Laurent Nkunda: Protector, Profiteer or Puppet?

General Laurent Nkunda and his militias have been responsible for much of the recent resurgence of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nkunda is leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel group in Congo that has pitted itself against the Congolese Government and other militia groups. However, like most things in the DRC, understanding the motivation behind Nkunda's movement is anything but simple (view video).

Protector

If you asked Laurent Nkunda his intentions in taking up arms, he would tell you that he is fighting to protect Congolese Tutsis (known as the Banyamulenge). A Tutsi from eastern Congo, Nkunda has been fighting in support of his people for the past 14-years. Although he is originally from Congo, he fought with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), comprised of Rwandan Tutsis, in their effort to reassume power in Rwanda in 1994. In 1996, Nkunda joined a Tutsi-dominated effort led by Laurent-Desire Kabila and supported by Rwanda and Uganda against Hutus in eastern Congo. This military offensive became known as the First Congo War and ultimately ended in a coup that toppled the Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in favor of Kabila.

Profiteer

Eastern Congo, from which the First Congo War was launched, contains a wealth of resources (gold, cassiterite, coltan) that many players are interested in controlling for their financial benefit. Kabila's assent to power came with the assumption that the Tutsis of eastern Congo and the countries that had supported Kabila's effort (primarily Rwanda and Uganda) would be granted access to these resources. When this failed to happen, conflict erupted sparking the Second Congo War.

During the renewed fighting, Nkunda founded the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). The CNDP claims to protect the interests of the Banyamulenge and other minority groups in eastern DRC. Although it remains difficult to prove that Nkunda's interests are monetary, he has repeatedly been accused of having such intentions by the international community. Nkunda and his militias have allegedly been the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war crimes as they have terrorized civilian populations in DRC.

Puppet

Dozens of countries stand to benefit from access to Congo's resources. In fact, at least 6 countries were directly involved (on one side or the other) in the Second Congo War. All 6 countries stood to gain monetarily from joining the fray, and arguably none more so than Rwanda. As mentioned previously, Rwanda was a key player in supporting Laurent-Desire Kabila's assent to power and had everything to gain from a change in leadership. However, Rwanda was effectively dismissed by the Congolese Government following the First Congo War, and is now accused of being Nkunda's leading backer.

From the outset, Rwanda has had a heavy hand in eastern Congo. During recent demobilization programs in eastern DRC a couple hundred Rwandan soldiers have turned themselves over to the UN. Despite the fact that Rwanda has little or no coltan (a mineral found extensively in eastern Congo), it continues to export the resource. Recently, the Congolese Government charged Rwanda with supporting the latest emergence of violence by backing Nkunda.

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