The current conflict in the DRC is not just a crisis of governance or ethnic tensions but a direct continuation of a colonial project rebranded for the 21st century.
Image: AFP
By Moussa Ibrahim
It’s been over six decades since the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared independence, yet its eastern provinces remain trapped in a vicious cycle of violence, resource plunder, and geopolitical intrigue. Recent developments, such as the resurgence of the M23 rebel group and escalating tensions with Rwanda, paint a grim picture of a conflict deeply entrenched in colonial legacies of exploitation and control. If you listen closely, you can still hear the echoes of King Leopold II’s rubber whips and mining drills in the cobalt mines of today.
The current conflict in the DRC is not just a crisis of governance or ethnic tensions but a direct continuation of a colonial project rebranded for the 21st century – this time powered by smartphones, electric cars, and multinational greed.
After a period of dormancy following their 2012-2013 rebellion (due to military defeat and the subsequent Nairobi peace agreement of 2013), the March 23 Movement (M23) militant group has returned with a vengeance, capturing strategic territories of the North Kivu province and wreaking havoc on civilian lives. The DRC government accuses Rwanda of backing M23 – a claim supported by a United Nations report, which details the logistical and financial support provided to the group. Rwanda, naturally, denies these allegations, leaving us with a geopolitical finger-pointing contest while over 1.5 million people are displaced in eastern Congo.
The resurgence of M23 coincides with heightened global demand for the DRC’s mineral wealth, particularly cobalt and coltan, which are essential for rechargeable batteries and other high-tech gadgets. As the world races toward a “green future,” the DRC is paying the price, both in blood and in sovereignty.
To fully grasp the origins of Congo’s endless conflict, we must go back to 1884, when European powers met in Berlin to carve up Africa like a birthday cake – without a single African at the table. These artificial borders lumped together diverse ethnic and religious groups, while dividing natural communities and resources. For the DRC, a nation with over 200 ethnic groups, the ultimate result was a fragile state structure with no natural cohesion.
Post-independence, these colonial borders became the stage for a new battle: identity politics. Leaders manipulated ethnic identity to divide communities, fuelling conflicts over land, resources, and power. What’s worse, multinational corporations have exploited these divisions to secure control over natural resources. The veneer of ethnic grievances often masks a deeper agenda: the competition for Congo’s mineral wealth. This tactic keeps communities fighting each other while corporate interests remain untouched.
The solution lies in rejecting divisive identity politics and embracing a pan-African identity – one that transcends tribal affiliations and unites Africans in the shared struggle for sovereignty, dignity, and justice. As the Pan-Africanist scholar Amilcar Cabral once said, “Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told.”
To understand why the DRC remains a hotspot for conflict, we must revisit its colonial roots. When Belgium’s King Leopold II declared the Congo his personal property in the late 19th century, he unleashed one of history’s most brutal exploitation schemes. Under the guise of “civilising” Africa, Leopold’s regime plundered Congo’s rubber and ivory, enslaving millions and killing an estimated 10 million people.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and not much has changed – except now, the plunderers wear suits and represent multinational corporations instead of European monarchs.
The DRC sits on an estimated $24 trillion worth of untapped minerals, including 60% of the world’s cobalt supply. These resources are indispensable to companies like Apple, Tesla, and Samsung. Yet, instead of uplifting Congolese communities, these riches fuel violence. Armed groups, including M23, fight to control mining regions, while multinational corporations tacitly enable this chaos by failing to trace their supply chains effectively.
According to a 2021 report by Amnesty International, child labor and dangerous working conditions are rampant in Congo’s artisanal mining sector. As one Congolese miner reportedly said, “The rich world wants its electric cars and smartphones, but we die digging for the materials to make them.”
Few leaders in African history have demonstrated the visionary ambition of Muammar Gaddafi. The Libyan leader dedicated much of his life to addressing the root causes of Africa’s conflicts through pan-Africanism and the creation of strong, independent African institutions. I had the honour of working under his direct guidance and witnessing his relentless efforts to unite the continent.
