The politics of rebellion and intervention in Ituri:the emergence of a new political complex?

Abstract

This article offers an interpretation of the present conflict in Ituri based
\non social analysis. Other than the conventional accounts which depart from
\nthe presence of foreign troops on Congolese soil, reduce the war to a
\nstruggle for natural resources or see it as the result of age-old ethnic
\nhatreds, the authors try to place this conflict into its social setting. The
\ncentral argument of this article is that the outbreak of violence in Ituri has
\nbeen the result of the exploitation, by local and regional actors, of a deeply
\nrooted local political conflict for access to land, economic opportunity and
\npolitical power. Firstly, it is assumed that the destruction of the local socioeconomic
\nfabric and the emergence of ethnicity as the main basis for
\npolitical mobilization has been the result of a long historical process in
\nwhich access to land, education, political positions and economic dominance
\nhave played a crucial role. Secondly, it is asserted that, although
\nforeign elements (i.e. the UPDF and RDF, formerly RPA) have contributed
\nsignificantly to the escalation of the political crisis in Ituri, the war
\nhas also provided a perfect platform for local political and economic actors
\nto redefine their position in this new political and economic landscape.
\nEventually, this emerging political complex has led to the development of
\na new political economy which is characterized by a shift from traditional
\nto military rule, to privatized, non-territorial networks of economic
\ncontrol, and to the consolidation of ethnic bonds in the economic and
\npolitical sphere.