A flare-up of violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has threatened to once again destabilize not only the region but the entire country.  Much of this violence is a result of a spillover effect from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. (Rwanda is located directly to the east of the DRC.)  Instability has become an all too familiar feature of the eastern region of Kivu, and the ongoing aftermath of the genocide continues to kindle this instability [1]. 

The DRC, a country of almost 66 million citizens, has been plagued by insecurity and violence for over a decade [2].  Since perpetrating the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, the majority of Interahamwe/ex-FAR militia Hutu extremists have fled to eastern DRC and have continued to commit ethnic violence in this new area, straining relations between the DRC and Rwanda. General Laurent Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi who was involved in both the overthrow of the Hutu extremists during the genocide and the two Congolese wars, has claimed to be “committed” to the protection of Tutsi civilians in the Kivu region of the Congo.  Instead, after refusing to integrate into the Congolese army in 2003, General Nkunda has formed his own power-hungry rebel group responsible for numerous human rights violations and greatly contributing to instability in the region.  In fact, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently stated, “What is true is that Mr. Nkunda's [forces], I think, are the single most serious threat to the stabilization of the Congo at this stage” [3].  Nkunda is allegedly backed by Rwanda and has refused to join the Congolese army because he believes DRC’s Kabila government is corrupt and that the proposed integration programs are faulty.

In a recent interview, Babacar Gaye, the force commander of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), described the security situation in Northern Kivu as “very volatile, and… characterized firstly by a humanitarian disaster with 600,000 displaced” [4].  In addition to the displacement of innumerable Congolese, these rebel forces have been engaging in brutal acts of violence, recruitment of child soldiers and the murder of innocent civilians.  Some of these human rights violations have included over 4,500 cases of sexual violence including rape, genital mutilation, forced incest and even cannibalism [5].  On Tuesday July 24, members of a MONUC patrol unit from the North Kivu Brigade discovered five dead bodies in a banana plantation.  All of the victims were in civilian clothing and had their hands bound, implying that they were executed [6].

The large concentration of both government and rebel forces in the region has created a scenario that is likely to explode into violence.  This violence has the potential to not only create a massive intrastate crisis in the DRC, but could also develop into an interstate conflict involving Rwanda.  Representatives of MONUC urged key players to refrain from any action leading to a military confrontation that could result in further tension and aggravate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Kivus.  The organization, with over 17,000 members in the country and currently the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission, also encouraged players to seek a solution to the current crisis through political and diplomatic means [7]. 

The conflict in the DRC is one of great complexity, and an agreement that will satisfy the needs of all sides will be nearly impossible.  A demobilization and integration plan from last year that moved rebel forces into the national army would have been an ideal solution to quelling rebel power and violence, but after the agency ran out of foreign donated money and was accused of corruption, the program was abandoned.  Rebel soldiers have now found themselves in a lose-lose situation.  If they join the national army they will receive a reported 15 meals a month and most of their wages will be stolen, forcing them to turn to theft.  If they decide to demobilize, as over 100,000 have, they will have little success in finding jobs, and consequently most are often forced to rejoin the rebel groups that they had left [8].  Even the MONUC peacekeepers have found themselves in a precarious situation as they remain committed to the region after facilitating last year’s historic elections.  Despite the fact that General Nkunda and his men have been charged with war crimes, the UN mission must remain neutral and carry out patrols with the violent regime as they are officially part of the national army.  If violence were to break out again, the UN would most likely be asked to arrest General Nkunda and thus be in grave danger of becoming involved in a new civil war [9].

The IIJD realizes the complexity of this conflict, but firmly believes that appropriate and deliberate action needs to be taken immediately.  International forces and diplomats need to work with the DRC government and its military in order to ensure that the rebel factions in the eastern Kivu region, especially those under General Nkunda, are demobilized, disarmed or reintegrated.  An effort must be made to cut off the reckless rebel leader’s supplies and international leaders need to put pressure on the supporters of this regime to discontinue all aid.  If these two actions are taken, it should both ease and hasten the process of integration.  Once General Nkunda’s forces become integrated into the national army, this unified force can take steps towards knocking out groups of Hutu extremists and other violent rebel groups in the region.  After this is done, it is essential that a strong military and/or police presence presides and regulates the area to ensure lasting peace and stability.  The UN, foreign donors and the DRC government need to invest in the region and provide sustainable development programs to ensure stability and economic opportunity for both Congolese citizens and demobilized rebels who are looking to begin an honest living.  Only after this occurs can the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians return to their normal everyday activities without the fear of being caught in violent crossfire or becoming victims of atrocious human rights violations.  With the appropriate action and long-term, viable commitment, the IIJD believes that the people of Kivu can receive access to basic rights and justice that they have been denied of for so long.