More than 200 people have been killed and an estimated 40,000 people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January in attack attributed to armed groups connected to terrorist group ISIS. The United Nations has said an alarming increase of attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Since the start of the year attacks blamed on the ADF have, “killed 200 people, injured dozens others, and displaced an estimated 40,000 others. In three months, the ADF has raided 25 villages, set fire to dozens of houses, and kidnapped over 70 people. The ADF is known as one of the bloodiest of the 122 militias that plague in the eastern DRC. The killings have become more frequent since the army launched an offensive in October of 2019, when they were forced to split into smaller groups. The UN is concerned for the people who are displaced because they are at risk for food and medicine shortage. Even before the large massacre earlier this year, roughly ~100,000 people were internally displaced and in need of food and shelter. The UN refugee agency has requested $33 million and right now only 5% of it is funded.
The rise of killings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is alarming for the region because it will cause a unrest not only in the DRC but in surrounding countries as people will be seeking asylum. From my opinion its frustrating to think that there’s people in this world who go out of their way to harm others and destroy other peoples property. With nearly 140,000 people now displaced in the country it is alarming to think how much money will be used to help aid those individuals. I also wonder how long it will take to make peace in the country and prevent these massacres from happening in the future. With so many different militias in the area fighting over supplies and land there’s no surprise that there wasn’t a conflict that erupted. For the region surrounding the DRC it will also have to support them by providing supplies and financial aid.
From a level of analysis perspective we can examine this conflict from an individual level by people not having food or shelter. From a state level, the government is providing support to the area by building shelters and fighting back the militia groups. On a regional level, individuals will start flooding into the surrounding countries seeking asylum to get out of the unrest area of the DRC. From a global level, the United Nations is setting out to support the country with monetary and with supplies.