The Democratic Republic of Congo's Stake in the Crisis

In September 2005, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) High Command and hundreds of fighters crossed into Garamba National Park in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports of LRA attacks within DRC have remained minimal, but their presence has displaced thousands. In January 2006, LRA fighters killed eight peacekeepers from the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC), an act that drew international condemnation.

The attacks came at a critical juncture in the DRC's history. The LRA entered the DRC just months before the country's adoption of a new constitution and first democratic elections since independence. This came after decades of dictatorial rule and a six-year war from 1998 to 2004 that killed an estimated 4 million people. The eastern region of DRC, where the LRA entered, has long been home to several rebel groups, state human rights abuses and the breakdown of civilian government. In fact, over 25,000 refugees from the eastern DRC currently live in Uganda.

Given the proliferation of rebel militias, the government in Kinshasa hardly considers a few hundred LRA fighters a security threat. More importantly for the DRC, there are fears that LRA presence may provide a pretext for Uganda to once again invade. The Ugandan military was one of five foreign countries to send troops to the DRC during the war from 1998 to 2003. Uganda, along with other countries, used the invasion as a front to loot the natural resource-rich eastern DRC of millions of dollars worth of minerals and timber. In late 2005, the International Court of Justice ruled that Uganda must pay $10 billion in reparations to the DRC for human rights abuses committed and resources plundered during that period.

After the LRA entered DRC, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni threatened to invade the country in pursuit of the rebels. This instigated hostility in Kinshasa and drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Following the war of words, both Kinshasa and Kampala raced to build up troop levels on their collective border, further heightening fears of another cross-border conflict. The advent of the Juba peace talks deescalated this tension, along with new willingness from Kinshasa to cooperate and avoid conflict. Still, even as negotiations continue, Ugandan officials have hinted that Uganda may still invade DRC if peace talks fail. Such a move would likely undermine attempts by the DRC's newly elected government to stabilize the volatile east.

In 2004, U.S. helped establish the Tripartite Plus Joint Commission, which brings together representatives from Uganda, the DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi to discuss regional diplomatic and security issues. Tripartite Plus played a key role in defusing tensions in late 2005 between Uganda and DRC. Continued international support for Tripartite Plus and other regional initiatives will be key to mediate arising security threats and conflicts. In addition, regional support for peace processes will be essential for their success and implementation. The recent announcement that MONUC and the Congolese military will help monitor the Cessation of Hostilities is a great boost to the Juba peace process.