CONFLICT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

A SOCIOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE COUNTRY'S CURRENT SCENARIO (2024)

Visualizações: 156

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56579/rei.v8i1.2317

Keywords:

Democratic Republic of the Congo, International Relations, Humanitarian Crisis, Armed Conflicts, M23

Abstract

This article analyzes the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exploring its geopolitical roots, including the Rwandan genocide (1994), the two Congo Wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003), and the activities of armed groups such as M23, which receives foreign funding. The study, conducted through documentary research, highlights the humanitarian crisis in North Kivu, characterized by extreme violence, forced displacement, and the exploitation of coltan – a mineral crucial for the electronics industry and a central factor in the conflict. It concludes that state fragility and transnational economic interests require a coordinated international response.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Alfredo Gaspar Hernani, Federal University of Piauí

Master’s student in Political Science at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Brazil. Holds a teaching degree in Sociology from the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB). Bachelor’s degree in Humanities (UNILAB). CAPES scholarship holder.

David Gonçalves Borges, Federal University of Piauí

Professor at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI/CPCE), currently teaching in the Undergraduate Program in Rural Education (LEDOC/Human Sciences) and in the Graduate Program in Political Science (PPGCP). Holds a teaching degree (UFES), a master’s degree (UFES), and a PhD (UBI/Portugal) in Philosophy. Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and in International Relations (both from UNINTER). Bachelor’s and teaching degrees in Biological Sciences (FAESA).

References

AYRES, Christopher J. The international trade in conflict minerals: coltan. Critical perspectives on international business, v. 8, n. 2, p. 178-193, 2012.

BASHI, Wendy. Tensão política aumenta na República Democrática do Congo. DW, Bonn, 08 dez. 2020. Disponível em: https://www.dw.com/pt-002/tens%C3%A3o-pol%C3%ADtica-aumenta-na-rep%C3%BAblica-democr%C3%A1tica-do-congo/a-55861807. Acesso em: 11 nov. 2024.

BAUDON, Antoine. M23: a forgotten war and an overshadowed ceasefire. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), Hague, 09 ago. 2024. Disponível em: https://icct.nl/publication/m23-forgotten-war-and-overshadowed-ceasefire. Acessado em: 03 jun. 2025.

CLAUSEWITZ, Carl von. Da guerra. Tradução de Maria Teresa Ramos. 3. ed. São Paulo: WMF Martins Fontes, 2010.

DA FONSECA, Danilo Ferreira. Centros de memória e ensino: a Frente Patriótica Ruandesa e a difusão da história de Ruanda. Cadernos de África Contemporânea, v. 5, n. 10, p. 131-142, 2022.

DUARTE, Geraldine Rosas; CARVALHO, Letícia. Operações de estabilização e prolongamento dos conflitos armados: estudo de caso do retorno do M23 na República Democrática do Congo. Araucaria: Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofía, Política, Humanidades y Relaciones Internacionales, v. 26, n. 55, p. 227-250, 2024.

KABUMBA, Justin; ASADU, Chinedu. Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they’ve captured the key city of Goma. Associated Press, New York, 27 jan. 2025. Disponível em: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-rebels-northkivu-da924b78ece7e583962f3976544ab7a3. Acessado em: 03 jun. 2025.

MAGABO, Jacques; MUSHITSI, Patrick. Analysing the challenges faced by the East African Community Regional Force in countering M23 rebels in Eastern DR Congo. International Journal of Political Science, v. 10, n. 1, p. 14-20, 2024.

MONTAGUE, Dena. Stolen goods: Coltan and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sais Review, v. 22, n. 1, p. 103-118, 2002.

MORAES, Rodrigo Fracalossi. Operações de Paz e Comércio de Armas: Governança e Desgovernança Internacional na Gestão de Conflitos. In: KENKEL, Kai Michael; MORAES, Rodrigo Fracalossi (Orgs.). O Brasil e as operações de paz em um mundo globalizado: entre a tradição e a inovação. Brasília: Ipea, 2012, p. 93-115.

MSF pede maior resposta à grave crise em Kivu do Norte, na República Democrática do Congo. Médicos Sem Fronteiras, Rio de Janeiro, 05 abr. 2023. Disponível em: https://www.msf.org.br/noticias/msf-pede-maior-resposta-a-grave-crise-em-kivu-do-norte-na-republica-democratica-do-congo/. Acesso em: 28 jun. 2024.

NAÇÕES UNIDAS. República Democrática do Congo está “à beira da catástrofe”. ONU News, New York, 2 mai. 2024. Disponível em: https://news.un.org/pt/story/2024/05/1831081. Acessado em: 28 jun. 2024a.

NANGINI, Cathy et al. Visualizing armed groups: The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s M23 in focus. Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 3(1): 5, p. 1-8, 2014. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.dd

NTANYOMA. Delphin R. M23: M23: Four things you should know about the rebel group’s campaign in Rwanda-DRC conflict. The Conversation, 23 nov. 2022. Disponível em: https://theconversation.com/m23-four-things-you-should-know-about-the-rebel-groups-campaign-in-rwanda-drc-conflict-195020. Acessado em: 03 jun. 2025.

NUNES BERNARDES, Marina; PAVAM MAIA, Nathália. O Estado Africano, o conflito político na República Democrática do Congo e as suas projeções de desenvolvimento. Conjuntura Internacional, v. 16, n. 2, p. 41-50, 2019.

NZONGOLA-NTALAJA, Georges. The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: a people's history. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.

OJEWALE, Oluwole. Mining and illicit trading of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Institute for Security Studies, INTERPOL, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 29, mar. 2022.

PEREIRA, Letícia; AGUILAR, Sérgio. Congo – A atual dinâmica do conflito e a rendição do M23. Série Conflitos Internacionais (UNESP), n. 2, abr. 2014.

RDC enfrenta crise humanitária sem precedentes. DW, Bonn, 14 mar. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.dw.com/pt-002/rdc-enfrenta-crise-humanit%C3%A1ria-sem-precedentes/a-68518753. Acesso em: 28 jun. 2024.

SADC. Comunicado de imprensa: a SADC condena os terríveis ataques do M23 a um centro de deslocados internos no leste da RDC, que causaram 16 mortos e 30 feridos civis. Gaborone, Botsuwana: SADC, 05 mai. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.sadc.int/pt-pt/document/sadc-condena-os-terriveis-ataques-do-m23-um-centro-de-deslocados-internos-no-leste-da-rdc. Acesso em: 03 jun. 2025.

TURNER, Thomas. The Congo wars: conflict, myth and reality. Zed Books, 2007.

UNITED NATIONS. Letter dated 31 May 2024 from the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo addressed to the President of the Security Council. New York: Security Council, 2024b. Disponível em: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4053693?v=pdf. Acessado em: 03 jun. 2025.

WAFULA, Ian. The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo. BBC, London, 25 jan. 2025. Disponível em: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgyzl1mlkvo. Acessado em: 03 jun. 2025.

WEBER, Max. Economia e Sociedade: fundamentos da sociologia compreensiva. v. 2. 5 ed. Brasília: UnB. 2022.

WRIGHT, Quincy. A study of war. 2 ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.

Downloads

Published

2026-01-22

How to Cite

Hernani, A. G., & Borges, D. G. (2026). CONFLICT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: A SOCIOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE COUNTRY’S CURRENT SCENARIO (2024). Interdisciplinary Studies Journal, 8(1), 01–16. https://doi.org/10.56579/rei.v8i1.2317

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES JOURNAL

Section

ARTICLES

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Interdisciplinary Studies Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies adopts the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows for sharing and adapting the work, including for commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given and the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.

Metrics