What Congo’s AfCON Protest Really Needed

‘Justice de Dieu, il y en a!’

— Chancel Mbemba

In his diplomatic response after the match with Morocco, Mbemba said ‘Justice de Dieu, il y en a!’ This became a statement that many Congolese fans swiftly adopted. Its loose translation is ‘God’s justice, there is.’ Mbemba was trying to communicate that ‘God’s justice exists.’ The incorrect grammatical structure made it so comical that it began to trend across Congolese mainstream media and social spaces. The popularity of Mbemba’s response led to the statement being shortened to ‘Judiya.’ However, beneath the laughter at Mbemba, a deeper question really must be asked. Where is the justice?

The AfCON tournament was not only a journey of comical highlight for the Leopards, they also used the tournament and their performance to bring more awareness to the devastating genocidal violence happening in eastern Congo. The war in Congo is the deadliest since the Second World War and continues to rise. More than 7 million people have been forcibly displaced within the DRC, and the United Nations Human Rights Commission reports more than a million people are seeking asylum in other countries including Angola, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. There is no appearance of peace on the horizon. Even while the tournament was ongoing, there was a fatal rebel attack in North Kivu. The team took several initiatives to raise awareness to this. First, they made an awareness video during their training in partnership with Fonarev, the body responsible for providing support to victims in their quest for justice, to stop the genocide. Second, they released a statement of solidarity with eastern Congo. Finally, during the semi-final against AfCON hosts, Côte d’Ivoire, the team wore black bands and did not sing the first half of the Congolese national anthem. Instead of singing, the team placed one hand over their mouth, and the other on the side of their head to mimic a gun. This stance symbolized the violent killings of innocent Congolese civilians, and the black bands were to commemorate all those lost to the violence.

Providing a just and clear overview of the genesis and history of the genocidal violence occurring in DRC would require numerous articles and books. However, a condensed outline of the more recent situation is necessary to understand the Leopards’ motivations to call for peace and an end to the violence and killing. Among the multiple factors that have caused and facilitated the continued genocidal level killing of civilians, three are notable factors. First, the mismanagement of the consequences of the Rwandan Genocide. Second, the political history and tension of the Great Lakes. Lastly, the deep interlinkages between violence and the preservation of several parties’ capitalistic interests.

One of the factors that is attributed as a cause of the ongoing violence in the DRC is the consequence of the global community failing to properly manage the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide as it came to an end. When the genocidaire regime began to lose its hold on Rwanda, many Rwandan Hutus fled into eastern DRC in fear of facing repercussions. This included those affiliated with Interahamwe—the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), who were among the perpetrators of the genocide. However, according to Human Rights Watch, the poor management of these groups by international bodies resulted in ex-FAR members, along with other parties, continuing their militant and violent killings in eastern DRC and fanning the flames on either side of the Rwanda-Congo border. Their ability to enter into the DRC was fostered by the political play of the Congolese dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. During his tenure, Mobutu had been a strong supporter of his Hutu allies and an aggressor to the Banyamulenge a group of Congolese who had Rwandan ancestry but had been present and living in Congo since the 1800s.

According to French historian, Gérard Prunier, in his 2008 book, Africa’s World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe, Mobutu was also involved in other political tensions within Africa that led to the involvement of countries like Uganda. Prunier also claimed that Mobutu provided a channel for arms to be provided to the Lord’s Resistance Army from their Sudanese allies, which placed a great threat to the political stability and security of Uganda. This threat motivated Uganda to join in supporting Laurent Kabila’s deposition of Mobutu alongside Rwanda. The insecurity presented by the alliances that Mobutu made pushed other parties such as Mozambique to be involved. And at the call of Kabila, Zimbabwe was also drawn into what is considered Africa’s World War.