by Rscott Stewart

Created on: May 25, 2008   Last Updated: September 22, 2008

Since 1996, a mere twelve years, conflict has raged in the African nation of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in the deaths of more than five and a half million people. Because of this loss of life, the wars in Congo since 1996 are the most deadly since World War Two in the world. What stands in the way of peace?

Many factors have aggravated the dire conditions of the sixty-five million people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including colonial exploitation, Cold War politics, exploitation and internal manipulation by transnational corporations, and ethnic strife.

There are so many contributing reasons for the continuing strife and instability that exists in this huge African state it may be literally impossible to entirely separate each factor for analysis. However, failure to do so for the sake of seeking solutions may condemn the population to yet another generation lost to war and conflict.

Foreign profiteering is at the top of the list. Rich in minerals, this land was conquered by Belgium by 1885 as a source of wealth for King Leopold, and foreign powers today still fund the armies ravaging the western provinces. These armies protect a flow of cobalt, copper, industrial diamonds, tantalum, and other mined minerals. It has been unfortunately more cost effective to fund wars than to pay fair value for the materials.]

It is time for the U.N. to step in with a set of rules for doing business in the DRC, rules that mandate fair prices and equitable contracts.

Ethnic strife predates the European colonization period, and is also a top cause of the strife. Four major native languages separate the Congolese people, but over two hundred and fifty separate tongues and distinct dialects exist. Ethnic animosities are causing strife that started literally centuries ago.

Neighboring ethnic strife as played a part as well. Colonial policies aggravated the tragic resurgence of Tutsi-Hutu strife and the genocide of nearly a million people in Rwanda and Burundi in 1994, mostly Tutsis. Indeed, fighting in the eastern part of the Congo today is related to that conflict that started in the western parts back in the nineties. But again, this strife predates European interference.

As long as tribal and ethnic loyalties displace national identity, the land will be hard pressed to heal.

Neighboring African states are incapable of the objectivity to oversee peacekeeping. The U.N. needs to negotiate a major peacekeeping effort that is manned by external forces, forces

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