Subject: The meaning of the war in the DR of Congo Date: Mon, 12 Oct 98 15:03:03 +0100 From: <socappeal at easynet.co.uk> To: "What's new at In Defence of Marxism" <new at socappeal.easynet.co.uk>
What's New at Socialist Appeal's "In Defence of Marxism" web site www.marxist.com October 12,1998
Capitalism, imperialism and the wars in Africa The meaning of the war in the DR of Congo http://www.marxist.com/africa/congo1098.html
³The world will witness the birth of African economic lions, comparable to the Asian tigers.² (Vernon Jordan, US envoy to Africa referring to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Rwanda and the DR of Congo amongst others. February 1998)
³One hundred years from now, your grandchildren and mine will look back and say: this was the beginning of a new African renaissance² (Bill Clinton during his 12-day, six-nation tour of Africa, March 1998)
In May 1997 Kabila came to power in the former Zaire (which he renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo), ousting dictator Mobutu, after a lightning speed guerrilla campaign of 8 months.
His military victory (with the backing of Rwanda, Uganda and Angola amongst other countries) meant a victory for US imperialism and a defeat for French imperialism which had backed Mobutu until the end. This was part of the battle between Washington and Paris for spheres of influence and markets in Africa.
The US diplomacy was euphoric. They now had a string of ³client² regimes which included Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Rwanda, the DR of Congo and also a great deal of South Africa¹s foreign policy in the region was dictated by Washington. There was also a joint offensive by Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda against the Sudanese regime, the following target of the US offensive in Africa.
But many things have happened since which have disorganised Washington¹s plans. Two of the would-be ³African lions², Ethiopia and Eritrea have been in war against each other since last May in a bitter border dispute. At least nine other African countries have become involved in the Congo conflict which broke out on August 2 and South Africa has wasted any of the prestige she might have had as a ³progressive² regional power with her intervention in Lesotho to prop-up an unpopular regime. The government of Uganda¹s ³beacon of hope² President Museveni has been involved in a $69.6 million corruption scandal. It is also worth noting that none of these ³strong leaders² has been elected, a minor detail described by Washington as "uni-party democracy² (i.e. dictatorship). So much for the ³African renaissance² and the ³new breed² of ³strong leaders² and ³beacons of hope²!!
This 5,000 word article analyses the causes of the conflict in the DR of Congo. October 9, 1998
Further recommended reading:
-Marxism and the struggle against imperialism [June 1998] http://www.marxist.com/theory/colrev.html
-Congo Brazzaville, the Reasons Behind the Civil War [October 1997] http://www.marxist.com/africa/congo.html
-Mobutu Overthrown, What Next for the New Congo? [May 27, 1997] http://www.marxist.com/africa/zaire.html
-Crisis in Central Africa [November 1996] http://www.marxist.com/africa/centralafrica.html
Other sites:
New Congo News (http://www.marekinc.com/NCNNews.html) Mail and Guardian electronic edition (http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html)
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