Global Policy Forum

by Steven Holmes

It was not so long ago that Joseph Kabila's country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commanded the world's attention. His father, Laurent Kabila, had overthrown the corrupt dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, only to have his rule challenged by invading armies from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, and to be assassinated less than three years later.

Today, things are much improved economically and politically, but Congo is still in dire straits. It is ravaged by AIDS. Two-thirds of its territory is occupied by foreign powers and an estimated 2.5 million of its people died from war and starvation between August 1998 and March 2001.

Yet Mr. Kabila, who succeeded his father, has been unable to gain full deployment of United Nations peacekeepers, an important step in bringing peace to Congo. Though 5,300 troops have been pledged, fewer than half have actually been sent, he said in an interview today.

"It's just simple, that's because maybe Congo is not a priority," said Mr. Kabila, who is 30. "It's not on top of the priority list over at the U.N. That's the primary cause, because the situation in the Congo is a clear-cut situation. We've got nations which invaded another country, and one would expect, with a clear-cut situation, things could be done much more faster."

Other experts on Central Africa might dispute Mr. Kabila's assertion that he is facing a "clear-cut" situation. Foreign countries, particularly Rwanda, insist they sent troops into parts of Congo to deter the murderous actions of Hutu militiamen who had carried out genocidal massacres in Rwanda. Rwandan leaders say the Congolese government has lost control of many parts of the country, particularly in the east where these rebel groups operated.

Mr. Kabila said the real reason for the invasion by Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda was to loot Congo of its natural resources.

To Mr. Kabila, who met with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and officials of the International Monetary Fund today, the lack of progress in deploying peacekeepers and forcing the withdrawal of foreign troops indicates that with the United States at war in Afghanistan, few people are paying much heed to Africa at all.

"It's true that what's going on on the international scene today is Afghanistan," he said. "It's no longer the Congo, or any of the other hot spots."

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