DR Congo’s swamp poses an existential question for Southern African leaders

Creating a permanent state of conflict in Eastern Congo ensures the continuous flow of minerals into the bloodstream of global capitalism. SADC must protect the lives of the people.

Photo courtesy of: BADILIKA DROITS HUMAINS/Asbl

I am writing on behalf of all the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We women who bear the burden of a war we did not start; a war we do not want; a war in which the future of our children is being stolen.

Eight million displaced. 23 million hungry and at risk of hunger. We are witnessing the destruction and dehumanization of an entire people. The enormity of the horror defies logic.

This brutal war is presented as a struggle for ‘sovereignty’ between ‘nation states’, ‘armed groups’ and ‘militias’. But these terms ignore the real lives of the innocent – women, children and the elderly – who pay the highest price.

As leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gather this weekend for the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State in Harare, I want to remind them that protecting our people is the responsibility of SADC. right to exist.

The regional bloc’s commitment to ‘human security’ means that SADC must driven by the need to alleviate human suffering.

Protecting its people is SADC’s job right to exist. Peace is the foundation for future development. The devastation in the DRC has the potential to resonate not only across the African continent, but across the world.

We know that the war is fueled in part by competition for access to the region’s vast mineral wealth. The plundering of minerals by armed groups is fueled by global demand for the raw materials found in northeastern Congo, where the conflict is most concentrated. These minerals are essential to the production of the microprocessors that go into our laptops, phones, airplanes, weapons and electric batteries – products that the consumer world cannot do without, and that are vital to the global economy.

No country has the right to make another suffer in order to continue stealing resources with impunity. This theft and plundering feeds hatred. Hate speech sows the seeds of genocide, far from the specter of media attention.

This hate speech fuels the dangerous myth that Congolese Tutsis and Hutus are at odds with each other, when in reality they are brothers and sisters who have lived peacefully side by side for generations.

If this war ends, the countries of the region can move towards civilized cooperation, a future of sustainable development and harmonious cohesion among the people of the region.

The SADC can – and must – take the lead in elevating the conversation from the rhetoric of ethnic nationalism to a conversation about future togetherness.

Curbing this xenophobic and divisive language is the first responsibility of leaders who must show a firm intolerance for hate speech – especially given the tragic history of this region. We know all too well how destructive unchecked hatred can be.

And now in DRC it is the millions of faceless, nameless innocents who are suffering. Rape has almost become a normalized weapon of war. Not only do women suffer the extreme indignities of rape, sexual violence and exploitation (with no psychological or other support, the bare minimum of medical attention and no access to justice), they also have the compound burden of having to endure the suffering of their children and families.

Nearly 9 million people need essential and critical access to health care. Women are more likely to give birth on hospital grounds than in hospitals.

Communities are destroyed as people flee, land is left uncultivated, crops to feed the hungry are not grown. Women and girls turn to prostitution to avoid hunger. Yet famine looms.

Children are denied the chance to go to school, their dreams are stolen, and with them the future of the country.

The more this aggression progresses, the more victims there will be; sexual violence increases every day and children do not study. With this, the Congolese are increasingly removed from any hope of economic development. In turn, other countries will have to deal with the pressure of displaced people and the risk of their own economies being destabilized.

The arrival of SADC brought hope to the Congolese, but they must be careful not to stand by and watch this carnage and suffering take place. SADC cannot allow this to happen. It is the essence of its mission – its raison d’être – that is being undermined.

(1)Julienne Lusenge is a Congolese human rights defender and social activist. She is the co-founder of SOFEPADI, which works to prevent sexual and gender-based violence, support and empower survivors, and help them rebuild their lives. She is also on the board of the UN Volunteer Fund for Victims of Torture. In 2023, the UN recognized Julienne’s far-reaching impact with the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. She is listed on the Times 100 most influencers of 2024. Other awards include: – Winner with mention of the Honorary Félix Houphouët Boigny-UNESCO Prize – 2023; Winner of the Aurora Prize*2021*; *Lauréate of the PremiICIP Prize*2021*; *Lauréate of the Women of Courage Prize*2021*; *Lauréate du prix international des Droits des Femmes Summit Geneva*2018*; *Laureate Prix Ginetta Sagan*2016* ; *Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur/France*2013*

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