Democratic Republic of the Congo on verge of breakdown
Spiralling violence following Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down could lead to a vast humanitarian crisis
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a humanitarian crisis comparable to that seen in Syria, aid agencies warn.
The central African nation, home to 83 million people, “has been hit by waves of violence, rebellions, protests and political turmoil in recent months, leading to worries about a new civil war like that which killed five million people between 1997 and 2003”, says The Guardian.
Why is there so much unrest in the DRC?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Joseph Kabila’s term in office should have ended in December 2016, but the 46-year-old politician has clung to power, using the army to quell growing dissent over his unconstitutional extended mandate.
Kabila promised that elections will be held on 23 December this year, but fears that he will refuse to go quietly are well-founded – the DRC has not experienced a peaceful transition of power since it won independence from Belgium in 1960.
How bad is the situation?
“Few areas are considered safe in the restive DRC right now,” Sky News reports, with the ethnically-divided east and south-east particularly fraught.
Uncertainty around Kabila’s intentions has erupted into unrest and violent repression. “Security forces have killed dozens of people during street protests against the president’s extended rule,” says Reuters.
In addition to government-sanctioned repression, the political chaos and upheaval “have contributed to rising militia violence in eastern Congo’s borderlands with Rwanda and Uganda”, Reuters reports.
More than 15,000 UN peacekeepers are stationed in the country, making it the largest peacekeeping operation in the world.
Violence, hunger and the breakdown of public institutions such as hospitals, schools and police services have driven around five million Congolese from their homes, according to UN estimates.
It also estimates that more than 13 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, making the situation in the DRC a crisis on a similar scale to that seen in Syria. Of these, 7.7 million are facing “severe food insecurity”, defined by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation as going for entire days without eating.
However, UN migration agency chief Jean-Philippe Chauzy warned last month that demand for assistance far outstripped the agency’s means. “Some funding has come in but not nearly enough to meet the critical needs of millions in the DRC,” he said.
What is the future for the DRC?
A poll by the Congo Research Group at New York University and Congolese polling group the Bureau d'Etudes, de Recherches, et de Consulting International (BERCI) lays bare the bleak future of the DRC as seen by its citizens.
Eight in ten Congolese have an unfavourable opinion of Kabila, “but nearly seven in ten don’t think the December vote to replace him will be fair”, says Reuters.
Tom Perriello, former US envoy to the DRC, told a discussion group at the Brookings Institute in March he had seen a “push for change” from ordinary Congolese keen to bring fresh leadership to the destitute but copper and cobalt-rich nation.
A best-case scenario in December would see a “historic” democratic handover of power, but the alternative is “a breakdown and a great deal of violence”, he said. “The stakes are very high.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published