The term 'African Great Lakes' represents 4 countries of Central Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly called as Zaire), Uganda and Rwanda. This region was characterized by the presence of multitude of lakes which were forming the natural border between the countries that surround them. This term reflected a reality which had a political influence than geographical.
Indeed, the African Great Lakes was experiencing significant changes over the last several years. All countries in this region have been involved in conflicts that have devastated the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly the province of Kivu, located in the eastern DRC, which was regarded as the center of envy. The crisis countered at the Great Lakes region was particularly complex due to the multiplicity of issues and diversity of its stakeholders. Still it was trying to understand the origins of conflicts that devastated the Great Lakes region by highlighting the aspirations and the role of many players and to unravel the tangle of various conflicts.
There was enmity between the Tutsi and Hutu people during the formation of the kingdoms of Rwanda and Burundi. In Rwanda, the monarchy was based on the Tutsi minority, farmers and cattle owners, who held a monopoly of power at the expense of Hutu farmers. A sense of exclusion of Hutus was against the political and economic dominance of the Tutsi, which worsened during the colonial era.
German and Belgian colonists relied in effect on the elite Tutsi, in Rwanda, like Burundi. The settlers adopted an approach of "race "between the Hutu and Tutsi, and established identity cards indicating ethnicity, accentuating the visibility of the ethnic divide. The social and political frustrations of Hutu crystallized, leading to the formation of an opposition Hutu violent, ready to prepare "revenge".
The end of the Cold War caused a release of long suppressed tensions, triggering a multitude of conflicts, including the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Tags: African Great Lakes, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tutsi and Hutu, Rwanda and Burundi
[...] It was the intervention of the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC), established by resolution 1279 of November induced the withdrawal of foreign troops from Congolese soil officially in 2002, ending the regional war itself.The DRC then engaged in a process of unification and pacification of the territory, with the signing on 2 April 2003 in Sun City (South Africa), the Final Act of the Inter Congolese Dialogue for the restoration of national sovereignty and peace. But the signing did not stop the conflict and it refocused at the tensions between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.they armed themselves to suit their interests and they stirred up the ethnic conflict to continue the exploitation of natural resources of the DRC. Nevertheless, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) opened up real prospects of stabilization between countries of the African Great Lakes with a hope for peace. [...]
[...] the conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu people is proving to be a crucial factor in understanding the rise of violence in the Great Lakes region. The complexity of the second conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, however, makes the path to peace difficult. I. Conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi people and the 1994 genocide, which led to the first conflict in Zaire The 1994 Rwandan genocide The hostility between the Tutsi and Hutu people dates back to the kingdoms of Rwanda and Burundi. [...]
[...] This counted for the death of thousands. II. The second conflict in Zaire is characterized by its regionalization in the African Great Lakes and its neighboring countries the peace process is still uncertain A. The second conflict in Zaire 1998-2003 When Uganda and Rwanda backed the first conflict in Zaire, Kabila quickly established a policy hostile to both countries, whose troops still occupy the rich province of Kivu. Rwanda and Uganda justify their presence for security reasons, that is to fight the Hutu extremists and prevent infiltration of rebel movements in their territories, but while continuing the development of natural resources .the narrowness of the Rwandan territory and population pressure were significant elements to understand the desire of Rwanda to occupy a part of the vast territory of the DRC. [...]
[...] All countries in this region have been involved in conflicts that have devastated the Democratic Republic of Congo particularly the province of Kivu located in the eastern DRC, which is the center of envy. The crisis in the Great Lakes region is particularly complicated by the increasing number of issues and other diverse factors. Let us try to understand the origin of conflicts that devastated the Great Lakes region. As you progress reading it will highlight the aspirations and the role of many players and unravel different conflicts. [...]
[...] This war has killed more than 3 million people, the highest death toll in the world since World War II, mostly civilians, men, women and children. Moreover, innumerable acts of torture were committed, thousands of women were raped and many children were used as soldiers. Thousands of people d wereforced to flee from their homes to neighboring countries or other parts of the country. Many of them died of malnutrition Up to 2 million people were displaced within the DRC. [...]
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