ARMY AND SOCIETY IN AFRICA: HISTORY AND MODERNITY

Abstract

The subject of the study are civilmilitary relations in African countries. A view on the issues of these relations in the colonial period, in the postcolonial period, as well as at the present stage is presented, beginning with the formation of the “Force publique” until the formation of a modern army structure – the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The focus put is on armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the problems of army building and reformation process, participation in military actions of various social groups, including child soldiers and women. The issues of their social adaptation are reviewed. The problem of observance of human rights is analyzed. Facts from documents of non-governmental organizations on violations of human rights among servicemen are cited – the use of torture and sexual violence against civilians, which, as a result, provokes a mass exodus of people from conflict areas. Among the main violators of human rights are representatives of law enforcement forces and, first of all, regular army servicemen, including high-ranking officers. The impunity of crimes gives fertile ground for the emergence of new flash points of conflict, which entail humanitarian catastrophes and victims. It is reported that one of the key reasons for the critical situation in the legal sphere is the involvement of the military in the illegal exploitation of natural resources. The methods of empirical political science made it possible to identify the reasons for the collision between the army and society, to determine the scopes of their further interaction within the framework of the contradictory political process in the DRC. The author concludes that the interaction of the army and society is an unreliable model and is largely conditioned by the military-political situation in the country. Most African countries are classified as so-called “failed states” – failed countries, where from the moment of independence until now, armed conflicts that hinder the development of democratic foundations do not stop. As a rule, in most African countries the national army, if it exists, is unable to independently perform the functions assigned to it, first of all, the reliable defense of state borders. In the situation of incessant local conflict, we often have to speak more about the collisions of the army and the civil society, rather than about their interaction.