By now, the whole world has borne witness to the deplorable situation that has unravelled in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of this year. To date, the country has seen the invasion of both Goma and Bukavu by M23 and their allies through military operations and fear tactics, causing people to flee their homes. This additionally came with the targeting and murder of many young Congolese people (particularly in Goma), and, of course, increasing questions surrounding the role of ethnic tensions in this situation. The world bears witness to the machinations of the international community, and thus far, we have seen the UN’s resolution to explicitly condemn Rwanda, sanctions on Rwandan statesmen, and various Global North countries freezing their aid to Rwanda. Let us be measured, however, in praising these actions as a consequence of the Global North’s love for justice or the Congo. Before this, we observed the world's painfully slow move to condemning Rwandan actions against another sovereign state, the DRC. One should attribute the world’s ‘wake-up call’ to those who lobbied, spoke up, and demanded justice for the DRC. Notably, the likes of Therese Kayikwamba Wagner - the Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs - have been both inspirational and pivotal in rallying governments to look upon the plight of the Congolese and bring Rwanda and its accomplices, like M23, to justice - exposing them on the global stage. Kayikwamba Wagner’s lobby for the Congo has not gone unnoticed by the diaspora, and her work has inspired discourse concerning the effectiveness of the diaspora's efforts in Congolese development, activism, and overall support of the nation.
In the initial absence of helpful responses from the same governments that so fervently denounced the war in Ukraine, the outcry for justice by those looking in on the situation, like the Congolese diaspora, has never been more piercing in its bid to evoke some purposeful reaction from states. The same states with the bargaining power we witness at play in the everyday workings of our society. The resurgence of M23 in the DRC has been portrayed with an air of fickleness and complicity by some Western media, with some news outlets framing the situation in such a way that negates the gravity of the tangible experiences and realities of those affected. It remains no secret that Rwanda is and has been at the forefront of Congo’s perils for over a decade, yet certain media are audacious enough to describe Rwanda’s involvement in this crisis as “alleged”!
With such violence on a large scale and the premeditated attacks on Congolese populations, one can question the almost frozen silence of governments and their populations in the condemnation of Paul Kagame and Rwanda’s involvement with M23 in the DRC. Notwithstanding the reality of governments around the world concerning other issues outside the Global North that equally require attention, like in South Sudan. What noticeable positive impact has the international community, the holy grail of all humanitarian crises, had on the war in Sudan?
Watching governments gather to discuss the tragedies in the DRC should normally reassure us that they care enough to address the situation, only for this glimmer of hope to be snuffed out by the states with power enough to veto the sanctioning of war criminals. What a shame! Despite the UN resolution, some EU countries remain reluctant to drop their mineral deals with Rwanda. It goes without saying that those minerals, of course, are not ‘originaires’ of Rwanda…! The recent weeks have highlighted that the cause of the Congolese people is less popular with states than one would imagine. Recent months have highlighted how trivial a situation the issue in Congo is deemed for some, at least in comparison to other world events. However, when you consider what is at stake, it becomes less surprising to see why the international community would drag its feet when it comes to supporting Congo. Should the international community choose to support the DRC in its fight against Rwanda and M23, and successfully, this could signal Congo’s end of tolerance for the plunder of its mineral wealth and natural resources. This would adversely affect industries that have been profiting from the decrepit situation in the DRC, particularly for the manufacturing of products such as electric cars and new mobile phones. If we consider the minerals needed to produce mobile phones, this inevitably leads us to the topic of the “3T” minerals: tantalum (coltan), tin, and tungsten; materials so pivotal for modern warfare, weapon systems and new technologies that elites would rather support the illegal acquisition of them, than shed light on the harm inflicted on Congolese people due to high demand of the 3Ts. The untold truth is that a stronger Congo means a strengthened African continent. As Frantz Fanon so beautifully postulated, “Africa is shaped like a gun, and Congo is the trigger”.
If the resurgence of M23 ensures sustained warfare, insecurity, and a turning of the Congolese state’s attention away from development, of course, the likes of some Western states would rather block any light at the end of the tunnel. Apparently, nothing else is new under the sun when it comes to Western states.
