The DRC's Elections: A Journey Towards a Brighter Future or a Repeat of Past Failures

This Sunday, the Election Commission of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Felix Tshisekedi as DRC's official prime minister- amassing over 70% of the popular vote. However, many opposition leaders and third party commissions are questioning the validity of the results, claiming that "massive logistic problems had undermined the balloting process." Although this election seems relatively peaceful, the DRC has had a long history of disputed elections that have turned violent.

Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths. The First Congo War (1996–1997) began in the wake of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, during which ethnic Hutu extremists killed an estimated one million minority ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda (DRC’s neighbor to the east). During and following the genocide, nearly two million Hutu refugees crossed the Congolese border, mostly settling in refugee camps in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. A small subset of those Rwandans who entered DRC were Hutu extremists who began organizing militias within the Congo. Pressure intensified as Tutsi militias organized against the Hutu groups and as foreign powers began taking sides. Following the Rwandan Patriotic Front’s (RPF) victory against the genocidal Rwandan government, the new Tutsi-led government began its involvement in DRC (then known as The Republic of Zaire). Rwandan troops, under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, and Congo-based Tutsi militias with Rwandan backing launched an invasion of Zaire, which was ruled at the time by Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Kigali justified both efforts by arguing that Hutu groups in eastern DRC were still a threat to their Tutsi population and that the Mobutu regime was harboring Hutu extremists who had fled across the border.

Despite measures that have been enacted to mitigate and counteract conflict in the region, peace and stability maintain a distant reality. Dr. Louisa Lombard's Book, The State of Rebellion, analyzes the undercurrent of violence and political instability that latently affect the country's governing bodies. Dr. Louisa Lombard's scholarly investigation transcends conventional narratives and offers a thorough exploration of the complexities that perpetuate unrest within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Utilizing a robust foundation of extensive research and empirical fieldwork, Lombard provides insight into the history of violence enveloping the region- tracing the genesis of conflict back to the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide and explaining how the influx of refugees into Congolese territory precipitated the emergence of armed militias, ethnic discord, and regional power dynamics. Lombard's comprehensive analysis unveils the deep-seated roots of instability that have entrenched themselves within the fabric of Congolese society over decades. Moreover, the book also scrutinizes the role played by external actors in exacerbating conflict within the DRC. Ultimately through her extensive research, Lombard exposes the intricate network of alliances and resource exploitation that sustains the cycle of violence within the region.

Working with Congolese refugees firsthand as a part of Tusome Pamoja, I am witness to the devastating effects that violence and instability impress upon the normal citizens. Most of the refugees I work with are victims of the 2004 riots in Congo where thousands of militia forces raided and pillaged Congolese villages. These forces rebelled and captured the South Kivu town of Bukavu from government forces. Members of both forces committed war crimes, killing and raping civilians, some of whom were targeted on an ethnic basis. My work within Tusome Pamoja deals with effectively rehabilitating these persecuted refugees and providing them with the skills necessary to succeed in a country that they are not acclimatized to.