The Democratic Republic of Congo, which stands out with its vast territory and rich mineral deposits in Africa, has been at the center of conflicts and instability for many years. The country’s colonial past and the colonial institutions it inherited after declaring its independence are the main reasons for the country’s unstable structure. The fact that the country’s rich resources are not used for the benefit of the society and are used for the interests of elitist groups within the country can be shown as another reason for instability.
The conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been the country’s primary agenda in recent years. Conflicts in the eastern part of the DRC have led to the inability to utilize the limited economic resources within the country, at a heavy cost. Failure to control the conflicts in the East has resulted in a war economy in the region and also led to a loss of state authority. The transformation of Kinshasa into a habitat for non-state armed actors leads to a deadlock in the crisis.
The eastern part of the DRC, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has been a region of intense migration movements. There have been migration movements to the region throughout the historical process. During the Rwandan civil war in 1993-1994, intense migration to the east of the DRC constitutes the root cause of the current conflicts. The arrival of Tutsis fleeing genocide during the civil war, followed by clashes with Hutus and Rwanda’s incursion into the territory of the RDC with the allegation of supporting genocide perpetrators, led to an escalation of conflicts. Rwanda’s interventions in the DRC are carried out through both conventional methods and proxy forces.
There are 266 armed groups, large and small, operating in the DRC. The M23 has the largest organization among these groups. In 2012, it reached a large capacity and the incidents of violence in the region reached the highest level. Its capacity especially in Nord-Kivu province and its threat to the important mining city of Goma are still ongoing. There is strong evidence that the M23 organization is supported by Rwanda.
Another organization called FDLR is active against the M23. This organization is the main reason for Rwandan interventions. Especially the presence of names accused of genocide in Rwanda in the FDLR creates pressure in Kinshasa. As a result, the conflicts and violence in the east of the country pose a major threat to the region. Although each side has different claims, the root of the conflicts is the sharing of mineral deposits.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The Congo, one of the most populous countries in Africa, has been a scene of great massacres for a very long time.
Rwanda began occupying eastern Congo in 1996, beginning with 1. Since the Congo War, the people of the Congo have been struggling with the many problems of endless conflict. The eastern region, which is rich in scenery and resources, has faced significant turbulence.
Some 7.1 million people are internally displaced, accommodating to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
Furthermore, 23.4 million Congolese are facing hunger and malnutrition, one in four, making the DRC the country which is most affected by food insecurity.
Waves of internally displaced persons continue to arrive in Goma and the surrounding area. As of last month, more than 104 displacement sites were recorded around the city alone, hosting more than 630,000 people.
Despite its broad agricultural potential, a staggering 25.4 million people, or one in every four Congolese, are severely food insecure in the DRC. This crisis is especially evident among younger generations: 8.4 million people, predominantly children under five, face the risks of malnutrition, which is also worrying in terms of human rights
Cases of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation have also reached new records. In January 2024 alone, 10,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported across the country, a much higher increase than in previous years,
Ms. Keita urged the international community to address the humanitarian disaster. However, she noted that the $2.6 billion humanitarian response plan for the DRC this year is only around 14 per cent funded.
In 2024, more than 25.4 million people – a quarter of the population – require assistance, with the most urgent humanitarian needs concentrated in the eastern provinces, severely hit by violence and insecurity. Until 31 December 2023, more than 9.6 million people were on the move in DRC, including 6.5 million internally displaced persons, 2.6 million returnees and 527,000 refugees, making the displacement crisis in the country one of the largest in the world and second only to Sudan.
Climate shocks are worsening vulnerable people’s living conditions, with heavy rains and river flooding affecting some 2.1 million Congolese and leaving 300 others dead, just between mid-November 2023 and January 2024.
For 2024, more than 25 million people are expected to face increasing needs, and about 21 percent of the population is likely to experience acute food insecurity. The DRC’s multifaceted challenges, ranging from conflict to health emergencies to natural disasters, underscore the urgent need for global attention and complementary responses. Population movements, food insecurity, malnutrition, epidemics and conservation events. Humanitarian aid workers will direct their attention especially to areas where these challenges intersect most violently. As experienced in 2023, barriers such as security concerns, lack of infrastructure, and bureaucratic constraints can increase the complexity of humanitarian intervention.At the end of 2023, the, The humanitarian community at DRC is expected to help an estimated 7.15 million people, or 72 million 2023, 10 percent of the 10-percent.
WRITERS: Vildan Kabasakal, Mehmet Akif Uçar
REFERNCES:
https://www.unocha.org/democratic-republic-congo
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147991
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147876
https://acleddata.com/conflict-watchlist-2024/drc/