New edition – Mapping armed groups in eastern Congo
(the cover photo of this article is a partial screenshot of the full map linked below) After a first edition four months ago, a renewed map localising a majority of non-state armed groups – more precisely, their zones of influence – in eastern DRC (focus on North and South Kivu provinces) is now available here. … Continue reading
Thoughts on MONUSCO’s upcoming mandate renewal
On 28 March 2013, the UN Security Council did something unexpected in many years before. It made clear, in its resolution 2098 that a peacekeeping force could, under given circumstances, actually implement chapter VII of the UN Charter. To this end, the so-called Force Intervention Brigade has been established with separate rules of engagement and … Continue reading
FARDC hunting down APCLS in Masisi, and what about FDLR?
After a period of conspicious calm, Masisi has (for saddening reasons) returned on the scene in February. The last weeks have been marred by stark violence and massive military activities, in particular in the territory’s southwestern parts. What happened? A brief summary analysis. As of late January, political tensions (displayed mostly along ethnic lines) have … Continue reading
Amani Festival | 14-16 February | Goma/DRC
Comme vous avez dû l’apprendre, le Festival AMANI, qui a été postposé après les évènements d’août à GOMA, aura lieu les 14, 15, 16 février 2014. Nous voulons lors de cet évènement de fête, de musique et de dance, rassembler des gens de tous les horizons, et principalement, les habitants de la région des Grands … Continue reading
Recent developments around Raia Mutomboki
Amidst military reshufflings and changes in eastern Congo’s security topography, the so-called ‘angered citizens’, Raia Mutomboki, remain one of the most complex and least understood armed configurations across North and South Kivu. Academic literature is almost non-existent and also other analyses are scarce good, leading to the ironically sad fact that an academic journal could permit … Continue reading
Dancing on the razorblades of meaningful DDR in eastern DRC
More and more weeks pass, but Congo’s new DDR efforts do not seem to move ahead. Awhile ago, I have tried to outline the main past failures and current challenges regarding sustainable demobilisation and reintegration efforts and ever since, the situation on the ground has grown more precarious. The Congolese government had finalised its new DDR … Continue reading
A new phase of imponderability for the Congo conundrum
While fake rumours about Kagame’s death made the news in Goma this week, lots of stuff is happening below the surface as the DRC enters the year 2014. As I have written a few days ago for Al Jazeera and on this site, M23’s defeat and subsequent demobilisation waves are likely not to be a panacea … Continue reading
Kinshasa on the verge of…what exactly?
Just a jot before a rather tumultuous but evenly promising 2013 should have ended in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a series of mysterious events shatter the country’s capital Kinshasa, as well as a few major cities across its provinces, including Lubumbashi, Kindu, and other places to be confirmed. In Kinshasa, a lightly … Continue reading
Many hitches ahead for Congo’s new DDR. Time to get over them.
On Boxing Day, the Congolese government has officially unpacked its new Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) approach. A cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Matata Ponyo has adopted the “Plan Global de Déarmement, Démobilisation et Réinsertion”, nicknamed DDR III because it is the third nation-wide approach in that regard. It is worth a while to have … Continue reading
The Landscape of Armed Groups in eastern Congo
(the cover photo of this article is a partial screenshot of the full map linked below) Two decades of armed conflict have created a complex topography in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Current estimates by research institutions, multilateral and non-governmental organisations, and individual analysts indicate a myriad of over fifty … Continue reading
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