Short Term Causes
The Con's - stitution
By displaying a blatant disregard for the constitutional law, the DRC's presidents have damaged the stability of the country, and influenced their citizens to do the same. Each of the recent presidents have left a trail of debris behind them as they exited office, and the sum of their actions have burdened the DRC's current political state.
Mobutuism
Mobutu Sese Seko forcefully entered the presidency and immediately implemented a new national ideology called “Mobutuism”. It was spread across the country through the educational system, forcing every child to learn of it’s principals instead of religion. He built himself up and strategically used propaganda and the media to create a cult of personality. He used this to get away with many underhanded and illegal things while in office. Mobutu used his political power to benefit his personal wealth. He stole money from the DRC government, and he dedicated 17-20 % of the national budget to “Presidency Services” (GALE BIO). He manipulate the structure of the government by outlawing political parties that rivaled his own, which aided him in doing whatever he wanted, unopposed.
People did oppose him however, including Laurent Kabila. His rise to power was as chaotic as his presidency would be. He wanted to take down Mobutu, and he didn’t care if the refugees from the First Congo War got in the way. Many more people were displaced after his fight to gain control, which had bullets flying in once peaceful neighborhoods and villages. When Kabila gained power and exiled Mobutu, he created a new constitution. However, as proven by Kabila’s way of ruling, it became evident that you can the country from Mobutu, but you can’t take the Mobutu from the country. Kabila, when his actions are inspected carefully, mirrors many of the same dishonorable habits of Mobutu. He too used his power to help with his business ventures. He danced around the rules in his constitution in a way that he wasn't necessarily breaking them directly. For example, he made a lot of business deals, but he always “laced his business with politics”, so that he would seem productive (Africa’s World War by Prunier : Page 115). He was very secretive and avoided opposition by picking his own cabinet members, specifically looking for people who shared his views. While he was president, thousands of IDPs were getting caught in the crossfire of rebel conflicts, but all of the improvements he made were only cosmetic. Kabila had no real interest in improving the DRC democratically and it was practically “Mobutuism without Mobutu” (History of the Congo by Gondola).
People did oppose him however, including Laurent Kabila. His rise to power was as chaotic as his presidency would be. He wanted to take down Mobutu, and he didn’t care if the refugees from the First Congo War got in the way. Many more people were displaced after his fight to gain control, which had bullets flying in once peaceful neighborhoods and villages. When Kabila gained power and exiled Mobutu, he created a new constitution. However, as proven by Kabila’s way of ruling, it became evident that you can the country from Mobutu, but you can’t take the Mobutu from the country. Kabila, when his actions are inspected carefully, mirrors many of the same dishonorable habits of Mobutu. He too used his power to help with his business ventures. He danced around the rules in his constitution in a way that he wasn't necessarily breaking them directly. For example, he made a lot of business deals, but he always “laced his business with politics”, so that he would seem productive (Africa’s World War by Prunier : Page 115). He was very secretive and avoided opposition by picking his own cabinet members, specifically looking for people who shared his views. While he was president, thousands of IDPs were getting caught in the crossfire of rebel conflicts, but all of the improvements he made were only cosmetic. Kabila had no real interest in improving the DRC democratically and it was practically “Mobutuism without Mobutu” (History of the Congo by Gondola).
Like Father, Like son, Like Mobutu
Due to the financially distracted and indifferent president, the rebel groups continued to get stronger and more dangerous. The rebel groups scrambled to control as much as they could in order to fill the power vacuum that Kabila left. The rebels did whatever they wanted which increased the already high amount of IDPs in the country. As of 2013, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was 90% Internally Displaced People. Laurent Kabila was eventually replaced by his son, Joseph Kabila. This is a shining example of the discrepancies between the country's constitution and the country's actions. In the constitution, DRC claims that "injustice and its corollaries, impunity, nepotism," will lead to "the general decline of values and the ruin of the country." (DRC Constitution). The country is literally in ruin by it's own standards, but due to Kabila's "secretive and incoherent leadership"(Africa's World War; Page 149) the attention is being put on things that don't matter.
REd flag alert!
The Kabila family owns a huge and lucrative network of mining companies, involved in mining diamonds and other minerals all across the Congo! The family's companies make millions each year in minerals. Although it is not certain how much revenue the Kabilas receive from the mining, this is extremely problematic. How can a leader be expected to put harsher restrictions on mining, if he is the one making money off mining? (Michael Kavanagh, Thomas Wilson, Franz Wild).