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Pax Africa and GCS host Barizi on consolidation of peace in the DRC
On 30 March 2009, Mr. Jack Kahorha, Senior Analyst for the Great Lakes Region from Global Crisis Solutions (GCS), addressed Pax Africa’s Barizi Policy Forum. Entitled, “Consolidation of Peace in the DRC: Progress and prospects,” the forum focused on the progress made so far in the peace building process, on-going challenges and the roles of various stakeholders within and outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in consolidating the peace. The forum also provided recommendations for actions to be taken by various actors, including civil society, the DRC government and international partners, to ensure a sustainable peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region.
Mr. Kahorha’s presentation provided a thorough explanation of the
background and context of the current situation in Eastern DRC. With
nine neighbouring countries, it is important to recognise the regional
nature and implications of the conflict. The DRC’s relationship with
Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR),
Angola, Zambia, Tanzania and Congo-Brazzaville changes as a result of
new leadership, instability or fighting, either in the DRC or in
neighbouring countries.
A number of areas in the DRC have also traditionally suffered from
tensions or conflict. These include: Orientale Province (Ituri); Dungu
Region; and North and South Kivu. The Rwandan War (1990-1994) and 1994
Genocide also impacted upon the situation in Eastern Congo (then
Zaire), with both Hutus and Tutsis from the DRC participating in the
fighting in Rwanda.
The conflict in the DRC from 1997-2002 has been dubbed Africa’s first
world war, due to the number of countries involved. Uganda and Rwanda
were allied to the RCD, while Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Chad, along
with the ex-FAR and Interahamwe, formed an alliance with Kabila.
Subsequently the RCD split into two factions, the RCD-Goma backed by
Rwanda and the RCD-Kisangani backed by Uganda. Other armed groups, such
as the MLC (Movement for the Liberation of the Congo) and the
RCD-National, also received Rwandan backing. Access to natural
resources was a critical factor in the involvement of regional actors,
as well as the funding of local armed groups. Locals in the Kivus
joined the Maimai militias to protect their villages.
The transitional period, from 2002-2006, was the result of the signing
of the Global and All-Inclusive Peace Agreement, which called for the
formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) and integration of
the various rebel groups into a unified national army. In light of the
prevailing uncertainty, many groups chose not to surrender all of their
fighters or weapons.
The ongoing clashes in Eastern DRC have had dire humanitarian
consequences. In Dungu and Faradje, recent clashes between the LRA and
the joint military forces (DRC, Sudan, Uganda) displaced more than
150,000, and the humanitarian response was poor. In the Kivus, in
October 2008, government reported more than two million IDPs. At the
same time, up to 160,000 new IDPs have recently fled FDLR atrocities
and clashes between the government and the FDLR. There have also been
attacks on humanitarian convoys by various armed groups, hampering the
response.
The presentation ended with a number of recommendations on actions to
be taken by different actors, in order to consolidate the peace in the
Eastern DRC.
To Civil Society:
• Provide immediate humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the
conflict;
• Develop medium-term programmes for the return/ resettlement of
displaced communities;
• Initiate livelihood programmes targeting the youth as critical
actors in the conflict;
• Deepen the analysis of the root causes of conflict in the DRC
through continuous research;
• Monitor state commitments on governance and accountability,
especially in the natural resources sector;
• Coordinate with other stakeholders to ensure coherence of
activities;
• Cooperate with regional, continental and international civil society
on advocacy for peace in the DRC.
To the DRC Government:
• Undertake comprehensive security sector reform (SSR), to create a
well-trained, organised army with a single doctrine and unified
command;
• Prioritise collection and de-commissioning of weapons;
• Deploy the FARDC in the strongholds of the FDLR, LRA, ADF/NALU and
other militia groups to prevent power vacuum;
• Deploy civilian police in areas controlled by the national army to
protect civilians and maintain civil order;
• Organise the return of Congolese refugees living in Rwanda;
• Revise the land laws through a consultative process, to clarify the
status of traditional chiefs in Kivu and Orientale provinces;
• Ensure strict application of the mining code. Institute a moratorium
on new mining and forestry concessions until a new legislative
framework for effective control of the sector has been put into place.
Increase control of warehouses and aircraft used for storage and
transport of natural resources to limit the risk of illegal exports and
terrorist activities;
• Make public the contractual relationship between the Congolese state
and resource extraction companies, and ensure transparency of payments
by these companies to state agencies;
• Launch development projects to create employment for young men and
remove incentives for them to join militia groups;
• Order the military prosecutor to initiate official investigations
into the alleged complicity of FARDC officers in the illegal
exploitation of natural resources in Kivu and Orientale
provinces.
To Neighbouring States:
• Set up a joint intelligence framework to exchange information on
security and development issues in the region;
• Open doors for talks with the FDLR and the LRA, in light of the fact
that the military option has failed with dire humanitarian
consequences. The Ugandan government, in particular, was encouraged to
continue the process of dialogue with the LRA and other armed
groups;
• Concretise the establishment of a regional diplomacy mechanism to
de-polarise the region. There have been indications that diplomatic
relations between DRC and Rwanda would be fully re-established, but
this has yet to occur).
To SADC:
• Establish a coordinated, coherent and unified post-conflict
assistance framework for the DRC by member states.
To the African Union:
• Monitor the implementation of the post-conflict reconstruction and
development (PCRD) policy in the DRC;
• The Peace and Security Council (PSC) should prioritise the
stabilisation of the DRC in view of the numerous continental actors
with interests in the DRC.
To the International Community:
• Continue the funding of institution-building as an ongoing process
to improve governance;
• Reign in rogue private sector interests based in the North, which
are currently complicating the natural resources arena in the
DRC;
• Support civil society initiatives and give medium-term funding for
PCRD and governance programmes;
• Support comprehensive SSR including civilian police, the judiciary
and correctional services;
• Support the ICC efforts to curb impunity in the DRC
Grenade attack at Nairobi bar wounds 12: police
