The Second Congo War: The Power of the FDLR

            Congolese President Kabila and his lack of statesmanship with the Rwanda led to the isolation and alienation of the Tutsi’s in the DRC. Rwanda and Uganda supported the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD). They urged rebel groups in Congo to rebel against the Congolese government and Kabila’s presidency. The FDLR’s presence in Congo caused the continually growing tension between Congo and Rwanda. What the FDLR have done is bring the violence and trouble from Rwanda and brought it into Congo. With the support of Rwanda and Uganda the RCD gained control in the east and continued to lead the government into desperation. When Kabila realized that the RCD rebels were gaining in the east he rouse anti-Tutsi views in public. As well as doing this he started supporting Hutu militants in the East where the Tutsi were living. With the 2001 assassination of Kabila, many other nations joined in support of his son Joseph Kabila. Joseph Kabila was elected by the Democratic Republic parliament. As well as bringing the violence to Congo, the FDLR have dragged in many nations to Congo. Because of the involvement of so many other nations including the United States, the second Congo war is sometimes called the “African World War.” In 2001 Rwanda, Uganda, and rebel groups agreed to the UN plan that involved removing foreign troops in Congo. Although this agreement fell apart in 2002 and violence once again rouse, new pacts and agreements came to be:

·      Pretoria Accord: This was between Rwanda and DRC, which called for the evacuation of Rwandan soldiers.

·      Luanda Agreement: This was between Uganda and DRC and called for the Ugandan soldiers to leave the DRC.

·      Global and All-Inclusive Agreement: This was between the DRC and the rebel groups. This agreement outlined a transitional government and ended the second Congo war. 

The fact that the FDLR managed to come in and increase the the tensions between the Congolese and Rwandan governments shows how powerful a rebel group they are.

The First Congo War: How the FDLR greatened the tensions

 The rise of the FDLR began with the first and second Congo wars. In 1996 the newly established Tutsi government feared that the fled Hutu militia were going to invade Rwanda from the eastern border of the DRC (then called Zaire) because they were attacking Tutsi’s in Zaire.  This led to the act of the Rwandan government arming Zairean Tutsi’s. The act of arming these Tutsi’s started the mass tension and violence between the FDLR and the Rwandan government as well as the tension between FDLR and the Zairean Tutsi’s. The Zaire president opposed the action of Rwanda, which led to civilian upset about the way he was handling Hutu extremist. The actions and violence of the FDLR not only caused civilian deaths and damage but also political uproar and deterioration. Eventually rebel groups formed and removed Mobuto from power. When Kabila became the next president he distanced himself from his Rwandan patrons, which caused the Rwandan government to supports rebel groups against Kabila’s presidency.  The FDLR had the power and influence in Congo and Rwanda to cause tensions and violence between the two neighboring countries.

Child Soldiers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5213996.stm

    Shown above are young child soldier's who were probably forced into their positions. The use of child soldiers in a poor country with many opposing rebel groups is almost inevitable. It is sad and wrong that rebel groups, and political opposers turn to the use of child soldiers. They completely ignore moral and ethical code as well as human rights. The desperate state of these third world countries (such as Congo) makes being a child soldier a job that creates some kind escape. The fact that children see this “job” as a way to food and shelter is devastating. Instead of putting money into fighting the rebel groups (such as FDLR) it should be put into aiding the children of the country with food and education.

Rape as a Weapon of War

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Rape-Victims-in-Congo-Call-for-Justice-119779379.html

            Shown above are only some, of the many thousands of rape victims from the DRC. This article shows how the FDLR and other violent rebel groups are using rape as a weapon of war. The mass rape cause by this group has led to abandonment of villages, and an insecure women population. One of the reasons rape is being used as a weapon is because not only does it cause physical damage to women and young girls, but it also causes emotional damage and insecurity. Many of the young girls who get raped then become pregnant and are mocked by friends and neighbors. The most striking idea that this article poses is the fact that many of the rapist never reckon with the law. This is also another reason as to why rape is so commonly used as weapons of war; rapists don’t fear the persecution of the law.

What are the FDLR doing?

The FDLR Hutu extremist rebel group is attacking Tutsi forces because of their on going dispute over power. They attack the Tutsis both in eastern DRC and also across the border in Rwanda. These attacks are creating many tensions that could possibly lead to another Rwandan attack into the DRC. The FDLR cross-border raids have caused failed infrastructure in DRC. These attacks on Rwanda have indirectly caused psychological damage on its many civilians. Along with the indirect effects on DRC civilians, the FDLR has perpetrated direct acts of violence on the citizens. Their armed forces are held responsible for forced displacement, abductions, looting, child soldiers, violence and torture, and mass sexual violence. The rebel group goes through villages and burns them to the ground. As well as destroying villages, the FDLR rebels brutally murder innocent civilians and rape frightened and innocent women. What these sexual assaults have led to is the use of rape as a weapon of war. All of these actions by the rebel group have created a mass amount of human rights violations that leave foreigners with unbelievable statistics. 200,000 women have been brutally raped by member of the FDLR. In 2006 26,000 rapes were reported in South Kivu, and a total of 7,000 rapes were reported in 7,000. Because of the burning of their villages, and mass killings of their people, 2.1 million Congolese citizens have been displaced since the start of the genocide.  Since 1996 5.4 million civilians deaths have been reported because of mass shootings, brutal torturing, and wide scale rape.

Who are the FDLR?

The Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) are a rebel organization located East Congo that was formed on September 30^th, 2000. Major General Sylvestre Mudacumura is the FDLR’s overall military commander. They operate out of the North and South Kivu provinces of East Congo after their immigration from Rwanda. The FDLR is composed mostly of the perpetrators from the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The perpetrators were forced to flee Rwanda after the rise of a Tutsi government in their homeland. One million Hutu’s fled Rwanda and settled in refugee camps in Eastern Congo. These refugee camps were used as bases for incursion against Rwanda. Some of these refugees have been recruited to be commanders of the FDLR along with ex-officers and civilians who had leadership roles in the Rwanda Genocide. The roughly 10,000 combatants are mostly ethnic Hutus who are opposed to Tutsi rule and influence in their surrounding regions. Although the FDLR is a rebel group that causes the most civilian suffering in Eastern Congo, the Congolese government supports the FDLR activities. They do this in order to limit Rwandan influence in the east on the Congo-Rwandan border. The Congolese government also supports the FDLR in order to get help fighting Rwandan backed Congolese rebels. As well as being backed by the Congolese government, the FDLR controls the gold and tin mining regions in East Congo. The FDLR rebels profit immensely from the exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s widely coveted natural resources. Because of the large profit they make off of their exploitation, the FDLR has the highest military capabilities of the rebels.