorial gains. A deadly wave of violence Uprooted … People displaced by war arrive from Goma on a handmade boat near Minova, South Kivu province, DRC. Photograph: Alexis Huguet/AFP/Getty Images 'Fast and violent' is how Carlos describes the events of the past three months. He stresses that this period is only the latest chapter in a conflict that 'has created one of the largest and deadliest humanitarian crises in the world. Since 1996, it has caused more than 6 million deaths and displaced a similar number of people internally and outside the DRC.' In March, Carlos was in Cibitoke, Burundi, which neighbours DRC and has become one of the destinations to which refugees fled the fighting. Those escaping the violence revealed 'really horrible ordeals'. As M23 progressed through south-east DRC, refugees saw hundreds of Congolese military personnel fleeing – some wounded. Carlos says: 'To show how desperate the situation was, these soldiers were telling civilians: 'We are running away from M23. We have been overpowered, they are coming here. If you can, the best thing for you is to leave this town.'' skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Those who could, took whatever belongings they had and walked to the Burundi border, crossing a dangerous river on the way, one in which several people drowned. It was really striking to Carlos just 'how helpless the Congolese army was. It was a very desperate situation.' Eastern DRC – a remote area in a vast country Sunset in Bulambo, DRC … The shadow of war looms large in a country known for its diverse animal species and landscapes. Photograph:/500px One of the peculiar features of the DRC conflict is how localised it is, which perhaps goes some way towards explaining the tepid response from the army and security forces. The capital, Kinshasa, is a world away from Goma – a 47-hour car drive and a ferry journey. The refugees Carlos spoke to shared one thing: they blamed the government, and felt that the ruling powers in Kinshasa had neglected eastern DRC. The government is also in business in the region and is among a host of parties extracting minerals and handing out contracts to foreign companies. Carlos says people believe that as long as politicians can keep making money from the region, they will let the fighting continue. Potential for peace Peace pact … The emir of Qatar speaks to the Rwandan president (left) and his DRC counterpart in Doha last month. Photograph: Mofa Qatar/AFP/Getty Images That might be changing, as M23's advance threatens to destabilise Kinshasa. Carlos tells me that only a couple of weeks ago 'the warring parties were not willing to just sit down and talk'. But sit down they did, and talks in Doha yielded a promise by both sides to provide draft peace documents. The Trump administration has also weighed in, expressing a strong interest in sponsoring a peace deal. These discussions are the most promising in recent history, Carlos says. An end to the fighting is urgent and welcome – but a permanent resolution can only come about if there is no return to the turbulent status quo. The key to an enduring peace is a commitment to extract DRC from the quagmire once and for all while loosening the grip of history and geography. To receive the complete version of The Long Wave in your inbox every Wednesday, please subscribe here.
