Political and economic instability in Congo-Brazzaville since the end of the 1997 civil war is closely linked to the wider central African conflict, according to an analysis by Oxford Analytica. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso does not enjoy close relations with Kabila but is dependent on continued military support from Angola, which currently supports Kinshasa in the DRC conflict, it said. Sassou has also used Rwandan Hutu Interahamwe fighters, thus antagonising the governments of Rwanda and Uganda. The Ninja and Zulu militia groups allied to Sassou’s main political opponents have links with the Angolan UNITA rebel group, while DRC rebel forces are present in the southern part of the Congo, Oxford Analytica said. Persistent violence is undermining efforts to return the country to normality, the analysis added.
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