Thinking Citizen Blog — The DRC
Thinking Citizen Blog — Monday is Foreign Policy Day
Today’ s Topic: The Democratic Republic of the Congo — Belgian Rule (1885 -1960), Zaire (1965–1997), Congo Wars (1996 to Present)
The ugliest chapter in the history of the Western colonization of Africa was the period of the “Congo Free State” (1885–1908) when the Belgian King Leopold II ruled the country as his personal fiefdom. His forced labor system may have resulted in the death of half the population. More recently, civil wars in the Congo (1996 to Present) have been the deadliest but least reported conflict on the planet earth. Deaths are have been estimated to have been 3 to 6 MM, although the reliability of statistics is open to question. In between the horrors of Leopold and the recent civil wars, were the independence struggle against the Belgians under the leadership of Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961) who was the Congo’s first Prime Minister but was assassinated by the Belgium and US-supported Mobutu Seso Seko, a military officer, whose dictatorship would last until 1997, when he was in turn deposed by Laurent-Desire Kabila who ruled until 2001, when he was assassinated by a bodyguard. He was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila, in power from 2001 until 2019. The current president is Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, but the legitimacy of his election has been questioned. Rich in natural resources, this huge country has not yet achieved the political stability required to reach its human potential. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
GEOGRAPHY, DEMOGRAPHICS, ECONOMICS — huge territory, huge population, huge resources
1. The DRC is, in area, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest in all of Africa (after Algeria). It lies on the Equator in the Congo River Basin and borders Angola (2646 km to the southwest, Zambia (2332 km to the southeast), and the Central African Republic (1747 km to the north). Also borders Republic of the Congo (west), Tanzania (479 km east), Uganda (877 km east), South Sudan (714 km north), Burundi (236 east), Rwanda (221 km east). It has a very narrow access to the Atlantic Ocean (23 mile coastline). Forests cover 66% of the land.
2. With a population of 84 MM (up from 12 MM in 1950 and 39 MM in 1990) the DRC is the most populous French-speaking country in the world. It is the third most populous black nation in Africa (after Ethiopia with 112 MM and Nigeria with 200 MM). Egypt: 100 MM. There are over 250 ethnic groups and over 700 languages spoken. The principal ethnic groups are the Luba (18%), Mongo (17%), and Makongo (12%). Life expectancy is 58 years. French is the language taught in schools. English is compulsory as a foreign language.
3. Economy: agriculture (58% of GDP, 66% of the labor force). Extremely rich in natural resources, metals account for 56% of exports, and petroleum 16%. Has 30% of the world’s diamond reserves. The shadow economy is probably a very high percentage but I have not found a specific estimate. For context, widely cited numbers for other countries include 60% for Georgia, 44% for Russia, 21% for Greece, and 5% for the United States.
HISTORY — from Leopold II (1835–1908) to the Congo Crisis (1960–1965) to Mobutu Sese Seko (1930–1997)
1. Under the rule of Leopold II (1885–1908), failure to meet rubber extraction quotas was punishable by death. Torture and mutilation were common. Reports of abuse led to a Belgian government takeover in 1908. Estimates of deaths center around 10 MM. The most recent scholarly work on the subject is Adam Hochshild’s, “King Leopold’s Ghost.” The classic fictional account of this period is Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1899).
2. The “Congo Crisis” (1960–1965): under its first post-independence Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, Congo faced a secessionist movement in Katanga (in green above), led by Moise Tshombe, and supported by Belgian mining interests and the Belgian government. Lumumba appealed to the US and to the UN for support which was denied. Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union and the civil war turned into a proxy battle in the Cold War.
3. The dictator Mobutu Sese Seko (1930–1997), who ruled from 1965 to 1997, was seen as a bulwark against the spread of communism in Africa. Mobutu renamed the country Zaire in 1971. His regime was characterized by epic levels of corruption and a personality cult rivaling any in history.
ENDLESS CIVIL WARS: First Congo War (1996–1998), Second Congo War (1998–2003), Endless Violence (2004 — Present)
1. First Congo War (1996–1998), also called “Africa’s First World War,” because it exploded from an internal civil war into a multi-national conflict when the Rwandan government of Paul Kagame led an invasion of Zaire to get at the those responsible for the Rwandan genocide who were across the border. Rwanda was joined by Uganda, Burundi, Angola, and Eritrea. War aims expanded from getting the “genocidaires” to overthrowing Mobutu which was accomplished.
2. Second Congo War (1998–2003): also called, “Africa’s Great War,” “Africa’s World War.” Involved nine African nations. Deaths of over 5 MM. Displaced: 2 MM. Pitted the government of Laurent-Desiree Kabila (1939–2001) and his allies Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad against Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Tutsi, and UNITA militias. (The outsized role of Rwanda in this conflict is mind-boggling — check out the relative size of the DRC and Rwanda in the map above).
3. The Kivu Conflict, the Ituri Conflict, and the list goes on and on. The violence in the DRC seems endless. Recent violence has displaced 4.5 MM people. Two million children face starvation. Levels of sexual violence are considered the worst in the world.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
‘The wars will never stop’ — millions flee bloodshed as Congo falls apart
Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest or most important thing you learned in the last week, month, or year related to foreign policy.
Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in our life related to foreign policy.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And to consolidate in your memory something important you might otherwise forget.
Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart. Continuity is the key to depth of thought. The prospect of imminent publication, like hanging and final exams, concentrates the mind. A useful life long habit.
