Taking the Fight to the DRC Rebels: The Potential Pitfalls of a UN Intervention Brigade
The creation of a special UN unit in the DRC to conduct “targeted offensive operations” against rebel groups could prove helpful, but there are also dangers. (First published by Think Africa Press at http://thinkafricapress.com/drc/taking-fight-drc-rebels-monusco-intervention-brigade-potential-pitfalls) At the end of March, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 2098. This not only extended the mandate of … Continue reading
Putting things in perspective: Buffet Foundation versus UN Group of Experts
On April 1, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation issued a report scrutinising the role, methodology, and content of the UN Group of Experts’ work on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reports closely aligns to the rebuttal the Government of Rwanda issued against the Group’s 2012 interim report’s infamous annex. It … Continue reading
A Robinson for Kampala, a Brigade for Rumangabo. The UN’s new Congo Strategy?
As expected by many, the sudden surrender of Bosco Ntaganda to the US embassy and his subsequent transfer to the ICC in The Hague has not stopped the ongoing political dynamics in and on the Great Lakes region. Shortly after his appearance in Kigali, the UN named a new special envoy to the Great Lakes … Continue reading
Terminator terminated…
Bosco Ntaganda appears to have “surrendered” to the US embassy of Kigali, Rwanda. One of the most wanted warlords of our days and a prime ICC indictee ends his journey as a commander of various Congolese rebel formations today and has asked to be transferred to the Hague, where most certainly a trial is awaiting … Continue reading
Confusion totale au Petit Nord?
Few days after the Addis framework agreement on eastern Congo had been signed, North Kivu appears to witness an escalation of violence bearing potential of dramatically changing the short-term politico-military landscape, particularly in the Petit Nord (territoires of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo). While clashes erupted between Congolese army FARDC and the Mayi Mayi of APCLS (“General” … Continue reading
With the Addis Ababa accord signed, what prospects for Eastern Congo?
Today has marked the signature of a new peace accord designed to bring an end to continuous violence and civil war in the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is not the first one, and if not properly implemented it will not be the last one either. There are a few positive … Continue reading
Once more, international politics on the verge to fail the Congo?
(Most of this essay, I actually wrote a few weeks ago, but I considered it still interesting now with a few amendments.) Two months ago in Kinshasa, Congolese flags and Francophonie logos were edging the boulevards. Heads of State, including French President Hollande, of l’Organisation Internationale de le Francophonie attended their summit secured by heavily … Continue reading
Goma. Anatomie einer Eroberung im weiteren Kontext
Am Vormittag des 20. November vermehrten sich die Agenturmeldungen und Kurznachrichten auf Twitter: Goma, die seit mehreren Tagen von der kongolesischen Rebellengruppe M23 (Bewegung des 23. März, laut einem gescheiterten Friedensabkommen) belagerte Provinzhauptstadt des Nordkivu, sei gefallen. Das Bild verdichtet sich, kurze Zeit später gibt es zahlreiche Bestätigungen dieser Nachricht und Goma fällt für etwa … Continue reading
Kivu troubles: Short wrap up and media review
(mis à jour depuis première publication) A spectacle of disinformation and contradictory rumours has been taking place after the seizure of Goma on November 20th and much of the events are still difficult to recap at this point. Saturday morning, however, actual withdrawal of the rebel movement began and many journalists present in Goma witnessed … Continue reading
Guest post: Observations on the Goma seizure
This is a guest post by David Barouski (Twitter: DBarou): These are my observations and comments after reading through the events of November 21, 2012. They are not organized and written down as they came to me, so I apologize for the haphazardness and lack of being easy to follow. Most of these points are … Continue reading
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