The Democratic Republic of Congo is the latest proof, if any such proof was still needed that Africa is a failed continent.
When a fresh faced Joseph Kabila became president of that country almost 20 years ago, it was not clear to us outsiders just what gave him the mandate to take over from his father who had just been assassinated.
But politics in the DRC are intrinsically intertwined not just with tribalism, but also with the regional geopolitics of a sub-region long dominated, manipulated and even terrorized by both warlords and strongmen.
With time it became clear that Kabila was like his father, Laurent, a product and pawn of those same strongmen.
They assured his security, his upkeep and even helped him kill his adversaries.
He was there to serve not the interests of his people but of those warlords surrounding his country as well as those internally that have literally carved it into semi-autonomous fiefdoms.
DR Congo is such an important part of the African continent, holding huge promise of wealth and potential.
Kabila promised stability. He promised peace. And most importantly he promised democracy.
War weary, the people of the DR Congo gave him benefit of doubt, as did Africa and the rest of the world.
Almost twenty years down the line, Joseph Kabila has not delivered a single of the key promises he made.
DR Congo is worse off than when he came into power.
In a way both Kabila are his country are worse than was the case during the days of Mobuto seSeko that his father toppled.
Kabila’s constitutional term has long come to an end.
He has refused to vacate office, refused to call elections and even refused to allow for any dissenting voices.
Almost on a daily basis innocent civilians are being crucified by bandits loyal to him that Kabila calls soldiers.
The United Nations says that close to 15 millions of Congolese are facing starvation as a result of war and insecurity.
As a result of this senseless conflict, millions of people have been displaced.
Last year alone, the UN estimates that 5 million people were forced off their homes.
The United Nations has seen all forms of human catastrophes, yet this world body says DR Congo eclipses all those in scale.
The tragedy of the DR Congo is that it does not seem to be in any of the nine bordering country’s interest to resolve the crisis.
Not only are these countries fueling the DR Congo crisis, they are also in differing ways and to differing degrees benefitting from it.
DR Congo is so vastly rich in natural resources that if infrastructure of law and order was put in place, these resources would be so aplenty that they would be enjoyed not just by the people of that country but the whole of the sub-region.
DR Congo is not only notable for its vast wealth, but also the geographic size.
Because it borders no less than nine countries, it follows that what happens in Congo affects a large part of the African continent.
It therefore follows that Africa will never realize her full potential until such time that DR Congo is free.
This simple logic would mean that SADC and the African Union would be at the forefront of efforts to bring peace to DR Congo.
But that is not so.
In the efforts to bring peace both SADC and AU are almost none-existent.
Were it not of the United Nations the tragedy that is today’s Congo would be even deeper.
When war flared up in the DR Congo so many African countries, including those as far flung as Zimbabwe ended up on different parts of the warring factions.
This can still easily happen again.
Like Somalia to the east, the DR Congo is one of Africa’s most enduring security threats.
Until it is recognized as such there shall be no peace.
That peace can also not happen if Kabila remains in power.
