SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a long history of violence, much of it sustained from outside the country for the economic gain of various actors. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, northern donors have used interventionist policies to address this violence, and some of it has been brought to a close. This chapter traces how global security concerns have shaped the Congolese economy in the past. It then places the demobilisation and democratisation of 2002-6 in their economic and security context and explores the outcomes for the Congolese economy alongside what kind of peace has been agreed and what violence it accommodates.