Congo Genocide

Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest

     The world organization that concerns itself with issues parallel to genocide is the Commission on Human Rights. It is the commission’s duty to meet once a genocidal act occurred and was reported. Then the commission must develop different ways to mend the problem at task in a fair and just way. By doing so, the commission helps to fix this human right’s issue with the seven treaties.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a.k.a. the DRC, or more commonly “the Congo”, has experienced an endless nightmare of violence, poverty, famine, sickness, and murder for the past 16 years. The constant bloodshed between the national and armed forces has led to countless civilian deaths, or the genocide in the Congo. Before I go on any further, I must explain what a genocide is. A genocide is the attempted destruction of an entire group of people. The most famous example is the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews were murdered during World War II. It is tragic to say that history has repeated itself and over 5 to 7 million Congolese civilians have lost their lives since 1996. In order to truly understand the events that are transpiring

The Holocaust is something that we must never forget. Its occurrence relied only “upon the indifference of bystanders in every land” (Zukier). Even today we stand by while innocent lives are taken. The recent conflicts in Rwanda or Bosnia, or past conflicts in Cambodia, are merely three examples. Wherever genocide occurs one thing is sure to happen– individual lives become lost in massive numbers and the tolls are so large

April 7, 1994 marked the beginning of one hundred days of massacre that left over 800,000 thousand dead and Rwanda divided by a scare that to this day they are trying to heal. The source of this internal struggle can be traced back to the segregation and favoritism established by Belgium when they received Rwanda after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. At the time the Rwandan population was 14% Tutsi, 1%Twa, and 85% Hutus; the Belgian’s showed preferential treatment to the Tutsi, who were seen as socially elite, by giving them access to higher educations and better employment. This treatment causes the uprising of the Hutus in 1959 overthrowing the Tutsi government forcing many to flee the country, sparking even greater resentment between the two ethic groups. Without the interference and preferential treatment by the Belgian’s this atrocity could have likely been avoided.

During this period of time, 10,000 people were murdered each day and more than 6 men, women and children were murdered every minute every day. This kept going for about 3 months.

Genocide has been plaguing the world for hundreds of years. Millions of innocent lives have been taken all for the sake of prejudice. One of the most atrocious aspects of genocide is that a large percentage of them are sponsored by the state in which they are taking place. Over the years scholars have studied just what motivates a state to engage in such awful behavior. What motivates them? Why would they do such horrendous things to their own citizens? Is it solely for some economic incentive, or is it simply out of hatred? Most importantly, how is it possible that they get away with it?

The Tutsi are a people who live in Rwanda, Burundi, and the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The location, size, and history, most importantly, is why the Tutsi tribe the second largest population division among the three largest groups in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa. Although the Tutsi tribe is one of the most known tribes in Africa, it comes from a long way of fighting for its' rights and independence.

The nations of the world should have responded more firmly to the genocide and set out troops. Rather than claim neutrality, they should have attempted to intervene as international human rights should be a national interest. However, this did not occur and should be a lesson learned for countries worldwide to prevent future massacres. In the future, rather than worrying about diplomatic relations and economic relations with countries who are committing war crimes, they should put humanity above wants and help out those who are put through disastrous

The Democratic Republic of Congo can be found in Central Africa near Angola, Rwanda, and The Republic of Congo. Formally, The Democratic Republic of Congo was part of the Republic of Congo, which was originally a Belgian colony in 1908. After gaining independence in 1960, a nationalist movement formed during a time of crisis and Joseph Mobutu became president in a November 1965. During Mobutu’s thirty-five year presidency, many citizens from Rwanda arrived after the massacre of the Tutsi. The castaways that were pro-genocide reformed and in consequence began making attacks, and despite attempts to counter many residents’ lives were ended. The Congo, then Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo, entered its First War whereabouts

“I believe the only time we call for intervention is when there is an ongoing genocide” – Bianca Jagger. Looking at the world’s response to the persecution of specific groups of people, the past shows us there is something wrong with how the world views genocide. Of course, any viable human conscience gawks at the news of the most recent minority being wiped out by a ruling power, but this tardy response does nothing to combat the atrocities. Currently, the only response the world implements comes after thousands, or even millions of people have already lost their lives. Truly combating genocide is a battle that must be fought before it ever begins. In partnership with the United States Holocaust Museum, the United States Institute for Peace has developed a program called the Genocide Prevention Task Force. This task force works closely with current government officials to develop a type of plan. A plan that has levels of structure that does more than just respond to future genocide. Spreading the word for prevention though the Genocide Prevention Task Force, will do more to combat genocide than any other approach.

Imagine spending 91 days hiding in a 3- by 4-foot bathroom with six other people while outside, thousands of your tribe members are being slaughtered. That's what happened to Immaculee Illibagiza during the 1993 Rwanda genocide, and the world must make sure it never happens again. The world's nations have a "responsibility to protect" people from the worst human rights abuses. Also, inaction can lead to genocide and other atrocities. Finally, international security is threatened when helpless citizens are in crisis. This proves that the international community should send military forces to stop the massacre in Swurundi.

During the 1900s, there were two mass killings that occurred: one in Nazi Germany and the other in the Congo Free State. Although these mass killings developed due to different motives, the two lead to a significant amount of deaths and mutilations. The mass killings in Nazi Germany are now known as the Holocaust, which took place from 1933 to 1945. The perpetuators of these killings were the Nazis, who were supporters of the beliefs of the Nazi Party in Germany, while the victims were mainly Jewish people and non-Aryans, which were seen as inferior races. On the other hand, the Force Publique, an army made of Europeans and local men under King Leopold, committed the killings and other acts of violence against the indigenous tribes and natives

Often described as the most horrible and systematic human massacre since the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide has been a subject of research and debate for decades. Typically, ethnic and cultural differences between segments of Rwanda’s diverse population, namely the Hutu and the Tutsi, is the reason given to explain the genocide. Although this is a valid argument, the roots of the conflict are more complex stretching back to the era of colonialism. The impact of colonialism on Rwandan politics and society set the foundations for revolution in 1959 and, ultimately, genocide in 1994.

In the past, many incidents of genocide have occurred, like the Armenian genocide or the Rwandan genocide. While these incidents may seem unrelated to current times, similar incidents are starting to occur in many parts of the world and one such place is Congo. Many sources hint that the conflict that occurs in Congo is a genocide because many elements of genocide appear in the conflict like classification or dehumanization. While what they say has some truth in the sense that this conflict contains some element of genocide but, not enough elements are present to make it a genocide. Although many would believe that the conflict in Congo is a genocide, there is evidence of the conflict being a territorial and power dispute because some countries invading Congo want the resources, others want power, and the cause of the conflict in Congo is the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.