-Analysis-
PARIS — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the potential to be the economic driver of the African continent. And yet, for decades the conditions necessary to realize this potential have not prevailed. And the risk for it to be the case after the elections taking place from today is strong.
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Everything in the DRC is excessive. In this French-speaking giant of 100 million inhabitants, with an area roughly the size of the whole of Western Europe, elections take place over a week: 44 million voters are called upon to elect their president, national and provincial deputies, and municipal councils, all at the same time. There are 100,000 candidates overall, including 19 for the presidency alone. All these figures give an idea of the magnitude of the electoral task at hand in a state that is largely dysfunctional.
And yet, the DRC is anything but a poor country. It is home to some of the precious minerals that are vital for the ecological transition, the second largest forest in the world after the Amazon, making it one of the world’s lungs, with enormous energy and agricultural potential. The only problem is that it’s just not working.
The DRC is a textbook case of what agronomist René Dumont called “mal-development”: resources are not lacking, they are diverted.
Complicated leadership
There’s no end of blame to go around: the Belgian legacy of King Leopold, who made the country his personal property, followed by predatory colonialism and a botched decolonization process that ended in tragedy with the assassination of the country’s first leader, Patrice Lumumba.
A long reign of dictatorship followed under General Mobutu Sese Seko, corrupt to the core that led to chronic instability that continues up to the present day. Leaders more often than not think of “serving themselves rather than serving others,” to borrow a slogan fashionable on the continent.
Instead of marking a new beginning, these elections risk perpetuating this instability, which would be a major missed opportunity.
In these elections, incumbent president Felix Tshisekedi faces old rivals Moïse Katumbi and Martin Fayulu. The latter was the likely winner of the 2018 elections, before a political sleight of hand. The results are likely to be contested again.
Crises piling up
One man stands out in this list: Denis Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has gone from fighting violence against women to crusading to save his country. But this pastor’s son, a doctor with no political experience, may not have the means to match his ambitions.
Even ISIS is trying to gain a foothold
Above all, there’s the war in the east, with dozens, if not hundreds, of active armed groups creating a humanitarian disaster. With the shadow of a powerful neighbor, Rwanda, which President Tshisekedi accuses of destabilization through the M23 army, in the province of North Kivu. And even the Islamic State (ISIS) is trying to gain a foothold.
For all these reasons, there is little chance that these elections will enable this great country to realize its potential. The rest of Africa and the world should be doing everything in their power to help it do so. Unfortunately, right now, other priorities are consuming the world’s attention.
