Complex political emergencies, the international community &amp; the Congo conflict

Smis, Stefaan; Oyatambwe, Wamu

doi:10.1080/03056240208704630

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 29, Issue 93-94

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Complex political emergencies, the international community & the Congo conflict

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research-article

Author(s): Stefaan Smis ^a , Wamu Oyatambwe ^b

Publication date (Print): September/December 2002

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is presently confronted with the most severe crisis since its independence. It has been transformed into a battlefield where several African states and national armed movements are simultaneously fighting various wars. Confronted with this acute political emergency, the international community, which has a responsibility in promoting peace and security has given an ambiguous message. In the absence of a clear response, the Southern Africa Development Community played a leading role in the mediation process that ultimately led to the Lusaka Agreement of 10 July 1999. The agreement was, however, signed in a totally different context from the present one. Moreover, the primary objective of the Lusaka Agreement, to topple Laurent Désiré Kabila, has lost its relevance since his assassination and replacement by a (more Western friendly) government led by Joseph Kabila. With the Lusaka Agreement signed by most of the belligerents, the international community had a framework through which to channel its growing involvement. However, confronted by the signatories to the Lusaka Agreement who were not ready for peace and therefore continuously violated established rules of international law and found pretexts to not observe the agreement, the international community remained divided and unwilling to become more involved ‐ particularly in light of the Somalia and Rwanda debacles. In the absence of this commitment, however, the whole idea of African renaissance could be put in jeopardy.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): September/December 2002

Volume: 29

Issue: 93-94

Pages: 411-430

Affiliations

^a Vice‐president of the Brussels Centre of African Studies (VUB‐ULB), Researcher in the Department of International Law (VUB) E-mail: ssmis@ 123456vub.ac.be

^b Researcher at the Brussels Centre of African Studies (VUB‐ULB) E-mail: oyatambwe@ 123456hotmail.com

Article

Publisher ID: 8704630 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 29, No. 93-94, September/December 2002, pp. 411-430

DOI: 10.1080/03056240208704630

SO-VID: 7f7424e1-1a6d-4d12-a800-af1c8c75a6c5

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

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Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 29, Pages: 20

