DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO TODAY: POLITICS

Popular Resistance Against Authoritarian Rule (Click to watch a video)

Authoritarian Rule

Corrupt authoritarian rule in the DRC has undermined its economy while promoting an endless cycle of poverty. Past presidents such as President Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent Desire-Kabila, and Joseph Kabila have all stolen money from DRC’s national treasury. They exploited their presidential power, taking money and resources for themselves, rather than redistributing them for the people and the nation (Lezhnev).

For instance, recently, with the popularity of the electric car, the global demand for copper and cobalt has increased greatly in recent years, making the DRC Africa’s largest copper producer and the world’s largest source of cobalt. However, hundreds of millions of dollars of mining revenue were stolen by the DRC’s past presidents for personal use, while leaving the people in absolute poverty. President Kabila and his family and friends have been able to acquire fortunes through such revenue (“World Report 2020”).

Political corruption has led leaders to disobey the law and disrespect the democratic institutions within the DRC. For instance, Kabila even attempted to prolong his presidency despite his two-term limit (Prunier).

Legacy of Colonialism

Such corruption in the Congo government has been possible since the government has never served the people. The government has never been held accountable to the people nor accountable to the law. This is a legacy of Belgian colonialism - exploiting resources with disregard to human life (Prunier).