Uppsala universitet

The Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaire (DRC) has been seen by many as the epitome of a collapsed state, torn by conflicts on many levels - regional, national and local - intertwined and complex. Rebel factions have been fighting the government, fighting each other, attacking civilians and been subjected to infighting. The vast country is rich in natural resources, a fact that have prolonged the conflicts.

DRC won its independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960. The country has however continued to carry the burden of the Legacy of King Leopold II with a high level of violence and continuing human rights violations. Since independence the country has been torn by intrastate conflicts on five occasions. Straight after independence two provinces of the Congo, Katanga and South Kasai, declared themselves sovereign and intrastate conflicts followed that ended in 1962 when UN peacekeeping forces managed to regain control over the territories.

When the parliament in Congo was dissolved in 1963 the foundation for a new rebellion was laid. In 1964-1965 the CNL (Conseil national de libération, National Liberation Council) known as the Simbas fought in the eastern parts of the country to remove the government. In September 1964 the rebellion controlled almost half of the country and proclaimed a revolutionary government in Stanleyville. In January-June 1965, the rebels lost almost all territory they previously held. In 1967 militias again tried to overthrow the government from bases inside Rwanda.

In March 1977, the FLNC (Front de libération nationale congolais, Congolese National Liberation Front) launched a military campaign from Angola with the objective of toppling the regime of President Mobutu. The rebel group managed to take control over some territory in Shaba (Katanga); after asking for outside support FNLC was, however, pushed back into Angola. The insurgency recurred in 1978. At that point the USA airlifted French and Belgian forces into Zaire with the supposed mission to protect the 'white population', but these troops forced the FLNC out of the country.

In 1996-1997 an armed rebellion led by AFDL (Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo, Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo) and supported by Rwanda and Uganda managed to topple President Mobutu in May 1997. However the new regime was soon at war again, this time against RCD (Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie, Congolese Rally for Democracy) and MLC (Mouvement de libération congolais, Congolese Liberation Movement). This war, known as Africa's first World War had more than seven different African counties involved in the fighting. After years of negotiations the parties concluded a final peace agreement in 2003, and in 2006 the first democratic elections in more than 40 years were held. The next phase of the conflict broke out after the elections in 2006. CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple, National Congress for the Defence of the People) believed to be supported by Rwanda fought the government. This conflict ended in an agreement on 23 March 2009 but recurred in 2012 as a new movement M23 complained about the slow implementation of the last agreement. M23 was defeated in November 2013 by the government supported by UN forces. In 2013 a small group APCLS (Alliance des patriotes pour un Congo libre et souverain , the Patriotic Alliance for a Free and Sovereign Congo) who had earlier fought for the government changed sides and joined the fight against it. In Katanga conflict also re-erupted as Kata Katanga started to fight for independence.

Non-state conflicts and one-sided violence have been frequent especially in the Kivu regions, in Ituri and Katanga. In Kivu a local struggle has been fought between 'foreigners' and the autochthonous tribes. In Ituri the conflict between the ethnic groups Hema and Lendu led to gross massacres in the early 2000s. In Katanga the tensions have been between the Originaires and the Non-Originaires. All actors in all conflicts have used violence targeting civilians.

DRC has been a secondary warring party in conflicts in the neighbouring Rwanda.

Since 1946 DRC has experienced the intrastate, non-state and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence