How John Kerry could help bring peace to Congo
05/03/14 09:57 AM
By John Prendergast and Sasha Lezhnev
Photo: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry disembarks from his plane,
March 31, 2014. Jacquelyn Martin/New York Times/Redux
The last time two Americans of this prominence traveled to Congo (then
Zaire), it was for the boxing match of the century: the Rumble in the
Jungle between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Forty years later,
Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Special Envoy Russ Feingold are
going to Kinshasa with a more peaceful agenda than their pugilistic
predecessors: to help end what has become the deadliest conflict
globally since World War II.
Over the past 20 years, the war in Congo has claimed nearly 6 million
lives. Over 50 armed groups and multiple foreign armies have
destabilized Congo, using tens of thousands of child soldiers and
raping hundreds of thousands of women. Because of the violence, nearly
three million Congolese people today have been displaced from their
homes.
Yet things are beginning to look up for Congo. A revitalized United
Nations peacekeeping force led by African nations is helping dislodge
armed groups from their hideouts. The most powerful of these, the M23
militia, was militarily defeated in late 2013, following military
pressure from Congo and the peacekeepers as well as international
pressure on the rebels' backers in the Rwandan government. The U.S.
Congress contributed by passing legislation which has reduced armed
groups' profits from minerals and has helped make over two-thirds of
tin, tantalum, and tungsten mines conflict-free. Those combined
efforts have led over 8,000 combatants to disarm since M23's defeat.
Another warlord was filmed earlier this week pleading on his knees to
accept his disarmament. A peace process for Congo is now beginning,
led by sub-regional power Angola and supported by Feingold and U.N.
Special Envoy Mary Robinson.
However, there are still major challenges to peace, which is where
Kerry and Feingold can have an impact. In their trip to Congo and
neighboring Angola, a focus on three issues could pay significant
peace dividends.
First, Kerry and Feingold should urge Congolese President Joseph
Kabila and Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to make the peace
process more inclusive and to widen its agenda. A peace agreement
reached by the governments will only be sustainable if Congolese
people's input is meaningfully included. Kerry and Feingold should
work with the presidents to establish a feedback loop to link civil
society, including women, to the high-level discussions.
The talks must also help boost conflict-free regional economic
cooperation, a key to regional peace. If Congo and its neighbors can
reform and integrate their economies in a more transparent manner and
increase investment in the region, they will be less likely to support
cross-border rebellions because they will be profiting more from
legitimate business than from a war economy.
The potential profits from peace are enormous. For example, one
industrial conflict-free gold mine in eastern Congo generated $115
million last year in an area that used to be rife with armed groups
and illegally smuggled gold. Local communities benefited, too, as 200
miles of roads were built in the area, decreasing food prices by 30 to
50%. The possibilities are numerous: Private Congolese and regional
companies could invest in infrastructure and mines, the region could
develop processing plants, multinationals could bring in capital, and
the regional services industry would benefit.
Second, the two statesmen must urge President Kabila to make progress
on critical security issues and should not shy away from strong
measures to back up their discussions. Kabila must break fully with
the FDLR rebellion, a militia on the U.S. terrorist list. Tackling the
FDLR is critical to addressing regional security, preventing a future
M23, and protecting civilians. Kabila should partner with the UN
peacekeepers to combat the rebellion and prosecute Congolese army
officers who collaborate with it. Relatedly, Kabila must finalize
agreement with donors on programs for ex-combatants, which would
incentivize many more armed group fighters to defect. If concrete
progress is not made, the U.S. should urge the World Bank to delay
votes on the major hydroelectric Inga III dam project in Congo.
Finally, Kerry and Feingold should work to convince President Kabila
to not alter the constitution to run for a third term. They should
build multilateral pressure along these lines, including possible
targeted sanctions. They should also urge Congo to hold local,
provincial, and presidential elections and work with donors to
robustly support them.
Forty years after the Rumble in the Jungle, the U.S. has a chance to
advance the goals of peace, justice and democracy in Congo. Kerry and
Feingold have an opportunity to make a far more lasting impact on
Congo even than Ali and Foreman.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/john-kerry-congo
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
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