Bibliographic note

Amnesty International. . 2000. . “Democratic Republic of Congo, ‘Killing human decency’. ”. London : : Amnesty International. .
André Catherine and Luzolele Laurent. . 2001. . ‘Politique de l'Union européenne et effets pervers pour le conflits dans les Grands Lacs’. . L'Afrique des Grands Lacs . , : 365––369. .
Braeckman Colette. . 1999. . “‘L'enjeu congolais. L'Afrique Centrale après Mobutu’. ”. Edited by: Fayard. . p. 346––349. .
Breytenbach W, Chilemba D, Brown T A and Plantive C. . 1999. . ‘Conflicts in the Congo: from Kivu to Kabila’. . African Security Review . , Vol. 8((5)): 33
Cliffe Lionel and Luckham Robin. . 1999. . ‘Complex political emergencies and the state: failure and the fate of the state’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 20((1)): 27––50. .
de Villers Gauthier and Willame Jean‐Claude. . 1998. . “‘Republique Démocratique du Congo. Chronique politique d'un entre‐deux‐guerres’ (Octobre 1996‐Juillet 1998). ”. p. 277––338. . Bruxelles : : CEDAF. .
de Villers Gauthier, Omasombo Jean and Kennes Erik. . 2001. . “‘République Démocratique du Congo. Guerre et politique. Les trente derniers mois de L.D. Kabila’ (août 1999‐janvier 2001). ”. p. 13––34. . CEDAF: l'Harmattan. .
Doswald‐Beck L. . 1985. . “The Legal Validity of Military Intervention by Invitation of the Government’. ”. In British Year Book of International Law . p. 189––252. .
Human Rights Watch. . February. 1999 . “‘Casualties of war: civilians, rule of law and democratic freedoms’. ”. February. ,
January. . “‘Kabila's human rights legacy’. ”. January. , New York : : Human Rights Watch. .
Kennes Erik. . 1998. . “‘La petite histoire des gendarmes katangais’. ”. RUCA. .
Geldenhuys Deon. . 2000. . ‘Rebuilding the DRC’. . South African Journal of International Affairs . , Vol. 7((1)): 43––50. .
Kornegay Francis and Landsberg Chris. . 1999. . “‘From dilemma to détente: Pretoria's policy options on the DRC and Great Lakes’. ”. In Policy Brief no. 11 . , p. 2Centre for Policy Studies. .
Malan Mark. . 2000. . “‘"The UN ‘Month of Africa”. A push for actual peace efforts or a fig leaf on the DRC?’. ”. p. 13––16. .
Malan Mark and Cornwell Richard. . 2000. . ‘Peace promotion in the Great Lakes region: prospects for a renaissance peacekeeping ‐ regional and international responses to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’. . Politeia . , Vol. 19((3)): 95––96. .
Mathews Sally and Solomon Hussein. . 2001. . ‘The Challenges of State Collapse in Africa: The Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo’. . Africa Insight . , : 25––26. .
Neethling Theo. . 2000. . ‘Peacekeeping Challenges in the DRC. . Africa Insight . , : 34
Organization of African Unity ( 1998 ), Statement by the OAU Secretary general on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Oyatambwe Wamu. . 1999. . De Mobutu à Kabila. Avatars d'une passation inopinée . , p. 221 Paris : : L'Harmat‐tan. .
Parqué Véronique. . 2000. . ‘Le rôle de la Communauté Internationale dans la gestion du conflit en République Démocratique du Congo’. . L'Afrique des Grands Lacs . , : 352––355. .
Reyntjens Filip. . 1999. . La guerre des Grands Lacs. Alliances mouvantes et conflits extraterritoriaux en Afrique Centrale . , p. 231––233. . Paris : : L'Harmattan. .
Schraeder Peter J. . 2001. . ≫Finie la rhétorique, vive la géopolitique: Premières tendances de la politique africaine de l'administration Bush≫. . Politique Africaine . ,
Sénat de Belgique ( 2002 ), Session ordinaire 2001–2002. Commission d'enquête parle‐mentaire ‘Grands Lacs’
Solomon Hussein and Mngqibisa Kwezi. . 2000. . ‘Towards Conflict Transformation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Specific Reference to the Model of Kumar Rupesinghe’. . Strategic Review for Southern Africa . , Vol. 22((2)): 22––47. .
Smis Stefaan. . 2000. . “‘The Legal Status of International Land Boundaries in Africa’. ”. In Politics of Identity and Economics of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region . , Edited by: Doom Ruddy and Gorus Jan. . p. 191––213. . Brussels : : VUB Press. .
Weiss Herbert. . 2000. . ‘War and Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’. . Current African Issues . ,
Willame Jean‐Claude. . 1997. . “‘Banyarwanda et Banyamulenge. Violences ethniques et gestion de l'identitaire au Kivu’. ”. p. 37––99. . Bruxelles : : Institut africain ‐ CEDAF. .
1999. . “‘L'odyssé Kabila. Trajectoire pour un nouveau Congo’. ”. Paris : : Karthala. .
United Nations ( 2001 ) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN Doc. A/56/327 31 August

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Amnesty International. . 2000. . “Democratic Republic of Congo, ‘Killing human decency’. ”. London : : Amnesty International. .

[2] André Catherine and Luzolele Laurent. . 2001. . ‘Politique de l'Union européenne et effets pervers pour le conflits dans les Grands Lacs’. . L'Afrique des Grands Lacs . , : 365––369. .

[3] Braeckman Colette. . 1999. . “‘L'enjeu congolais. L'Afrique Centrale après Mobutu’. ”. Edited by: Fayard. . p. 346––349. .

[4] Breytenbach W, Chilemba D, Brown T A and Plantive C. . 1999. . ‘Conflicts in the Congo: from Kivu to Kabila’. . African Security Review . , Vol. 8((5)): 33

[5] Cliffe Lionel and Luckham Robin. . 1999. . ‘Complex political emergencies and the state: failure and the fate of the state’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 20((1)): 27––50. .

[6] de Villers Gauthier and Willame Jean‐Claude. . 1998. . “‘Republique Démocratique du Congo. Chronique politique d'un entre‐deux‐guerres’ (Octobre 1996‐Juillet 1998). ”. p. 277––338. . Bruxelles : : CEDAF. .

