Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the largely Tutsi RPF government built a repressive regime after a short pretence at national reconciliation, while hundreds of thousands of Hutu, many of whom had perpetrated the genocide, fled to Zaire. The two parties clashed when the Rwandan government attacked the refugee camps in September 1996, forcing some of the refugees back home and killing others. Their military success led the victorious Rwandan forces to push their advantage and overthrow President Mobutu with the help of several African allies and the discreet support of the United States. The collapse of the Zairian regime marked the passing of an era and the implosion of the Cold War postcolonial order in Africa. As a result the heart of the African continent has been engulfed in a low intensity but high civilian casualty conflict involving seven countries directly and another seven indirectly. The international community has shown little interest, yet this massive conflict will probably play a key role in reshaping the continent's future in terms of border definition, governance and economic change, all of which are addressed in this work.
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'Mr Prunier, elaborate, anecdotal and discursive, enjoys demolishing the idea that the war is a conspiracy of English-speaking countries to prise Congo away from the French sphere of influence. He points out that despite the intervention of Congo s neighbours in 1998, this was never a world war. ... Rather, Prunier points out, the genocide in Rwanda acted as an incendiary bomb, setting fire to disputes that go back generations.' --The Economist
'If Gerard Prunier did not exist already, there would be an urgent need for him to be created. The maverick French historian is a genuine rarity, someone who has criss-crossed Africa for 37 years, who can deliver a historical sweep but masters the details. He has battled at times alone to clear the foggy lens through which the continent is viewed.' --Financial Times
'The book is remarkable not just because Gerard Prunier, who has spent his life studying African conflicts, is able to call on every academic discipline required to comprehend this gigantic disaster, but also because he was an eyewitness to much of it himself, and frequently has telling details to offer about the behaviour and motivation of key individuals. He writes, moreover, with a verve, sophistication and wit equalled, in my experience, only by fellow French intellectual Regis Debray.' --The Sunday Times
'If Gerard Prunier did not exist already, there would be an urgent need for him to be created. The maverick French historian is a genuine rarity, someone who has criss-crossed Africa for 37 years, who can deliver a historical sweep but masters the details. He has battled at times alone to clear the foggy lens through which the continent is viewed.' --Financial Times
'The book is remarkable not just because Gerard Prunier, who has spent his life studying African conflicts, is able to call on every academic discipline required to comprehend this gigantic disaster, but also because he was an eyewitness to much of it himself, and frequently has telling details to offer about the behaviour and motivation of key individuals. He writes, moreover, with a verve, sophistication and wit equalled, in my experience, only by fellow French intellectual Regis Debray.' --The Sunday Times
About the Author
Gerard Prunier is a renowned historian of contemporary Africa and author of the acclaimed The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide and of Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide, both published by Hurst.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By B. White
Format:Hardcover
This a brilliantly detailed book which tracks the myriad of armed groups throughout the Congo basin. It is however exactly the same book as Africa's World War (which is the non-UK title).Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Sara B.
Format:Paperback
Wow! What a mess! This book is a very detailed account of the (most probably) biggest African conflict; a war fought among foreigners on the Congolese land for often unrelated interests and reasons. Starting with the aftermaths of the Rwandan genocide, Prunier covers the events `till the 2008. Although the situation is extremely intricate (during your reading you can probably get lost in a war bush somewhere in the Congo basin or drown in the river of words of a western diplomat), the author manages to guide a careful reader in the complexity of what he calls the "continental war".
I have learnt so much from this book! The mineral wealth of the Congolese region has been often used as a kind of catch-all explanatory device; well, through this work you are able to see much more about this catastrophe (which hasn't been very "media-sexy").
I have learnt so much from this book! The mineral wealth of the Congolese region has been often used as a kind of catch-all explanatory device; well, through this work you are able to see much more about this catastrophe (which hasn't been very "media-sexy").
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an excellent piece of historical writing for anyone seeking to understand the contexts and events of the Congo war. It is not simplistic and there are no heroes although plenty of victims... The problem of elites that see the state as a means to their own enrichment is evident. It is harder to see why any elite in power in any state in sub-saharan africa would do anything else.
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