Democratisation in the Dr Congo from Joseph Mobutu to Joseph Kabila

Democratisation in the Dr Congo from Joseph Mobutu to Joseph Kabila
Author: Hubert Kabasu Babu Katulondi
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2019-03-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1728382874

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced one of the most complex, meandering, and uncertain democratisation processes in Africa. In 2016 the third cycle of elections was not organised. The Presidential Majority (M.P) was accused of concocting an amendment of the constitution aimed at granting a third term to the incumbent President Joseph Kabila. Furthermore, the introduction of a Voting Machine by the electoral commission fuelled violent protests and a political impasse. The DRC tittered on the brink of collapse into another civil war in 2016. Yet, against all odds, the Congolese electoral commission organised peaceful elections in December 2018. Stunningly, the presidential election was won by the opposition. A peaceful transfer of power at the helm of the state occurred for the first time in the country after 58 years of independence. The DRC is now regarded as a model of political alternation in power in Central Africa. The essay stems from the observation that predominant theorisations of Congolese politics fail to grasp the fecundity of the Congolese democratisation. Most scholars and analysts tend to focus on the deficits and flaws inherent in Congolese politics. Hence, they are often oblivious to foundational strides accomplished in this process as it unfolded in the DRC. This essay undertakes a modelled exploration of the democratisation process that unfolded in the DRC from the era of President Joseph Mobutu (1990–1997) to the dispensation of President Joseph Kabila (2001–2018). The effort utilises a paradigmatic framework to unravel the intricacies of a phenomenon occurring in a country which, at first glance, is often assumed to escape any ideal type. To this effect, the essay utilises Dr. Samuel Huntington’s Model of the Third Wave of Democratisation. It elucidates the causes, patterns, problems, and prospects of furthering this process in the DRC. The book proposes a dialectical approach propounding the possibility of the consolidation of democratisation in the DRC.

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila
Author: Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2013-07-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1780329407

The people of the Congo have suffered from a particularly brutal colonial rule, American interference after independence, decades of robbery at the hands of the dictator Mobutu and periodic warfare which continues even now in the East of the country. But, as this insightful political history makes clear, the Congolese people have not taken these multiple oppressions lying down and have fought over many years to establish democratic institutions at home and free themselves from foreign exploitation; indeed these are two aspects of a single project. Professor Nzongola-Ntalaja is one of his country's leading intellectuals and his panoramic understanding of the personalities and events, as well as class, ethnic and other factors, make his book a lucid, radical and utterly unromanticized account of his countrymen's struggle. His people's defeat and the state's post-colonial crisis are seen as resulting from a post-independence collapse of the anti-colonial alliance between the masses and the national leadership . This book is essential reading for understanding what is happening in the Congo and the Great Lakes region under the rule of the late President Kabila, and now his son. It will also stand as a milestone in how to write the modern political history of Africa.

Crisis in the Congo

Crisis in the Congo
Author: F. Ngolet
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2010-12-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230116256

This volume offers a comprehensive history and analysis of the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the tumultuous period of 1997 - 2001. The author examines the most recent events in this turbulent region, offering a contemporary account that is both extensive and detailed.

The Legacy of Joseph Kabila and his Government Ð A Study of Democratic Deficit, Human Rights Abuses and Dictatorship in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Legacy of Joseph Kabila and his Government Ð A Study of Democratic Deficit, Human Rights Abuses and Dictatorship in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Author: Dr. Mark O'Doherty
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1387193430

Despite an international agreement in 2003 to end the war in the Congo and two further agreements at the beginning of 2008 to end fighting, the DRC remains a combat zone. Millions of Congolese have perished, and over a million more have been displaced. Under Joseph Kabila - who was supposed to step down in 2016 after 16 years as president, but has refused to go - there have been serious allegations of activists and journalists being arrested, beaten or killed. Critical, but also deeply sensitive and humane, the author offers suggestions how the Congo may regain its integrity and respect in the international community; by advocating a social-scientific analysis of these matters, as well as methods to improve democracy, social cohesion and human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Tragic State of the Congo

The Tragic State of the Congo
Author: Jeanne M. Haskin
Publisher: Algora Publishing
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0875864163

In the mineral-rich, dirt-poor Congo, the promise of democratic elections now offers to ignite a glorious future for the country - or a final conflagration.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo
Author: Rita Milios
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 80
Release: 2014-09-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1422294358

The name Democratic Republic of the Congo is a misnomer: the country has never been truly democratic or a republic. For decades this country in central Africa, which was once known as Zaire, was ruled by a brutal and corrupt dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. Since the mid-1990s, when Mobutu's government was overthrown, various groups within Congo have been fighting for power. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2003 and a new constitution adopted in 2006, fighting has continued in the eastern part of the country. Overall, the Second Congo War involved nine African nations and caused more than 5.4 million deaths, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second-largest country in Africa and possesses a wealth of natural resources. However, the government still has no control over large areas of the country, and the years of fighting have devastated the economy. Although the prospects for peace have improved, it will take years for Congo to fully recover from its devastating civil war.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo
Author: Michael Deibert
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2013-09-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1780323484

Over the past two decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been at the centre of the deadliest series of conflicts since the Second World War, and now hosts the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in the world. In this compelling book, acclaimed journalist Michael Deibert paints a picture of a nation in flux, inching towards peace but at the same time solidifying into another era of authoritarian rule under its enigmatic president, Joseph Kabila. Featuring a wealth of first-hand interviews and secondary sources, the narrative travels from war-torn villages in the country's east to the chaotic, pulsing capital of Kinshasa in order to bring us the voices of the Congolese - from impoverished gold prospectors and market women to government officials - as it explores the complicated political, ethnic and economic geography of this tattered land. A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Africa, The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between, Hope and Despair sheds new light on this sprawling and often misunderstood country that has become iconic both for its great potential and dashed hopes.