"Tomorrow's truth feeds off yesterday's mistake" St Exupéry
In 2020, President Biden announced to the world that America was back. This statement implied, at the international level, a renewal of multilateralism and a proactive commitment to defend freedom and human rights throughout the world. Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is experiencing one of the most dramatic humanitarian crises in contemporary history. A question arises: Where has the USA gone?
The resurgence of deadly attacks by the M23, ADF, CODECO and other armed groups have plunged North Kivu and Ituri back into insecurity and violence. According to the UN, more than 5.5 million people have been displaced in theDRC. Syria and Ukraine are the only other countries experiencing greater population displacements. The conflict inEastern DRC has already caused more than 6 million deaths and the death toll continues to increase. Civilians, national security forces, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers are all targeted. Given the types of weapons used, tactics and degree of violence, it is important that the United States no longer views this war as a low-intensity conflict. The entanglement and interconnection of political and security interests in the Great Lakes Region require renewed attention from the entire international community.
At the Congolese level, the establishment, in May 2021, of a state of siege in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, has seen only timid and mixed results. Moreover, the DRC is still unable to divest itself of certain reprehensible practices: corruption, repression, impunity, regression of rights and freedoms, as well as multiple forms of obstacles to democracy. At the regional level, military cooperation with Uganda has not achieved the results announced, and the successive talks in Nairobi and Luanda have only given rise to optimistic statements that were immediately contradicted by new waves of violence. Less than 24 hours after the promises of de-escalation (tripartite of Luanda),the M23 declared that the ceasefire decided in Angola was “irrelevant”. The facts are simple. No satisfactory response has emerged from national and regional efforts to address the resurgence of violence and atrocities inEastern Congo. While these efforts must continue, it is also desirable that the international community show a more substantial commitment to put an end to this hemorrhage of human lives.
According to ancient Asian wisdom, “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, would be the essence of peace. Often invoked in international relations, this practice can no longer be applied to the DRC. The international community knows everything that is happening in the DRC. The Congolese situation is perfectly documented and is regularly the subject of reports by NGOs, the United Nations, and multiple actors in the field. Yet the U.S.’ response remains weak.The leadership and voluntarism promised by President Biden have yet to be seen in the DRC. Additionally, in recent years, U.S. diplomacy has given the impression of downplaying the ongoing tragedy in the DRC and remaining discreet about the fate of the Congolese. By opting for silence and therefore contradicting its values, American diplomacy faces the risk of sharing the weight of responsibilities in the ongoing crisis. It is urgent that the US reassess its reading of the situation in the DRC and strengthen its position considering the realities in the field.
The US should:
1: Reaffirm Human Rights and Democracy as the pillars of their relations with the countries of the Great Lakes. For example, demanding unconditional free and transparent elections in the DRC in December 2023
2: Lead the international community in a campaign to end impunity for perpetrators of violence and large-scale corruption in the DRC.
3: Appoint a Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region.
4: Strengthen its impact in the Region through a more integrated diplomatic approach with the European Union.
