The killing of the Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, the insurrectionary landscape in southern Congo and the natural and mineral riches of the territory. Marco Di Liddo’s analysis for Cesi (Center for international studies) chaired by Andrea Margelletti
The killing of the Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio, which took place on February 22, a few tens of kilometers from Goma, capital of North Kivu, eastern region of the Republic Democratic of the Congo (DRC) on the border with Rwanda, has suddenly rekindled international attention on one of the most violent, complex and long-lasting hotbeds of conflict on the entire African continent. THE INSTABILITY OF THE CONGO
For over 15 years, in fact, North Kivu has been one of the epicenters of Congolese national instability, as well as the place where both the Second Congo War (1998-2003) and the unresolved conflicts derived from it took place, such as the Kivu War (2004 – 2007), the uprising of the March 23 Movement (2012-2013) and the Alliance of Democratic Forces (AFD, 2017-2021). THE NATURAL AND MINING WEALTH OF THE CONGO
Despite the enormous natural and mineral wealth, North Kivu is one of the poorest, underdeveloped and fragile regions of the country, where social vulnerabilities represent the main incentive to fierce ethnic-sectarian conflict. Over 20 ethnic groups and related armed militias fight against government forces, the UN peacekeepers Monusco (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and against each other for control of the territory and its resources. , in particular agricultural and mining ones. Above all, gold, precious stones and minerals for the high-tech industry (coltan). THE CLASHES IN CONGO
The main dynamics of the inter-ethnic clashes are opposed by the Tutsi armed movements, presumably supported by the neighboring Rwandan government, and the Hutu gangs, which benefit from the financial and logistical support of Burundi. In both cases, the more or less direct involvement of the two countries of the Lakes region is motivated by the desire to destabilize the Democratic Republic of Congo and to use ethnic militias to control the illicit trafficking of gold, diamonds and minerals for high-end industry. technology. THE MULTI-ETHNIC MILITIA IN CONGO
In this context, in the last 4 years the role of the Alliance of Democratic Forces has grown exponentially, a multi-ethnic militia (with substantial Konjo and Amba shares) once supported by Uganda and the Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat. In fact, starting from 2015, the ADF intensified its contacts with the international jihadist galaxy, until a part of its fighters decided to swear allegiance to Caliph al-Baghadi and thus found a local branch of the Islamic State (Province of the Islamic in Central Africa, SIAC). To date, it seems almost impossible to distinguish the two organizations, whose peculiar trait is the tendency to state nationalization and to a capillary and effective control of the territory, even higher than that of the state institutions themselves.THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
In a similar context, the attacks by ethnic militias against the Congolese Armed Forces and both civilian and military personnel of the United Nations have a political and economic significance, aimed at reaffirming their presence on the territory in order to continue the control of illicit trafficking. THE HYBRID DYNAMICS
Even in the absence of an exhaustive information framework, the attack on the Monusco convoy in which Ambassador Attanasio was killed could be part of this hybrid dynamic between political insurgency and criminal deterrence. THE KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT
A big question surrounds the hypothesis about an alleged attempted kidnapping against the ambassador who ended up in tragedy. In fact, although such episodes are not rare throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo, no militia had ever gone so far as to attack a target of such high political value and so well protected and escorted. THE OTHER HYPOTHESIS
Therefore, at the moment, the most concrete hypotheses lead to evaluate the possibility of an attack by a Tutsi militia for intimidation towards Monusco or of a hostile action perpetrated by the ADF / Islamic State in Central Africa in order to continue its own growth path and international “accreditation”. THE POSSIBLE STRATEGY
In fact, although this branch of the Caliphate is one of the most active and expanding in the continent (from Congo to Mozambique), it still lacks an action with a great media and political-symbolic echo. In this sense, the attack on the Monusco convoy would fit perfectly into this strategy.
Article published by cesi-italia.org
