Final Usalama Report on Armed Groups in Congo
(Photo © Rift Valley Institute)
Today, the Rift Valley Institute’s Usalama Project on understanding armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published its final report, an overview on armed groups, insecurity, the army, mobilisation, DDR, and other concomitant issues prevailing in the largely instable areas around the two Kivu provinces.
Written by Jason Stearns, Maria Eriksson-Baaz, and Judith Verweijen, the report
“presents the conclusions of its 18-month field research on the national army and armed groups in the eastern DRC in three parts: an analysis of armed mobilization, focusing on the region of North and South Kivu; an examination of the FARDC; and a critical review of past and current efforts in the field of demobilization and army reform. […] the report finds that in the DRC’s current political order, the mobilization of armed groups and hence violence is an effective strategy to obtain power and control resources. Troubled army policies only contribute to armed mobilization. By repeatedly integrating armed groups into the FARDC, the government has not only provided incentives for further insurrection, it has effectively sanctioned impunity. Untangling this Gordian knot will require a comprehensive political and military strategy, aligning local, national, and international initiatives.”
As all other reports (on: North Kivu, M23/CNDP, PARECO, Ituri, FNI/FRPI, UPC, Raia Mutomboki, Banyamulenge, South Kivu, and Mayi Mayi Yakutumba) and briefings (on: Bosco Ntaganda, Sultani Makenga, and MONUSCO) it can be downloaded on the website of the Rift Valley Institute.
suluhu.org 