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World Affairs
Mahesh

08/11/23 07:01 AM IST

The massive displacement in Congo

In News
  • Recently, the UN International Organization of Migration (IOM) reported that the number of people who have been internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 6.9 million.
Reason for conflict
  • The conflict in the DRC dates back to the 1990s when it went through two civil wars in 1996 and 1998.
  • The conflict erupted in the wake of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 where ethnic Hutu extremists killed nearly one million minority ethnic Tutsis and non-extremist Hutus.
  • Since then, the eastern DRC, bordering Rwanda, has been facing insurgency perpetrated by several rebel militant groups.
  • According to the UN, besides M23, more than 120 insurgent groups are active in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika.
  • Violence by several militant groups over territory and natural resources, extrajudicial killings by security forces and rising tensions with neighbouring countries have killed thousands.
  • Tensions between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda continue to increase as both countries accuse each other of supporting ethnic Tutsi and Hutu-led rebel groups respectively. 
Major Actors
  • The prominent rebel groups besides M23 include the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Cooperative for Development of the Congo (CODECO).
  • ADF, the Uganda-based rebel group, has been operating since mid-1999 in eastern DRC and have pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019.
  • CODECO claims they aim to protect the interests of the ethnic Lendu against the Hemas and the Congo army.
  • Then there is Rwanda who the DRC accuses of supporting the Tutsi-led M23 group.
  • In contrast, Rwanda claims the DRC supports the Hutu militias who carried out the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and fled to eastern DRC. Both countries deny the other’s allegations.
Why Displacement?
  • First, ethnic intolerance and insurgency. Following the Rwandan genocide, around two million Hutu refugees crossed Rwanda into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of DRC. They organised ethnic militias in DRC fearing prosecution. Tensions intensified as Rwandan Tutsis organised militias against the Hutus who fled to the DRC.
  • Second, is the political uncertainty and lack of inclusive governance.
  • Third are regional tensions. The armed groups have been supported by the governments of Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi at various points, acting as proxies for each country’s interests in the region. All of these have led to the fourth factor which is a humanitarian crisis. According to the Kivu Security Tractor, this year alone, 1,400 people were killed and over 600 attacks were reported in the region.
  • According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the crisis has left more than 1.1 million people in need of food support across North Kivu, Ituri, and South Kivu.
  • And finally, the feeble international response.
  • International actors have failed to make a considerable effort to address the crisis.
  • According to organisations such as WFP and the Norwegian Refugee Council, lack of funding is a major challenge in assisting Congolese people facing hunger, starvation and humanitarian crises.
Source- The Hindu

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