Conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Conflict in DRC :

• The conflict in the DRC erupted in the  1990s when it went through two civil wars in 1996 and 1998,  in the wake of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. 
• According to the UN, besides Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) , more than 120 insurgent groups are active in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika. 
• Tensions between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda continue to increase as both countries accuse each other of supporting ethnic Tutsi and Hutu-led rebel groups respectively.

Major Actors: 

• Allied Democratic Forces (ADF): Uganda-based rebel group in eastern DRC and have pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019.

• Cooperative for Development of the Congo (CODECO):  They aim to protect the interests of the ethnic Lendu against the Congo army. 

Reasons for Displacement: 

• Approximately two million Hutu refugees fled Rwanda after the genocide there and entered the DRC’s North and South Kivu districts. 

•  In the DRC, they established ethnic militias out of fear of being prosecuted.

• Peripheries of DRC are ruled by  ethnic chiefdoms  and they struggle for representation, power, territory and resources. 
• The armed groups have been supported by the governments of Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi at various points, acting as proxies for each country’s interests in the region. Thus creating regional tensions.

Why in the news?

• According to the UN International Organization of Migration (IOM) 6.9 million people have been internally displaced due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).