This somewhat crippling discourse on the involvement of Western states- or lack thereof- is not borne out of an unsubstantiated disappointment but rather from the realities witnessed in the past few weeks, be it at the UN security council meetings or other forums in which the DRC’s problems, have been discussed. There is always space for criticising states when discussing issues of conflict and international intervention, however, the role of protests and public outrage as central to enlightening people on crises is not to be forgotten in the Congolese crisis.
In recent times, the world has seen lobbies, boycotts, and groups infuriated at countries’ lack of action concerning events in various world regions. These protests often came with rallying calls to stand up for humanity, (because only a human with a conscience would agree that human rights breaches must be fought against) but apparently, when the geographical location of human rights discourse shifts to the Great Lakes region, that same fervor for human life and human rights dwindles, flickers, and eventually is barely seen. The lack of interest in denouncing the crimes committed against the Congolese people is even more shocking when considering the worldwide response and campaign for Ukrainians. The crisis in Ukraine was framed by media and global humanitarian organizations as “an exceptional crisis” with Ukrainians being framed as “vulnerable aid recipients” (Bryant and Hargrave 20241). This “exceptional” crisis concerning predominantly Western white people garnered international attention and response. According to the Centre for Disaster and Philanthropy, “the humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsened in August and September 2024” and this saw a worldwide mobilization of efforts to help Ukrainians flee. So, what causes people’s giving hearts and concerned attitudes to cease to exist when the crisis shifts to Congo?
Perhaps one could attribute the lack of widespread outrage to people’s conceptualization of suffering. Note that by people, I speak of mostly Western populations, as I can only speak for the context I am currently in. Whether we choose to accept this or not, the Western world seems to operate according to a hierarchy of global suffering. That is, some people’s suffering seems to take precedence over that of others in terms of urgency and importance. Stijn’s Joye’s article (2011) expounds on this notion of a ‘hierarchy of global suffering’ which draws upon theories of distant suffering to explain the behavior of the media in reporting on foreign natural disasters. Joye’s work sheds light on the othering of the media, which assumes an “us vs. them” paradigm through which international crises are perceived, thus causing many in the Global North to disassociate with suffering that is not familiar or nearby. As such, it can be inferred that this way of perceiving suffering informs people’s attitudes to even the direst of examples. In the Western media, Western suffering is portrayed as being closer to the consumers of media, whereas non-Western crises and suffering, despite their severity, are portrayed as distant. So Congo is too far away to capture people’s attention… but not too far for the industry to reach over and liberally hoover up minerals as is befitting to their will. And what of public outrage?
In an age where many are disconnecting from the corporate media as their source of truthful information and turning to social media, how is it that even social media does not seem to stoke the spirit of justice in people for Congo? Public outrage seems to be limited to people’s associations and interests rather than human rights for all. This is deeply concerning and whilst I cannot provide an answer, though I bear my own assumptions, I and other Congolese people can only plead the cause of our countrymen by appealing to the part of humanity that craves justice for the 48 women who are raped every hour in Congo, for the children forced to go down into dangerous mines, and for the Congolese population ignored by the ‘educated’people of this world. People in our society claim to be supporters of the oppressed and yet remain silent when the slaughter of millions over time continues to go unspoken.
What of solutions then? Fanon highlights that "the fate of all of us is at stake in the Congo," and this must cause us to question what good can arise for the world if Congo is dying. Though an appeal to Western readers seems to be the focus, it goes without saying that everyone should be pleading Congo’s cause to whomever will listen. It is a problem requiring the whole world’s attention. Taking time to reflect on one’s stance concerning injustice would and should drive people to take action of their own will. How this manifests itself is dependent upon each one’s capacity; however, this same compromise cannot and should not be afforded to states and institutions that have the jurisdiction or power to help in some way.
Written by Ketsia Kassongo
Reference:
1.https://odi.org/en/publications/narratives-and-the-ukraine-response-implications-for-humanitarian-action-and-principles/ Accessed 17 Jan 2025.
1 https://odi.org/en/publications/narratives-and-the-ukraine-response-implications-for-humanitarian-action-and-principles/ Accessed 17 Jan 2025.
