A Struggle For Sovereignty In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Written by Bartholomew Robbins
Boston-A group of Congolese civilians backed by police crossed into Uganda and ‘took over’ three villages, sparking a border dispute.
The villages-which lie in the Zombo District-were claimed by the mob of Congolese nationalists, who proceeded to establish roadblocks and prevent locals from accessing businesses and farmlands.
Though Ugandan and Congolese officials are in dialogue to prevent further unrest and fortify border security, the event has threatened to sour relations between the two nations. This kind of dispute is reportedly not uncommon and has happened several times over the past few years. Congolese nationalists seek to extend the border of their country several miles into Uganda.
The controversy could not have come at a worse time, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo seeks to work with regional partners to stabilize its nation, which has been rocked by violence.
The DRC has been embroiled in a civil conflict with a militia known as M23, or the ‘March 23rd Movement’. The group is named after the date in 2009 when peace accords between the DRC and a prominent militia were signed, which would have them integrated into the national military. Allegedly, the government failed to make good on this legislation or improve conditions within the military, leading to hundreds of soldiers breaking off and forming M23 nearly ten years ago. The group had been quiet after a peace deal in 2013 but has since seen a resurgence.
The organization is mostly ethnically Tutsi. Rwanda has been accused of both funding the group and reinforcing it with its own soldiers, though the Rwandan government denies these claims despite evidence to the contrary and corroboration by UN officials.
Since its inception, there have been several offensives taken by M23 against the Congolese government. In its most recent pushes, the group had seized much of the eastern part of the country. These pushes have been accompanied by accusations of hundreds of war crimes and have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Congolese civilians fleeing the violence. Though a Tutsi group, the violence has caused hundreds of Tutsi to flee their homes in fear of being seen as collaborators.
In February, East African leaders signed a declaration ordering all armed militias to withdraw from any seized territory within the DRC. Though initially refusing to pull back, deployments of the Congolese military and the multinational East African Community Regional Force have encouraged M23 to leave much of their seized territory. Despite updates from the EACRF claiming that the process is going smoothly, there are still reports of M23 occupation in many of the territories seized during last year’s offensive, and violence is still evident.