Home |
Site Index |
FAQs |
Contact |
RSS
|
Podcast
home > by publication type > podcasts > De Lorenzo: Political Disputes in Eastern Congo Predate Rwandan Genocide
Email
| Interviewee: | Mauro De Lorenzo, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute |
|---|---|
| Interviewer: | Stephanie Hanson, News Editor, CFR.org |
January 24, 2008
Long-simmering conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has flared in recent months. A peace conference between rebel groups and the Congolese government aims to end the fighting. Mauro De Lorenzo, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discusses the numerous armed groups in eastern Congo, including rebels led by Gen. Laurent Nkunda, Mai Mai militias, Congolese government forces, and the remnants of the forces who carried out the Rwandan genocide. The number of groups and their shifting alliances makes it “very difficult for outsiders to penetrate,” he says.
While many attribute the conflict in eastern Congo to fallout from the Rwandan genocide in 1994, De Lorenzo says there are political disputes in eastern Congo that significantly predate the genocide. He argues, however, that in order to quell the conflict in eastern Congo, the Rwandan militias must be induced to leave, or they must be disbanded. Everyone recognizes that these militias must be dealt with, he says, but the political will to do so has thus far been absent. In fact, the Congolese government has at times allied itself with the Rwandan militias to counter other armed groups in eastern Congo. For President Joseph Kabila to push out these militias, De Lorenzo says he needs to broaden his political base within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
I understand that I may access this podcast solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write webmaster@cfr.org.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
In Regional Monetary Integration, Peter B. Kenen poses an important question: Should various country groups follow the lead of the European Monetary Union and form similar full-fledged monetary unions?
Walter Russell Mead recounts the story of the centuries-long rivalry between the English- speaking peoples and their enemies in God and Gold.
Complete list of CFR Books.
In this POP, Adjunct Fellow Michelle D. Gavin suggests steps the Bush administration could take to promote political and ethnic reconciliation and to restore the viability of Kenya’s governing institutions.
In this paper, Senior Fellow Daniel Markey poses a set of recommendations for the United States to consider in response to Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