[7] de Villers Gauthier, Omasombo Jean and Kennes Erik. . 2001. . “‘République Démocratique du Congo. Guerre et politique. Les trente derniers mois de L.D. Kabila’ (août 1999‐janvier 2001). ”. p. 13––34. . CEDAF: l'Harmattan. .

[8] Doswald‐Beck L. . 1985. . “The Legal Validity of Military Intervention by Invitation of the Government’. ”. In British Year Book of International Law . p. 189––252. .

[9] Human Rights Watch. . February. 1999 . “‘Casualties of war: civilians, rule of law and democratic freedoms’. ”. February. ,

[10] January. . “‘Kabila's human rights legacy’. ”. January. , New York : : Human Rights Watch. .

[11] Kennes Erik. . 1998. . “‘La petite histoire des gendarmes katangais’. ”. RUCA. .

[12] Geldenhuys Deon. . 2000. . ‘Rebuilding the DRC’. . South African Journal of International Affairs . , Vol. 7((1)): 43––50. .

[13] Kornegay Francis and Landsberg Chris. . 1999. . “‘From dilemma to détente: Pretoria's policy options on the DRC and Great Lakes’. ”. In Policy Brief no. 11 . , p. 2Centre for Policy Studies. .

[14] Malan Mark. . 2000. . “‘"The UN ‘Month of Africa”. A push for actual peace efforts or a fig leaf on the DRC?’. ”. p. 13––16. .

[15] Malan Mark and Cornwell Richard. . 2000. . ‘Peace promotion in the Great Lakes region: prospects for a renaissance peacekeeping ‐ regional and international responses to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’. . Politeia . , Vol. 19((3)): 95––96. .

[16] Mathews Sally and Solomon Hussein. . 2001. . ‘The Challenges of State Collapse in Africa: The Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo’. . Africa Insight . , : 25––26. .

[17] Neethling Theo. . 2000. . ‘Peacekeeping Challenges in the DRC. . Africa Insight . , : 34

[18] Organization of African Unity ( 1998 ), Statement by the OAU Secretary general on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

[19] Oyatambwe Wamu. . 1999. . De Mobutu à Kabila. Avatars d'une passation inopinée . , p. 221 Paris : : L'Harmat‐tan. .

[20] Parqué Véronique. . 2000. . ‘Le rôle de la Communauté Internationale dans la gestion du conflit en République Démocratique du Congo’. . L'Afrique des Grands Lacs . , : 352––355. .

[21] Reyntjens Filip. . 1999. . La guerre des Grands Lacs. Alliances mouvantes et conflits extraterritoriaux en Afrique Centrale . , p. 231––233. . Paris : : L'Harmattan. .

[22] Schraeder Peter J. . 2001. . ≫Finie la rhétorique, vive la géopolitique: Premières tendances de la politique africaine de l'administration Bush≫. . Politique Africaine . ,

[23] Sénat de Belgique ( 2002 ), Session ordinaire 2001–2002. Commission d'enquête parle‐mentaire ‘Grands Lacs’

[24] Solomon Hussein and Mngqibisa Kwezi. . 2000. . ‘Towards Conflict Transformation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Specific Reference to the Model of Kumar Rupesinghe’. . Strategic Review for Southern Africa . , Vol. 22((2)): 22––47. .

[25] Smis Stefaan. . 2000. . “‘The Legal Status of International Land Boundaries in Africa’. ”. In Politics of Identity and Economics of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region . , Edited by: Doom Ruddy and Gorus Jan. . p. 191––213. . Brussels : : VUB Press. .

[26] Weiss Herbert. . 2000. . ‘War and Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’. . Current African Issues . ,

[27] Willame Jean‐Claude. . 1997. . “‘Banyarwanda et Banyamulenge. Violences ethniques et gestion de l'identitaire au Kivu’. ”. p. 37––99. . Bruxelles : : Institut africain ‐ CEDAF. .

[28] 1999. . “‘L'odyssé Kabila. Trajectoire pour un nouveau Congo’. ”. Paris : : Karthala. .

[29] United Nations ( 2001 ) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN Doc. A/56/327 31 August