Mick Hartley

Ever since Belgian king Leopold II used the Congo Free State as his personal fiefdom, the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo seems to have been cursed by violence and misrule. It was, almost certainly, the most brutal colonial enterprise in Africa – in the world, even. The horror at its core was mythologised by Conrad in Heart of Darkness.

More recently, after the kleptocracy of the Mobutu years, the under-reported civil war(s) from 1998 onwards were the bloodiest since WW2. 

Congo’s current ruler, Joseph Kabila, is in the seventh year of a five-year term. He presides over another violent kleptocracy, and seems to have little interest beyond building his own personal fortune. His presidential guards remain loyal because they, at least, are well-paid, despite the desperate poverty throughout the rest of the country outside a few parts of Kinshasa, and he maintains a large network of cronies who benefit from the corruption. But he is far from secure – and the violence is worsening, suggesting to many that a new civil war is on the way:

According to Jan Egeland (presently Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council) the situation in the DRC became much worse in 2016 and 2017 and is a major moral and humanitarian challenge comparable to the wars in Syria and Yemen, which receive much more attention. Women and children are abused sexually and "abused in all possible manners". Besides the conflict in North Kivu, violence has gone up in the Kasai region. The armed groups are after gold, diamonds, oil, and cobalt to line the pockets of rich men both in the region and internationally. There are also ethnic and cultural rivalries at play, as well as religious motives and the political crisis with postponed elections. He says people believe the situation in the DRC is "stably bad" but in fact it has become much, much worse. "The big wars of the Congo that were really on top of the agenda 15 years ago are back and worsening"

An article in the latest Economist provides an excellent summary of where the Congo is now, and why the immediate future looks dark….Congo’s war was bloody. It may be about to start again:

Congo is four times the size of France but has less paved road than Luxembourg. Its population is estimated at 80m but no one is sure (the latest census was in 1986). Whatever the true figure, it is soaring. The average Congolese woman has six children, the third-highest rate in the world; nearly half of Congolese are under 14. And they are grindingly poor. Only one in seven earns more than $1.25 a day. Life expectancy is just 58. Britain, which provides aid to Congo, estimates that by 2030 it could be home to more absolutely poor people than any other country….

Yet there is more to Congo than misery. Its capital is a megacity of 12m. It is the birthplace of rumba lingala, dance music that has spread beyond Africa. Its artists exhibit across the world. Its people speak hundreds of languages. Despite this diversity, the Congolese are a single people. Crossing from Rwanda into the Kivus, you go from order to chaos, from stultifying conformity to exuberant individualism.

Congo’s potential is colossal. It is at the heart of Africa, and could connect north, south, east and west, if only it had roads. Underneath its soil lies enough copper, cobalt, zinc, tin, diamonds and gold to transform its fortunes, if only the wealth could be used wisely. Its rainforests teem with wild animals and unfamiliar plants. Binding it together is the great river, which flows so hard into the Atlantic that Portuguese sailors in the 16th century could drink fresh water 160km out to sea. The Congo could, if harnessed, power much of Africa. Yet chronic misrule and insecurity prevent any of this potential from becoming reality….

Worth reading in full.