“Choose peace, even if it drenches your dignity like the rain. For rain, though troublesome, does go away.” (Utu ke Owo Akpa yak edim edep- AI FOR PEACE – Community ) – Efik proverb introduced by Ubio Obu in DeepFunding’s AI for Peace project.

A Conflict That Spans Decades

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured one of the longest conflicts in the world. The eastern part of the country has been embroiled in fighting between the national army, local militias, and foreign-supported rebel groups for more than twenty years.

The instability stretches back to the mid-1990s – more precisely, the wake of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that sent destabilizing forces spilling over the border. What followed was a series of wars and rebellions so extensive it was dubbed “Africa’s World War” by analysts. Despite peace agreements on paper, war has continued in the DRC’s mineral-rich eastern provinces up to today, making the conflict an effectively inherited war spanning generations.

Root Causes of the DRC Conflict

The eastern conflict in the DRC has been driven by multiple overlapping factors.

Mineral Wealth: The DRC holds abundant natural resources which serve as both a blessing and a curse for the country. Important minerals that support electronics and batteries including cobalt and coltan exist in vast quantities beneath its land. The battle over control of these “conflict minerals” has both intensified hostilities while extending the duration of the conflict. 

Ethnic Tensions: Regional ethnic divisions emerged after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The genocide survivors and perpetrators from both Hutu and Tutsi groups became entangled in Congo’s conflict during the late 1990s. The ethnic Tutsi-dominated rebel group M23 developed as a result of these regional tensions. 

Regional Interference: The Rwandan government faces accusations from the DRC government and the United Nations for supplying military aid to rebel factions such as M23 while Rwanda disputes these claims. At various times Uganda along with other neighboring nations have been accused of dispatching military forces into the DRC while also profiting through illegal trade networks exploiting Congolese resources. 

Fragile Hopes for Peace in 2025

As recently informed, the DRC government and M23 rebels have just agreed to a cessation of hostilities after Qatar-brokered talks in Doha.

In late April 2025, the two parties declared a ceasefire and vowed to negotiate a broader peace deal. The peace brokered by Qatar offered a rare reason for hope in the battle-scarred region, the first breakthrough in months of intense combat. It has been hailed by observers as a “crucial step towards ending the violence.”

There are, however, doubts. Indeed, since 2021, at least six ceasefires have been signed between the government and M23, all of which collapsed as fighting resumed. This history of broken truces makes one skeptical about the new ceasefire. Rebel leaders and Congolese government officials have both grown frustrated during the Doha negotiations, and tough questions – including disarmament and what to do with fighters – remain unanswered. 

A Crisis on an Epic Scale

The human cost of the DRC’s long war is catastrophic. Today, more than 7 million people are displaced from their homes inside the DRC – one of the largest displaced populations in the world (DRC: 7 million displaced and “unprecedented” crisis, according to the UN | Africanews). Entire communities in provinces like North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri have been uprooted multiple times by waves of fighting. 

Many families have been living in crowded camps or makeshift shelters for years, reliant on international aid that often can’t reach them. In fact, huge swaths of the conflict zone are beyond the reach of humanitarian agencies, due to ongoing insecurity and poor infrastructure. So many civilians lack access to food, clean water and healthcare. Hunger and disease stalk these vulnerable populations – measles outbreaks, cholera and malnutrition have been recurring killers in displacement camps.

Join the AI for Peace Initiative

From the Deep Funding and SingularityNET Community, we believe in artificial intelligence as a tool for human development and well-being. We believe that the development of these super technologies should be aimed not so much at selling, killing, and generating centralized profits, but at improving human existence on this planet in a holistic way.

With the aim of reaching AGI in a way that is benevolent for humanity and all sentient life on planet Earth, we propose the development of BGI—Beneficial General Intelligence—that embraces the full complexity of what it means to be human in all its material, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. We propose working together to think through and develop ideas that harness artificial intelligence to create creative solutions for conflicts that seem to have no resolution.

Bridging the worlds of tech innovation and peacebuilding, DeepFunding is launching an AI for Peace Ideation Challenge and Hackathon to turn these ideas into action. We invite readers – developers, humanitarian workers, researchers and concerned citizens alike – to participate in Deep Funding’s AI For Peace initiatives.

We will be hosting today, Thursday May 1st 18:00 UTC an “AI For Peace” Town Hall where the Deep Funding community will be thinking and discussing together on how AI can actually bring peace to historical conflict areas.  

ZOOM Meeting Link: https://t.co/cquFNW4Ek6 

Share your ideas on creating real-world impact across global, social, personal, and ecological dimensions, participate on Deep Funding’s AI-powered peace Ideation Challenge and Hackathon: 

💡Ideation Challenge extended until May 6

 📝Registration is open until May 13

 💻Hackathon runs May 16–25

The road to peace is long and challenging, but every step – from ceasefire talks to hackathons – carries the hope that future generations may finally see the rains pass and the sunlight of peace break through.

We look forward to your participation!