Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

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The following analysis will examine the roles and obligations of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) by outlining different options in assisting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to end the existing conflict and build a long-term sustainable peace. DRC, previously known as Zaire, has been fighting an uneasy battle for the rights and lives of its people against the increased violence from the rebels over natural resources, ethnicity and power. CIDA’s agenda to aid DRC is to actively participate in the exercise of power and in the public decision making that affect the lives of people; to provide assistance in democratization in order to promote citizen engagement and increase awareness of the role of non-governmental …show more content…
Politics and economics in DRC have been shaped by exploitation of its natural resources that are the very foundation of the colonial state and were the reason behind increased interest of foreign governments. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide under Mobutu, many found refuge in DRC, previously known as Zaire. In that timeframe, the conflict between rebels and the civilians ended in a deadlock and UN peacekeeping operation, the most costly at the time, was established, but did not have any authority within the camps. Subsequent in 1997, Mobutu was executed in Morocco, while Laurent Kabila declared himself the leader of the Zaire and renamed the nation: Democratic Republic of Congo. Under the new leader, there were plans to bring back the authority that belongs to the government, with what two major rebel groups, RCD and MLC, did not agree as they sought a share of government. Therefore, a second war broke out a year later as the rebel forces used force to fulfill their gold of sharing the government. Following the civil conflict, Kabila was assassinated in 2000 and his son, Joseph, took over the government and held a fair and free election in 2006 that improved the international relationship with the …show more content…
The health and wealth of the country is at it’s lowest, and the life expectancy is shockingly low at only 50 years old. African states face numerous problems in their efforts to consolidate power. They are poor, short of trained manpower and funding the state through indirect taxes on foreign trade damages national economics because leaders are compelled to initiate greater administrative controls on imports. With the current situation, the DRC could face another conflict for the fight to preserve the resources and maintain the boundaries with the neighbors to keep its citizens alive. Therefore, CIDA should intervene into the

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