Root causes of conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Résumé

Across the globe, many countries are marooned in incessant conflicts. Since the 1960s, a number of African independent states got embroiled in interstate and intrastate conflicts that obliged the intervention of the Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)especially the United Nations and to a lesser extent, the Organization of African Unity, now African Union. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), within the Great Lakes region of Africa has since then remained a theatre of conflicts. However, despite such interventions, peace and security have largely remained elusive in the DRC.  The objective of the study was to   examine the   root causes of conflicts in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  The study was underpinned by   protracted social contract theory in the construction of the theoretical framework. The study used the historical research design. The study was conducted in the   Eastern DRC,an area that has experienced protracted conflict for eons. The total target group comprised 257 respondents. The sample size was 85 respondents drawn from 100 questionnaires that were administered. Out of 100 questionnaires, 85 was duly filled and successfully returned represented 85% response rate. The study relied on both primary and secondary data from United Nations, African Union, and embassy of Democratic Republic of Congo, libraries and internet and presented descriptively through narrations. Interview schedules were also administered to key informants with knowledge on the variables in the study area. Questionnaires were administered to collect data. Data was presented in graph and pie-charts. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study found out that, of the total respondents,90.58% indicated that transnational insurgency was a major root cause of protracted conflicts in the Eastern DRC. The study concludes that, there are a number of root causes of conflict that are prevalent in the conflict-laden area of Eastern DRC. Therefore, the study recommends improvement of governance mechanisms and local participation in the affairs of Eastern DRC and that intergovernmental organizations should modernize early warning systems by integrating satellite surveillance, community-based reporting networks and regional intelligence platforms in order to enhance preventive conflict management measures to address the root causes of conflicts in the Eastern DRC.