Congo Conflicts

The main focus of this assignment is directed towards the Democratic Republic of Congo and its chaotic state. The assignment highlights its main causes, impacts, consequences and recommended solutions.

“Wars are defined as open, declared, and intentional armed struggles between nations or political entities”. On the other hand, a conflict arises from disagreement between two parties where parties perceive a threat to their needs and interests. It is a “state of open and prolonged fighting between people, ideologies, and even countries.” [1]

One local example of a conflict is the famous Kashmir issue.it started right after the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947. Pakistan and India have fought three wars over it, 1948, 1965 and 1999

Due to Congo’s rich natural resources mentioned above there have been a lot of violent intervention by countries like, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Belgium, Canada, Russia, USA, and UK, etc. This intervention have caused internal conflicts between the government and the rebels, Congo’s government has never effectively represented or protected its people, and all too often has served as a source of unchecked power and personal enrichment for select individuals. Today Congo suffers not only from regional but also national conflicts.[3]

The International Rescue Committee reports that “Since the end of the first war in the Congo in 1998, 5.4 million people have died (more than 8 % of the Congo’s population of 66 million).” Every, 45,000 more Congolese—half of them children—die from hunger, escapable disease, and other consequences of violence. Over one million people have left their homes within Congo as a result of the never ending conflict. Eastern Congo, at the moment is the last place where a woman can be safe. Rape, there, is used as a weapon and exists on a large scale. [3] An updated Oxfam report, while written back in 2001, also noted the following

There are no health care centres for suffering victims much less educational facilities for children. [4]

The GDP of Congo is lowest in the world to only 600$. One of the biggest issues in Congo is sexual violence. Congo is declared as the worst place for a woman or a child to exist in. According to reports, over 200,000 women of ages six to eighty have been raped in Congo over the past decades. Some reports even claim that 40 women are raped in Congo every day. Moreover, these acts of violence are done by troops and different other groups operating in Congo. [4]

A huge problem in Congo is the recruitments of child soldiers. Keeping in mind, the fact that Congo is a war torn state that has problems of poverty, violence and hunger. These children get recruited for purposes of gaining income for their families and some are even forced to join the rebel groups. Children become child soldiers by two primary ways. Either they are abducted or exposed, or they are born into such forces.