Nominated by the Journal of African Elections (South Africa)

Abstract

What is the nature of the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Is it a civil war, as constantly reported by the international media, or is it a war resulting from foreign aggression, as indicated by the authorities in Kinshasa? Irrespective of what one may think of the regime set up by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the DRC, the legitimacy of his position needs to be recognised, especially considering that rebel groups only became active after the country was invaded by Rwanda and Uganda on 2 August 1998. Why did the war break out in the DRC? How is it that a country the size of an entire continent was invaded, occupied and exploited by much smaller states such as Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi? This article attempts to answer these questions.

Recommended Citation

Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges (2006) "War, Peace and Democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo," World Political Science Review: Vol. 2 : Iss. 3, Article 3.
DOI: 10.2202/1935-6226.1014
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/wpsr/vol2/iss3/art3