Topic: 2025 – Authoritarianism and Democracy
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Krishna Mano
United Nations Special Political Committee
Authoritarianism and Democracy
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Krishna Mano
City High Middle School
As threats of democratic backsliding become more apparent in countries across the world, it is essential to understand that the failures of unstable systems of democratic government imposed on developing nations by the West are a direct product of centuries of brutal colonization. In the status quo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to suffer from a struggling economy and unreliable governmental authorities while simultaneously fighting for territorial control with rebel insurgent groups and neighboring countries. With this in mind, we strongly affirm the global establishment of sustainable democratic systems of government, but caution our fellow members of the Special Political Committee to understand the root causes for these well-intentioned states to become autocratic, especially in formerly-colonized nations.
Historically, despite the best efforts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to maintain a robust democracy and prevent the rise of authoritarian rule, the scars of our colonial past hinder our ability to lay the foundation for a more just government. King Leopold II initially colonized our land as his personal territory, the Congo Free State, in 1885 before the Belgian Parliament absorbed control over the country from 1908 until 1960. During this time period, our people underwent unspeakable atrocities at the hands of European colonizers who facilitated the Transatlantic Slave Trade and developed institutional control over the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, it was these colonial concepts that initially introduced the DRC to limiting political freedoms for certain demographics or communities, as the colonial figures had previously done towards the indigenous people of the DRC.
Upon gaining independence in 1960 after growing civil unrest against Belgian control, our nation struggled from the Congo Crisis due to a weak, haphazard transition of power towards the people of the DRC. The Crisis, riddled with a coup d’état just months after Belgium gave up control over the Congo, resulted in the deaths of approximately 100,000 people. In fact, the democratic system which was established shortly after our official independence was toppled by the United States because they feared our first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba’s potential communist ties with the Soviet Union. While we have always respected the importance of democracy in governing a people, the covert actions of other nations to undermine our rule of law has hindered our ability to listen to the people. However, by signing democratic treaties and free trade agreements with neighboring countries such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the 2002 Pretoria Agreement (or the Global and Inclusive Agreement on Transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo), we have made progress towards free elections and increased personal freedom for our people.
These aforementioned policies that the DRC has signed must be developed and further adapted as our world changes. We strongly urge the development of updated agreements that effectively promotes democratic processes in our governments without powerful foreign parties intervening to a malicious extent. As a nation that has proven to be a victim of brutal imperialism, we seek to share our nuanced perspective on this topic with our fellow members of the Special Political Committee and lead these discussions as a country that endures everyday threats to our democratic system of governance.
