11 February 2026
In 2025, the Great Lakes Region of Africa once again hit international headlines when M23 rebels seized control of Goma and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While most analyses identified natural resource control as central to the renewed violence, few recognised the role of identities that trace their roots to colonisation.
Indeed, the Great Lakes suffered some of the very worst colonial violence, with identity classification systems that profoundly influenced post-colonial governance structures. The histories of Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC, all former Belgian colonies, are emblematic of this legacy. During colonial rule, ethnic and socio-political identities were codified and institutionalised for administrative control. These classifications distorted pre-existing social dynamics and entrenched divisions that endured beyond independence, ultimately fuelling violence to the present day. The causes of today’s conflicts can be directly traced to colonial constructs.
Just as a tree cannot stand without its roots, a generation without its history cannot find its identity. —Angeline Abuor and Drake Onen
This policy brief examines how colonial identity frameworks contribute to identity-based violence and conflicts in the Great Lakes Region, with a primary focus on Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC. Comparative insights from Kenya and Uganda are included to illuminate broader regional patterns.
This brief is the fifth and final in a five-part youth-led series exploring the linkages between historical injustices, their enduring impacts in different African contexts, and the insufficiency of efforts to address these atrocities.
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