The two decade long war and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is of such complexity and with ever-changing alliances that one book is never enough. American journalist Michael Deibert has written a convincing re-run of the dramatic events leading up to the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda and the consequential two wars in the DRC resulting in ongoing rebellions by armed groups in the eastern part of the country. The book serves as an up-to-date history of the recent wars and the political dynamics in the DRC and the region to students, journalists and researchers interested in learning more about the ‘Congo crisis’, to borrow an expression from the early days of Congolese independence. However, it does not necessarily provide much new substance to those who already hold significant knowledge on this history and follow the political events in the country on an everyday basis. Nevertheless, Deibert manages to represent and highlight the most important political events in a detailed manner.
An important part of the picture in this history, as Deibert shows, is the difficult positioning of the United Nations represented with one of the largest peacekeeping missions in the world. The UN operation formerly (and still by many) known as MONUC and today MONUSCO has become deeply entangled with the Congolese armed forces and the current regime headed by President Joseph Kabila. Deibert shows (pp. 152–4) how military operations such as Kimia II in 2009, where MONUC supported an aggressive Congolese army to fight the Hutu militia known as FDLR, significantly impaired the image of the UN in the eyes of many Congolese civilians and human rights observers.
Deibert explains several important and potentially destabilising incidents such as the death of one of Kabila's closest advisors in 2012 – Augustin Katumba Mwanke – and the believed éminence grise of the regime (p. 189). However, he is less able to provide new analytical insights into these events other than establishing the facts.
It is to some frustration that Deibert presents ‘the Congolese people’ as a group of passive victims to the realpolitik in DRC and abroad. Indeed, the average citizen in the DRC does not hold much power to influence top politicians, as is not uncommon in most parts of the world. However, it is worth noting that it is the ‘Congolese people’ who have started several self-defence groups such as Mayi-Mayi alliances and the increasingly influential Raia Mutomboki groups in the eastern regions with various sympathy or frustration from unarmed civilians. In many cases, having protection provided by armed groups through local taxation is far better than relying on the arbitrary state army. Survival in the DRC relates largely to the ability to make your own living and create your own protection together with family, friends and enemies unrelated to the big events in Kinshasa and other central parts of the country. It is also incorrect to argue that it is only political and military elites that make money out of artisanal mining (pp. 109–10), as this attracts thousands of Congolese men, women and youth every year who earn more in this business relative to subsistent farming.
In conclusion, Deibert's book provides both a good overview and a detailed account of some of the core political events in the recent history of the country. However, for more political analysis to these events, readers should turn to other sources such as the blog ‘Congo Siasa’ by Jason Stearns.
