Tiny and Demon Killer got money from Rwanda and Uganda. African imperialism at work?

Rwanda aims to become the Singapore of Africa—rich and forever stable. But has stolen Congolese wealth at least contributed to Rwanda’s successes?

I’ve just tweaked the newest version of the Drone Child novel. Tiny and Demon Killer, my murderous Congolese rebels, are now secretly bankrolled by Rwanda and Uganda—not just by a corrupt plantation owner and his friends and family.

That’s only appropriate, given all the meddling that those two dictator-bossed countries have done in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the years, with their eyes on minerals, timber, and other riches there. A United Nations court has ordered Uganda to repay hundreds of millions to the Congolese. Tensions between the two nations and the DRC have waxed and waned. But no matter what, the damage remains—lost lives and stolen wealth.

Is the Congo itself a model country, free of corruption and human rights violations, including the mistreatment of some Rwandans living in the DRC? Hardly. But it is a poor one, and Rwanda and Uganda are a major reason why. More than five million Congolese have died in wars and related events, mostly through famines and epidemics; real-life rebel forces fought with help from Rwanda and Uganda. Like the foreign money men backing Tiny and Demon Killer, the fictional militia leaders in Drone Child, the two countries have often thrived on chaos and bloodshed in the DRC. All the easier to plunder Congolese resources, perhaps in partnership with ruthless corporations. Not surprisingly, UN observers have accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a brutal rebel movement that has used child soldiers and slaughtered thousands of Congolese.

As if that isn’t enough, there’s an effort by regional powers to establish a buffer zone between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Congolese worry that it could turn into a safe area for groups like M23. They also fear that other African countries will use the buffer zone and other excuses for their own resource grabs. Go here and here for more details on the East African regional force. Rwanda will feel offended if it isn’t fully included in the regional force. Of course.

Meanwhile, many Congolese worry about Rwanda, Uganda, and other countries exploiting the rebel movements to Balkanize the DRC into separate, weaker nations easier to pilfer resources from. I cannot attest to the veracity of an article in a Congo publication called Actualite.cd, but if true, the story would fit in with the Balkanization theory associated with the presence of troops from other African countries. Here are specifics about Niobium, a substance used in rockets and satellites among other places. Niobium is separated from Pyrochlore ore, mined in Lueshe in North Kivu province, and that’s said to be one of the destinations of international troops. The Congo isn’t the only source of Pyrochlore/Niobium, and I wonder if DRC government sources could be exaggerating its rarity. Still, Niobium is unquestionably strategic and sells for tens of thousands of dollars a ton. Many would regard it as definitely worth fighting over.   

Interestingly, Rwanda is a darling of Western countries and their companies, as well as China, the largest trading partner—quite a change from the 1990s when tribal-related conflicts led to a bloody civil war killing perhaps a million or more people. The local dictator, Paul Kagame, has made the proverbial trains run on time at the expense of political foes. Nowadays Rwandan laws are business-friendly, and corruption levels and crime rates are a fraction of those in the DRC. Living standards are not at Western levels but far higher than when Kagame rose to power years ago. The Congolese say stolen wealth is among the reasons.

Thanks to Junior Boweya for research help.