The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the largest countries on the continent of Africa, home to 85 million people and filled with various economically profitable resources this region, is plagued by conflict and instability. However, most of this is seen in the eastern parts of the country. To analyze why this is the case, it is important to understand the situation that governs the whole country. Over recent years the Democratic Republic of Congo has experience several, “conflicts over land, resources, and power,” which has caused it to be significantly set back in development compared to the rest of the world (What's going on in Congo? Your questions answered, 2018, January 22). This lack of development not only impacts its economic climate, but its social and political climate as well. Out of the 178 countries in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked 6th on the Fragile States Index. This index takes into account “twelve conflict risk indicators [that] are used to measure the condition of a state at any moment.” (Fragile States Index, 2018, March 19). Because of this instability, elections have been postponed, which means little political change is going to come for the Democratic Republic of Congo. If no change is enforced in this country, the problems that haunt it now will only worsen, instead of becoming resolved. For example, in Northern and Southern Kivu (a prominent region in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo) “7.7 million people face acute hunger and 1.9 million children suffer from sever acute malnutrition” and, “the country is currently undergoing the worst-recorded cholera outbreak of this decade.” (What's going on in Congo? Your questions answered, 2018, January 22). Even though these problems affect the country as a whole, the eastern part of the Congo is considered more unstable and unpredictable. The reason for this is that an abundance of natural resources is centralized in the eastern region, thus, allowing it to fall victim, to what many scholars consider, the resource curse.
Experts define the resource curse as, “…the paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to have less economic growth, less democracy, and worse developement outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources.” (Resource curse, 2018, October 28) While the Congo is affected by other factors such as: colonialism, Cold War, and Authoritarian rule legacy; violent political transitions; The Great War; and continuing rebellion, all of these factors stem from the major problem of the resource curse. This abundance and variety of materials, such as gold, copper, tin, lead, zinc and coltan, located in the East (reference Figure 1.1) make this region immensly valuable and allows whoever controls it to become more powerful and influential not only in the Eastern part of the Congo, but also in the Western part and the rest of the world (Explore DR Congo in maps and graphs, 2018, July 26). During colonialism, the Belgium exploited this area for their own benefit and disregarded the negative effects they were causing on the Congolese population. The US and Soviet Union fought each other for influence over this area, even going as far as assassinating political enemies during elections that would threaten their influence. After the dictatorship of Mobutu, who was a leader supported by the US during the Cold War, rebel groups have fought against harsh authoritarian rule, which have made an environment that allows warlordism to thrive, and the ideals of democracy to perish.
Colonialism permanently affected most areas on the continent which, “…resulted in the disruption, if not the destruction, of indigenous customs and systems…” However, “the visited upon the Congo was among the worst experienced anywhere on the continent, especially during Leopold’s terrorist rule.” Not only did this inhumane rule eradicate a whole populations’ history, but it also hindered them from developing naturally and adequately for the future. While the Belgians had the capabilities to help develop the Congo into a state that could govern with sovereignty, they did no such thing. The effects of this is seen when once the Congolese people achieved independence, “the administration [had] collapsed [within a month after independence].” (Githaiga, N, 2015). These types of collapses, ones that result in inadequate government structure left behind by colonial powers, are seen all over Africa’s post-colonial countries and can help explain why African countries and regions, such as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, are as unstable and conflicted as they are today.