Pessimism About a Solution for Identity Based Conflicts

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a perfect example of an identity-based conflict where numerous ethnic rival groups come into conflict with one another. First I will flush out the details of the most recent events of the DRC’s ongoing civil war before I evaluate how identity plays an important role and what the proposed solutions could be.

There are nearly 200 separate ethnic groups that comprise the Congolese population al speaking various different languages. The DRC witnessed the spillover effects from the Rwandan Genocide, as Hutu rebels formed refugee camps on the DRC’s border. These militiamen have remained in the DRC for fear of Tutsi revenge back in Rwanda, and subsequently attack villages for food and money. 1n 1998, President Kabila attempted to expel the Hutus which only amplified the conflict. In 2004, the already fragile government and army factions collided and intense violence ensued. Numerous rival groups backed by Uganda and Rwanda formed and destabilized the region combating both the Hutu refugees and other rival groups. Close to four million people have died due to the detrimental effects of an ongoing war based in both ethnic and identity politics.

The war in the DRC clearly represents many of the criteria for an identity-based war. The outside influences, the Hutu rebels, have not only activated the boundaries within the country but they have infiltrated the state itself. Additionally, the DRC has struggled over the past decades to establish political boundaries between the various ethnic groups and has a very unstable and weak economy. Lastly, part of the reason the Hutus are attacking villages is because they need food and other resources to survive—thus representing a resource shortage.

In terms of possible solutions, partition does not seem to be viable. The country has already been divided into four separate regions and this has done nothing to halt the violence. Moreover, the state and the internationally recognized president Kabila cannot retain his power without the assistance of other states, specifically Zimbabwe, Angola, and Namibia. The DRC could in theory benefit from establishing democratic systems and institutions, but there already is an elected president who only retains control of a portion of the country and he requires international assistance. Finally, peacekeeping is the third possible solution to the conflict. Unfortunately, the presence of UN peacekeepers has not helped alleviate the conflict much at all, and according to a recent BBC News article, there appears to be a certain degree of corruption within the peacekeeping forces. Indian and Pakistani peacekeepers are said to be involved with illegal gold, ivory, and drug-trading and arms-selling to rebel groups. See article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7365283.stm

As an undergraduate student I still feel quite small and helpless in being able to come up with a solution to a problem like the one in the DRC. Unfortunately, the current actions be taken are having little positive effects and clearly a change needs to be made. It seems as though there is no foolproof solution to identity and ethnic based conflicts…a sad fact for countries like the DRC.