Rwanda in the DRC: Keeping the Pot Boiling? : An eclectic approach to the study of regionalised conflict in Africa

Abstract

The conflict in the Great Lakes region has been called Africa’s World War and has cost more than five million lives. Throughout the conflict, Rwanda’s role has been considerable. Rwanda has invaded the DRC twice in the name of national security protection, as the Hutu rebels that were the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide relocated across the border and continued to attack Tutsi and launch attacks on Rwanda. Although justifying the invasions as quests to protect national security, Rwanda has at the same time participated in mass scale exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources. In this thesis I show how Rwanda has been able to play such a large part in its neighbouring country for the last fifteen years.

Through my analysis, I show that in order to properly explain Rwanda’s continued presence in eastern DRC, a regional approach is needed. In order to include both domestic, transnational and regional aspects in the analysis, I compose an eclectic model of elements from neo-patrimonialism, transnationalism and Regional Security Complexes. I show that due to the malfunction of the Congolese state and the porosity of national borders in the area, Rwanda has been able to maintain a presence in eastern DRC.

In addition, by analysing how Rwanda’s continued presence in eastern DRC is made possible, I also shed light on why Rwanda is present. Although it is difficult to determine Rwanda’s motivations, an analysis of the mechanisms enabling Rwanda’s presence ultimately points to a discussion of probable motivations. A question asked is whether Rwanda’s continued presence in eastern DRC can be interpreted as a means to sustain a level of conflict in its neighbouring country. Rwanda would not have been able to play the role it does in eastern DRC today, had the DRC been in control over the entirety of its territory. By remaining too big, too weak, and too fragmented – does the DRC cater to Rwanda’s needs in a way it would not do had it been a centralised and powerful neighbour?

My findings do not support this view. Rather, I argue that by maintaining a level of conflict next door, Rwanda would both be jeopardising its own security, and facilitating the continuation of attacks on Tutsi in eastern DRC. Continued conflict is more to Rwanda’s detriment than to its advantage – and thus, keeping the pot boiling would arguably not be Rwanda’s goal.