Clashes among the State forces and the armed groups skyrocketed in the DR of Congo
Feature image: Displaced in a camp in Goma. Source: The Associated Press
The confrontations between the State forces (FARDC) and the National Liberation Group March23 (M23) continue to increase in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country rich in resources dominated by the imperialists.
We have previously reported about the clashes between both State and foreign repression forces that act in the country with the national liberation groups, such as M23. Once again, the “security” in Congo has concern the imperialists due to the advance of the M23 group towards the regional capital, Goma. This is an important city in the D.R. of Congo, where two million people live and another half a million are displaced in the city seeking for refuge. It is believed that M23 group could be close to seizing the city, which would mean a big blow to the Congolese government, who would lose control over the region. Already in 2012 the M23 group took the power in Goma “with nearly any resistance”, as reported by other media. The response was a large military intervention of a special force of the so-called “peacekeepers” of UN, which took back the control of the city just a year later.
At the moment, the UN armed forces are beginning to retire from Goma due to the progress of M23 towards the city and by the arrival of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people to the city. On the other hand, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo demands that 13,500 soldiers and 2,000 police retire to the border of Rwanda and Burundi, despite international concerns. The militarization and repression of the country increase by the State, it that is unable to keep in line the violence of the people. After 20 years, the DRC has decided to establish the capital punishment again, which, as the State itself says “it will be reserved for offenders involved in criminal conspiracies, armed gangs, insurrection — and also those who commit treason and war crimes. It will also be applied to the military, including those who rebel or desert and join enemy ranks. ”
Since 1996, when the conflict sharped, more than six million people have died in the conflict. Only this year almost one million have been forced to flee their homes. There is also a lack of access to basic resources such as water, food, hygiene or sanitary access for those civilians who are in the middle of the crossfire between the armed groups and State and foreign repression forces. However, when the people raise up against the blue helmets for their clear pro-imperialist interest and against the people, the Congolese suffer a strong repression that leaves tens of dead in their path.
After 25 years since the beginning of MONUSCO, the UN military mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “keep the peace”, it has been shown that it has not served more than to ensure the interests of imperialists, mainly on mining resources, while there is still deepening in the misery of the people.
