Third and revised mapping of armed actors in eastern DRC
With a slight delay, a new version of the armed actors mapping has now been launched and can be found here & here respectively. At a first glance, it does not entail major changes, but a closer look shows how recent military operations (especially those involving MONUSCO’s Force Intervention Brigade) have impacted on the region’s conflict landscape. … Continue reading
Annual Salaam Kivu International Film Festival (SKIFF) takes on its 9th edition
Guest Blog by Gaius Kowene and Timo Mueller The 9th edition of the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival (SKIFF) will take place in Goma, in the east of Congo from 4-13 July. SKIFF is a 10-day festival that regularly brings together over 14,000 people from around the globe. Through workshops, community discussions, film screenings and debates SKIFF provides … Continue reading
Le Burundi en crise ? Réflexions partantes des rumeurs ‘imbonerakure’
Anonymous guest blog Le 8 avril 2013, la presse burundaise et internationale s’émeut à la suite d’un câble confidentiel que le Représentant du Secrétaire Général des Nations-Unies, Parfait Onanga Anyanga, a envoyé à New York. Le message est destiné au Secrétaire Général adjoint Jeffrey Feltman avec copie à Hervé Ladsous, responsable des opérations de maintien … Continue reading
Seeking Justice in DR Congo’s Conflict: Can War-Crimes Trials Overcome Violence and Build the Rule of Law?
Guest post by Milli Lake (© Milli Lake) On 20th November, 2012, over 130 women and girls in eastern DR Congo were raped and sexually assaulted by members of the Congolese armed forces. The incident occurred after hundreds of soldiers from the national army were driven out of the provincial capital of Goma by the … Continue reading
Reconfiguring the state in eastern DRC: fixing the unfixable?
(first published on openDemocracy on 3 April 2014) Two decades on from the Rwanda bloodletting, conflicts still simmer in neighbouring DRC. While their success remains mixed, international agendas of state- and peace-building heavily impact on everyday life and the ‘governing of the ungovernable’. Among the most visible examples, the UN stabilisation agenda through its peacekeeping mission … Continue reading
15 points MONUSCO can do better (if its principals allow…)
15 points on the forthcoming MONUSCO mandate renewal In a few days, MONUSCO’s mandate (currently S/RES/2098) will be renewed by the UN Security Council under collaboration of the UN Secretariat, the DPKO, the DPA, the C34 committee (as a proxy for troop contributing countries), and other entities. MONUSCO has been successfully improving its record in … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya. Introducing an essay series on peacebuilding in the Congo
After some earlier announcements, the planned essay series on peacebuilding will start in a few days (i.e. Thursday or Friday this week). For some time, this site will feature a new, different short pieces approaching the topic from a unique perspective. Amani Itakuya means “peace will come” in Congo-Swahili (aka Kiingwana; coastal Kiswahili would say … Continue reading
North Kivu braces for potential UN-armed group clashes
(appeared first on 2 August 2013 at IRIN) A UN ultimatum for armed groups around Goma, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) North Kivu Province, to disarm, expired on 1 August and a security zone has been set up around the city. Goma is calm, but civilians, aid agencies and NGOs wait nervously … 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
M23 conflict revived on different fronts: Mutaho and the internet
After the recent events around Beni, in the so-called Grand Nord, marking a longtime suspected battlefield resurrection of Ugandan militia ADF-Nalu, also the outskirts of Goma experienced new skirmishes again. Last week, Congo news have been marked by islamist ADF rebels taking control over some parts of Beni territory, including the locality of Mbau/Kamango. Their … Continue reading
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