Writing experiment: Trying an everyone’s read of Congo…
… in less than 1500 words, reducing complexity as much as possible without skewing facts. All that, to favour readability with the aim of making the below essay comprehensible for whichever reader with or without preexisting Congo knowledge. Disclaimer: My last articles have sparked an interesting amount of critique, most of which was favourable from … Continue reading
Does Congo confusion transform into communication chaos?
Today has been marred by Congo coverage of its most confuse way. Time to wrap up things: Yesterday saw MONUSCO’s announcement of a security zone and the concomitant (possible) first deployment of the new Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) of UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO. A few facts to clarify a profusion of information and disinformation: The security zone … Continue reading
Is MONUSCO’s intervention brigade up to show some teeth?
This noon, MONUSCO, under its new force commander Dos Santos Cruz, MONUSCO announced a countdown of 48 hours, to end Thursday, 1 August at 4pm Goma time, for all “individuals who are not members of the national security forces and who carries a firearm” (sic!). According to the MONUSCO communiqué, a currently defined “security zone” largely includes … Continue reading
When the big ones meet… – UN Security Council on the Congo
On 25 July 2013, the recently reopened UN Security Council chamber held one of its most high-profile attended meetings on the ongoing turmoil in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (see here for the official wrap-up press release) Announced as a “ministerial meeting”, the Security Council’s 7011th session hosted US Secretary of State John Kerry … Continue reading
Local security dilemmas in eastern Congo
“La politique est formée dans les pensées des gens qui tiennent leur experience dans les mains.” (Raia Mutomboki combatant, April 2013) 2013 has so far been a period of relative calm around Bunyakiri, in South Kivu’s Kalehe territory. The locality, consisting roughly of three villages (Bulambika, Kando, and Kambali) had experienced increased levels of violence … Continue reading
The FDLR, a never ending curse in eastern Congo?
Discussing the Front pour la Libération du Rwanda, FDLR, is not an easy task. Not only that its history, activities, and ramifications are often opaque and controversial, also debates in academia and media usually spark fierce ideological drumming on all sides, social media being the best example. Still, many do it constantly. The recent rhetorical … 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
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