KAMPALA, March 28th (AMSP/CGTN) – – The US, and its European Union partners have been placing sanctions on various parties which they believe are contributing to the conflict in the eastern DRC. However, many believe such an approach is counter-productive…..and a fresh outlook is needed by the West.
Resolving the conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is proving to be a complex puzzle for African leaders. Several rounds of negotiations and cooperation efforts have yielded very little.
Now the EU and US are involved…..they’ve placed sanctions on individuals and entities they believe are fomenting the crisis. Some are from the M23-led rebel alliance — which recently took over large swathes of the eastern DRC……whilst others are from the Rwandan government, which stands accused of supporting the M23 — an accusation denied in Kigali.
Some experts in neighbouring Uganda are sceptical as to the real impact of the restrictions. “Until this person in the conflict can not access resources internally, then sanctions would work. But for now when they still collect taxes in the jungle of the DRC, they still trade in minerals, they still find alternative markets, it’s the same thing,” said Jonathan Tabalanga, Lecturer of International Relations at Cavendish University of Kampala.
The affected individuals are subject to a travel ban, and an asset freeze in both the US and the European Union…… and are forbidden from trading with EU- and US-funded companies.
“In international politics, diplomacy is supposed to lower the chances of conflicts and improve the chances of managing tension and disagreements without necessarily resorting to war. So when you sanction you have kind of cut off that threat,” said Ann Abaho, Lecturer of International Relations & Security at Nkumba University.
For many in the international community, the source of the conflict is the region’s mineral wealth, estimated to be worth about $24 trillion.
Nearly three-quarters of the world’s cobalt reserves are found in the DRC, an essential mineral in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries and electronic gadgets. Properly protect and regulate the local mining sector, and the militia won’t have any reason to fight.
Many believe a special deal with the US — which is desperate for such minerals to sustain its economic growth — could be a game changer.
The hope is that American investment in defense and security would dissuade the armed groups to continue their insurgencies.
amsp/cgtn-abp
CGTN