The region of East Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) is experiencing ongoing conflicts for decades, turning into a war zone where large armed factions are engaged. Described as one of the bloodiest conflicts since World War II, estimates suggest that the number of casualties has reached nearly 6 million people.
The northern and southern territories of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri in the east of the country have become hotspots for conflicts driven by political, economic, and cross-border ethnic motives. These three bordering provinces, rich in natural resources, have transformed into a geopolitical battleground among the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, contributing directly to the complexity of the recent crises.
Colonial Policies and Institutional Discrimination
Dispute over the Congolese identity of certain ethnic groups has been one of the key drivers of conflict in the region. Actions taken by the governing authorities, both during and after the Belgian occupation (1885-1960), have exacerbated the intensity of this identity crisis.
By restructuring local power structures, Brussels bolstered the role of Tutsi tribes as intermediaries between them and the populations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Tutsi, whether indigenous to the region (Banya Rwanda) or imported from Rwanda (Manya Rwanda), were installed as rulers, pushing the original inhabitants (Banya Mulingi, mainly Hutu) to make way for the increasing power and influence of the Tutsi minority.
In this context, Brussels replicated its Rwandan experience in Rwanda and Burundi within the Congo, which led to the infamous Rwandan massacres in the early 1990s.
Professor Mahmoud Memdani, one of the foremost scholars of African studies, delved into the background of these massacres, highlighting how colonialism transformed the distinction between populations into an “institutional structure,” with Tutsi racial superiority being a joint project between the colonial state and the Catholic Church.
The repercussions of these policies emerged later with the sunset of colonialism, and the rise of questions regarding who had the right to shape the new political landscape of the region. The traditional leaderships of the region denied the Tutsi’s Congolese identity as a whole, asking them to return to Rwanda, a demand refused by the Tutsi. This conflict became the primary tributary to the enduring crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Troops from the Congolese army in the east of the country are fighting armed groups.
