After a long lull – owing to finishing PhDs and a host of other intervening issues – we are glad to publish today Suluhu Working Paper #3. Written by Elie Kwiravusa, if offers a new look at Beni’s insecurity conundrum. Through a political, an economic and a social lenses, Kwiravusa tries to order the multiple overlapping factors that may have contributed to the entrenchment of violence and mistrust in this area since over 5 years. Here is to the English abstract:

Since 2014, armed violence in Beni area – also known as ‘Grand Nord’ – has caused the death of around 2,000 civilians in a string of massacres and ambushes. Entire villages have been burnt, while scores have been kidnapped. Following a lull in violence from 2016 to 2017, hostilities are again on the rise. Congo’s thus far largest Ebola outbreak since mid–2018 has aggravated the humanitarian situation further as the Grand Nord’s populations remain caught between a rock and a hard place. Much of the insecurity is attributed to the Ugandan-originating Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), against whom military operations had been launched in 2014. While it remains unclear how much of the violence the ADF are responsible for – many other militias operate in the area – the Congolese army (FARDC) has lost thousands of soldiers on the battlefield, and dozens of UN peacekeepers were killed. Yet, the dynamics of violence around Beni are opaque. A host of intersecting political, economic and social factors is embedded in a national and regional conundrum of insecurity. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the situation around Beni, this paper unpacks why killings have stubbornly persisted despite a conjuncture of governmental and non-governmental efforts to tackle the causes of violence. It does so by exploring how different bundles of factors – of a political-administrative, economic and socio-cultural nature – complement each other in forming a Gordian knot of violence, displacement and mistrust.

You can read and download the Suluhu working paper #3 here and drop Ben or Christoph a line if you are interested to submit a manuscript. Furthermore, the Suluhu crowd is happy to announce that – from now on – authors and editors will benefit from additional insight and tips from a stellar new editorial board made up of Anna Reuss, Aymar Nyenyezi, Chloé Lewis, Claude Iguma, Gillian Mathys and Peer Schouten. Welcome!