The Congo Genocide
Author: Nirosa Kirideran
The Congo genocide has been an ongoing humanitarian crisis since the 1990s, with the root of the crisis occurring before the First Congo War. It is the result of ethical tension, corruption, and international intervention. Since the wars began, several million people have died, not only from violence but also from famine and lack of resources. Citizens of Congo have been affected by the war with reports of it having some of the worst rates of sexual violence with many child soldiers and young girls as victims of sexual violence, and 5.7 million people have been displaced from the eastern regions of the country.
Beginning with the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the Tutsis were victims of violence at the hands of the Hutus. When the Tutsis were able to overthrow the militant government and come into power, the Hutus fled Rwanda to Congo and settled in refugee camps in the east. Extremists continued to attack Rwanda causing the Rwandan government to join with Uganda to invade eastern Congo, starting the First Congo War and overthrowing the Mobuto regime in 1996. In 1998, the Second Congo War began as Rwanda invaded eastern Congo again, and the neighbouring countries intervened; this war was declared a stalemate and ended in 2003. Yet, despite the peace agreements from the war, because of all the international intervention, a proxy war has been ongoing between Rwanda and Congo.
This war has been fueled by international influence – the land of Rwanda is rich in minerals, drawing interest from many nations. China seems to be involved in the conflict by giving weapons to the government and getting access to natural resources in return; this has been fueling the war effort while also preventing the nation from profiting from the mines. The UN has set up a mission in Congo for peace, but the rebels and militia groups have international support and continue to have a strong presence in the nation.
