Nationalism In Congo

The never-ending civil war in Congo can be understood through the lens of nationalism. The economic, social and political instability has resulted in humanitarian interventions to end the abuse of human rights and to help citizens who were still suffering from the exploitation and traumatic violent experiences. Although Western and european countries have attempted to resolve the social conflicts in the eastern part of Congo, humanitarian interventions remain unsuccessful because nationalism is a core in DRC politics and it engenders wars as there is no strong or effective cooperation between the State and humanitarian aids. Humanitarian interventions ignore the social and civil rights such as the promotion of gender equality as well as the …show more content…
Now nationalism is defined as being free from foreign domination, being united and carrying the notion of self-determination. Nationalism is a movement, a sentiment or an ideology. Many nationalists fight over land, share the same language, history, values and land. There are two types of nationalism, civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism particular. Nationalism goes hand in hand with the State’s sovereignty which can be challenged by globalization actions. The positive side of nationalism is that for one, they enforce liberation, freedom, unity and pride. However, they also engender wars, genocide, hatred and xenophobia. This has been the case for DRC. Belgium has given DRC independence its independence in the 1960s. This independence can be seen as a way of liberation, freedom, unity and pride of the Congolese nation. Covington-Ward (2012) argues that “ethnic and ter- ritorial nationalism to greatly impact and lead the movement for Congolese independence”. However, after DRC had received its independence, it also encountered an endless civil war and ethnic …show more content…
According to Lwambo (2013) “An increase in knowledge about women’s rights does not automatically lead to a change in attitudes and behaviours among the population” (p.60). Several humanitarian interventions in Eastern DRC have taken into consideration the specific needs of women and girls such as medical, psychosocial, legal, and economic support and targeting issues revolving around sexual and gender-based violence. Although these humanitarian interventions have been successful in implementing “gender-sensitive” programs, they exclude the needs of men also victimized. For example, civilians and soldiers have reported traumatic experiences of violent abuse. The men are often seen as perpetrators more than