UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU– NATAL Recurring Conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: the Search for a Regional Conflict Transformation Mechanism premised on Collective Security and the African Ethical Concept of Ubuntu By Engelbert Abel Rugeje Supervisor: Dr Munyaradzi Felix Murove A Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Postgraduate Programme in Ethics, School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa November 2016 DECLARATION I, Engelbert Abel Rugeje declare that, i. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original work. ii. The thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other institution or university. iii. This thesis does not contain other person’s data, pictures graphs or any other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from elsewhere. iv. The thesis does not contain other people’s writing unless specifically acknowledged. Where other written sources have been quoted, their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them and where exact words have been quoted, their writing has been placed in quotation marks and referenced. v. The thesis does not contain texts, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet unless specifically acknowledged and the source revealed in the thesis and in reference sections. Candidate: Engelbert Abel Rugeje Signed:……………………..………………… Date:…………………………….. Supervisor: Dr Munyaradzi Murove Signed:……………..…………………………… Date:…………………………….. i DEDICATION To my family, friends and workmates ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My humble gratitude and appreciation goes to my supervisor, Dr Munyaradzi Murove. Despite his firmness from the first day I registered for my Doctor of Phylosophy studies with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, his academic guidance and support remained critical up to the successful completion of this scholarly demanding endeavour. He will forever remain a source of academic inspiration. I am greatly indebted to the Commander, Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General (Dr) Constantino Dominic Guveya Nyikadzino Chiwenga for his provision of authority to undertake doctoral studies with this prestigious institution. General (Dr) Chiwenga continued to motivate me throughout my studies, especially during fieldwork research. He shared with me some of those gruelling and very challenging academic experiences that can be encountered at this level of study. I genuinely appreciate the administrative and logistical assistance availed to me by the Permanent Secretary of Defence, Mr Martin Rushwaya and his technical support staff. The critical mentorship role and motivation by Dr Sadiki Maeresera, a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Social Sciences’ Conflict Transformation programme is kindly acknowledged. Special appreciation is again extended to my entire administrative and support staff for all the assistance rendered during my studies. I would also like to thank respective members of the academic and support staff in the University’s School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics as well as fellow students (Pietermaritzburg Campus) for the relevant inspirations during the period of my studies. I would again want to extent my gratitude to Zimbabwe’s Heads of Diplomatic Missions (particularly Ambassadors) and the staff accredited to all countries where I conducted my fieldwork research study. Their support in facilitating interviews with key informants is highly appreciated. I would like to make special mention to all key informants who afforded me the opportunity to interview them. These include, among others; Excellencies former Presidents Dr Benjamin Mkapa, Dr Hassan Ali Mwinyi and Cde Thabo Mbeki and Ambassadors Edzai Absolom Chanyuka Chimonyo, Raphael Faranisi, Isaac Moyo, Kapya David Miyeye and Bizima Karaha. I again extend my sincere thanks to the Office of the President, the Republic of Rwanda, through the Director General (External Security), Colonel Francis Mutiganda, that proper and professional facilitations were made for me to successfully conduct interviews with policy practitioners, analysts and academics (based in Kigali) who are knowledgeable in conflict, peace and security dynamics in the Great Lakes Region in general and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in particular. The role iii played by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Uganda People’s Defence Force, General Katumba Wamala, in facilitating interviews with key informants in the Defence and Security sector in Uganda including the Chairman of the March 23 movement Mr Betrand Bisimwa is highly appreciated. The valuable efforts made by the UN Security Officer for the Great Lakes Region, Major (Rtd) Charles Kunzwa in linking me up with notable academics, especially those at the University of Makerere were very significant to my research study. My sincere gratitude is also extended to General François Olenga and Professor Lufunda Kayunda, the Special Defence Advisor and Special Security Advisor to the DRC President, respectively. Their offices played critical roles in facilitating me to gain access and conduct interviews with key informants, not only in the DRC’s Defence and Security Services, but also with higher military and civilian staff working for the United Nations Observer Mission in the Congo, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kinshasa and the Command Element of the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade in Goma, as well as academics, politicians, security analysts, traditional leaders and members of the civil society in the eastern DRC. My family, workmates, friends and colleagues in the academia will forever be appreciated for their respective contributions which range from moral support to constructive criticism and scholarly advice during the period of this research study. The views expressed in this thesis are from the author’s own viewpoint. iv ABSTRACT The recurrence of conflict in the eastern of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has resulted in peace-building efforts from national, international, regional and sub-regional as well as well as nongovernmental actors all aimed at bringing about peace and security to that region of the DRC. Despite of all these peace-building efforts, the eastern DRC has remained in a perennial state of armed conflicts. The political situation of DRC which, since the end of colonialism has remained unstable has also contributed to the situation of perennial conflict in the eastern DRC. None of the Congolese political leaders has succeeded in bringing an end to the conflict in the eastern DRC. Whilst numerous efforts have been made in the form of peace agreements, negotiations and reconciliation processes in an effort to bring an end to conflicts in eastern DRC, this perennial situation of conflict has continued unabated. As a result of recurrence of conflict in eastern DRC, there has been rampant violation of human rights, war crimes, displacement of civilians, destruction of property and infrastructure, small arms trafficking and illegal exploitation of natural resources. The United Nations (UN) and its Security Council (UNSC) has not been effective in addressing this situation of recurring conflict in eastern DRC in the sense that it has failed to provide financial and material support to regional bodies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). These organisations are more knowledgeable about the solution that can serve as a panacea to the end of of conflict in eastern DRC. However, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has monopolised the whole process of conflict resolution in the eastern DRC to the exclusion of regional organisations and this has been one of the contributory factors to the recurrence. This study thus raises the question of the interests which the UNSC is representing in the eastern DRC. Since the UNSC has failed to bring to an end a situation of recurring conflict in eastern DRC, it is the argument of this thesis that there is a need for peacebuilding mechanisms that are initiated by the SADC as a regional formation which according to the UN Charter is responsible for the implementation of the Collective Security System. The presumption behind the UN Collective Security system is that the regional entity is more knowledgeable on what needs to be done in resolving conflicts in its own region. Since most the peacebuilding mechanisms that have been applied by United Nations (UN), UNSC and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with the aim of resolving recurring v conflict in eastern DRC have failed to come to fruition, it is the main argument of this thesis that the African ethic of Ubuntu which has principles which echo the ideals of the UN Collective Security system can be a panacea to a durable peace and security in the eastern DRC. The main principles that are imbedded in the ethic of Ubuntu such as community, harmony and common belongingness can be appealed to and implemented within the region as part and parcel of creative action in peacebuilding processes in the eastern DRC. In this scenario, Ubuntu has ushered in the need to uphold the humanness, moral virtues and dignity as key aspects in addressing the seemingly unending conflict in the eastern DRC. Both external and internal players must have a fellow feeling of the suffering. The virtue