Gaddafi championed the establishment of the African Union (AU) in 1999, proposed a Unified African Army to safeguard the continent’s sovereignty, and advocated for an African Organisation for Natural Resources to wrest control of Africa’s wealth from multinational exploitation. He also spearheaded plans for an African Satellite and Communications System to end dependence on Western telecommunications and promoted the creation of an African Golden Currency, backed by Africa’s immense gold reserves, to liberate the continent from the dominance of foreign currencies like the US dollar and the euro.
Gaddafi directly communicated these transformative ideas to the Congolese government as early as 1999, using the AU platform to push for practical steps toward their implementation. Had the DRC embraced his vision, its mineral wealth could have been managed collectively through African-controlled frameworks, reducing foreign interference and fostering unity among African nations to mediate internal conflicts. By pooling resources, creating a shared defence system, and prioritising economic independence, Gaddafi’s blueprint offered a clear path to stability in Congo – one that would have ensured its resources served African prosperity while addressing the systemic inequalities that fuel violence.
Multinational corporations are the modern-day Leopold II, albeit with better PR teams. Despite numerous pledges for ethical sourcing, many tech giants continue to profit from Congo’s misery. A 2022 investigation by The Washington Post revealed that companies like Apple and Microsoft still source cobalt from suppliers linked to armed groups.
It’s not just the tech industry. The DRC’s gold, tin, and tungsten – referred to as “conflict minerals” – also make their way into global supply chains, fuelling the conflict further. According to a 2017 report by Global Witness, less than half of companies exporting minerals from eastern DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda published due diligence reports in 2015. The report highlighted that 94% of Congo’s gold was estimated to have left the country illegally in 2014.
While a Wall Street Journal Article (2023) titled “How This Conflict Mineral Gets Smuggled Into Everyday Tech” discusses how coltan, mined in the DRC, is smuggled into Rwanda and sold as “conflict-free” to global smelters, generating substantial revenue for armed groups like M23.
And let’s not forget about the World Bank and IMF, whose structural adjustment programs in the 1990s forced the DRC to privatise its mining sector, opening the floodgates for foreign corporations to exploit the country’s resources with little oversight.
The human toll of ethnic-fuelled conflicts, The First Congo War (1996–1997), The Second Congo War (1998–2003), and the ongoing violence (2003–present), in the DRC is staggering. Over 6 million people have died in the country since the late 1990s, making it the deadliest continuous conflict since World War II. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 5.8 million people are currently displaced within the country.
Eastern Congo is also a humanitarian disaster zone. In North Kivu, thousands of children work in artisanal mines, and sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. A 2022 study by the International Rescue Committee found that one in three women in the region has experienced sexual violence – a statistic that should shame the global community into action, but instead elicits only tepid responses.
The DRC’s plight underscores the urgent need for pan-African solidarity and solutions. The African Union (AU) must take a more assertive role in mediating conflicts and holding regional actors like Rwanda accountable. This could involve deploying a more robust African peacekeeping force or establishing a continental framework for resource governance that ensures transparency and equitable distribution of wealth.
Finally, the Global South must unite to challenge the exploitative practices of multinational corporations. As Kwame Nkrumah, the father of African independence, once said, “Africa’s liberation cannot be complete without economic independence.”
The conflict in the DRC is a sobering reminder that the world’s technological progress often comes at the expense of the most vulnerable. As we charge our iPhones and drive our Teslas, let’s not forget the Congolese miners risking their lives for our convenience.
Perhaps one day, the DRC’s story will no longer be one of exploitation but of empowerment. Until then, we must keep asking uncomfortable questions and holding those in power accountable. After all, as the late African scholar Ali Mazrui said, “Africa produces what it does not consume and consumes what it does not produce. That is the heart of the problem.”
It’s time to rewrite that script.
* Moussa Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of the African Legacy Foundation, Johannesburg
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
*** This article was first published by RT.com