For the past few months, Americans everywhere have become absorbed in this little bubble full of domestic politics. From the antics of Governor Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” to Joe the Plumber, the presidential race consumed much of the media coverage to Americans. Interestingly, issues that were heavily covered by the news, such as the economic crisisin Zimbabwe or violation of human rights in Africa and Asia, have gone under the radar. Previously too concerned with issues at home, America needs to turn its head around to the global world, especially with the impending conflict in the Congo. For the past decade or so, this country has proven multiple times that it cannot be ignored. When it started to collapse in 1996, the Congo, which borders nine other countries, was able to fuel a regional war. The Congo managed to bring in another half dozen countries when the government caved in again just two years later. These past two wars have brought the death toll to at least 5 million people,the worst numbers since World War II many critics say.
During the past months, the number of displaced Congolese citizens has soared, but nobody in the nation is surprised. Rebel fighters from the National Congress for People’s Defense (NCPD) led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda have been clashing with government forces for some time. On their journey, they have been pillaging villages and wreaking havoc throughoutthe nation. Recently, they were able to reach the outskirts of the nation’scapital after defeating the forces there. As the NCPD continues to grow in power and in a position to threaten Congolese President Laurent Kabila,western diplomats have arrived at the capital city Goma to push for a truce.
Western foreign ministers, top United Nations diplomats and the State Department’s highest official for Africa have all arrived, making it the most intensive diplomatic event the Congo has ever seen. The conflict seemed to arise from the remnants of the horrific Rwandan genocide in 1994. The Hutus and Tutsis that fled the genocide in Rwanda took refuge in the Congo, and have resurrected their battle once again on foreign soil. The NCPD are claiming that they are protecting ethnic Tutsis from the same Hutu militia responsible for killing the Tutsis in the genocide. Sources from several human rights groups are linking this Hutu militia to the Congolese government, which explains the conflict between the rebels and the nation’s administration.
This is definitely not the first time such a conflict has arisen, but unfortunately it does not seem to be the last.
"I've been working on Congo now for 10 years and I sometimes feel we're in this deja vu scenario,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Congo researcher for Human Rights Watch, “We see far too often that there is a flurry of diplomatic activity at moment of crisis and it tails off quickly.There are no quick fixes."
Whether the diplomats involved believed this to be true was unclear. Recently, the foreign ministers all headed to DRC and planned to meet with the president, Joseph Kabila. They then traveled to Rwanda for meetings with President Paul Kagame. Recently, Kabila and Kagame agreed to attend a summit in hopes of resolving the issue. From past experiences, this has proven to be futile and of small promise in a step towards peace. Officials are reassuring people that efforts are being made to resolve the conflict, but so far there have been no talks regarding negotiations with the rebel group.
Whatever solution that comes out of these talks will have to include the Rwandan government. Hopefully it is not as complicated as it seems.The Congolese government is accused of supporting these Hutus, and many are starting to believe this as the government was unsuccessful in disarming the group. On the other hand, Kagame, an ethnic Tutsi, has been reported to have ties with eastern Congolese rebels, the same group that is fighting to protect the lives of ethnic Tutsis in the DRC.
Kagame has denied supporting Ngunda and his rebels, but the suspicions are growing, because the rebels are clearly getting their weaponry from a third party. One of Uruguay’s military generals in charge of peacekeeping troops in the area admitted to seeing Rwandan tanks and artillery behind the rebels.
The state in Goma has quickly escalated. It was the rebel group that came crashing into the area wreaking havoc, but it was the government troops that would finish it. By the end of the week, the most damage was caused by Congolese troops that pillaged the area and raped countless women in the city. UN peacekeeping troops were held up 55 miles north of the area trying to ration food and water to the thousands of displaced victims. As chaos spreads throughout the region, it is becoming impossible for the UN to have a universal presence.
On the brink of destruction, Ngunda decided to declare a ceasefire. It is obvious that the capital city Goma is merely a pawn in his plan,and it has worked perfectly. He has the media raving about the disorder in the area, and now sooner or later he will get his chance to talk face to face with Congolese president Kabila. "Nkunda wants direct negotiations with the government," says Van Woudenberg, of HumanRights Watch. "And now he now holds the ultimate bargaining chip— the town of Goma."