There was a shaky humanitarian pause that lasted for a few weeks, which now seems to have turned into an all out ceasefire for the DRC. There are a few issues with this ceasefire though. No one seems to know exactly who has agreed to the ceasefire beyond Rwanda and the DRC because there are many militias that are also involved. Does this ceasefire include all of the militias or just these two governments? If this ceasefire is restricted to just the DRC and Rwanda, then there will more than likely still be conflicts. But why not put it out there and maybe it will pressure all warring parties in the DRC to respect and observe the ceasefire? The other issue is that these militias, and in the case of M23 which should be classified as a terror group, are all after the mineral resources that are abundant across the country. What will it take to get a permanent peace deal for Congo so that there can be lasting peace and people can begin to heal from the atrocities that they have been forced to live through? Will these militias demand a cut of these resources which belong to the Congolese and not groups of outside forces that are just seeking a profit?
How can you achieve peace when the opposing party is looking at the land as large amounts of money? Those militias are not going to give up so easily when they have so much money to make from the land.
Does that mean an all out war as the alternative? Does the DRC need more military support to defend its people and is this why the government has not been able to rid the country of these militias or is there another reason? Even with troops from SADC, it is not deterring the militias. If the DRC is directly profiting from the minerals in their own country, it should not be hard to fund their military as they would have the means to arm their military but the foreign mining companies and not the DRC are the ones to profit. Not only is the land being depleted and destroyed for the minerals, the Congolese are not even earning a fair share for their labor or the wars that are created from the mining of their land. What has ended up happening is that the DRC is defending these outside companies to destroy their own land and people.
Many Congolese are not hopeful that live in the areas that are under siege. There have been many truces that never amounted to any lasting peace or any meaningful changes to the underlying issues. Until Rwanda is called out by world leaders, sanctioned, and an arms embargo placed on the Rwandan government, there will be no end to the constant violence and displacement of innocent Congolese. World leaders are increasing sanctions, but they are avoiding the main culprit, Rwanda.
7.2 million innocent Congolese are displaced.
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Articles for reference. Please read and share.
Barrons: Locals Regard Ceasefire in Eastern DR Congo With Mistrust
DW: Will the Congo-Rwanda cease-fire lead to lasting peace?
Reuters: Ceasefire agreed in eastern Congo conflict, mediator Angola says