The surrender of Sultani Makenga [a vague sketch]
As current affairs continue to move at fast pace, the ongoing Amani Itakuya series on peacebuilding again needs to be disrupted – following one of my favourite slogans: Kwa kujenga amani, inabidii kusikia vita (To build peace, one must understand war). Throughout the day (November 7), newswires and analysts have outdone themselves with reports on … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #11: Trauma, Reconciliation, and the Possibility of Peace in Eastern Congo
Trauma, Reconciliation, and the Possibility of Peace in Eastern Congo Rachel Niehuus We were sitting at a coffee shop in Goma. We had been discussing Swahili colloquialisms that I was planning on using in my upcoming interviews. As I was getting ready to leave, I invoked a Swahili valediction often used in eastern Congo … Continue reading
Final Usalama Report on Armed Groups in Congo
(Photo © Rift Valley Institute) Today, the Rift Valley Institute’s Usalama Project on understanding armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published its final report, an overview on armed groups, insecurity, the army, mobilisation, DDR, and other concomitant issues prevailing in the largely instable areas around the two Kivu provinces. Written by Jason Stearns, … Continue reading
No more M23. The end of an era? And what’s next?
Few hours after the first rumours (initial public source seems to have been North Kivu governor Julien Paluku) announced the capture of Runyoni and Cyanzu by UN-backed FARDC troops (Mbuzi, the third hill under M23 control during the last week has been taken some 24-48 hours before). On November 5 early in the morning, the … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #10: Time to Bridge the Gap
Time to Bridge the Gap Carol Jean Gallo I’m on a different mission than the team I traveled with. So today, while they venture to some village an hour or two outside the New-York-like buzz of Uvira’s main drag, I’m staying behind in the city centre to write. It’s about 1 or 2 in … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #9: Changing our approach to peace-building in DRC, committing to unraveling the roots of SGBV and the conflict
Changing our approach to peace-building in DRC, committing to unraveling the roots of SGBV and the conflict Dominique Vidale-Plaza Perhaps one of the largest stumbling blocks on the road to peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been the failure of peace actors to understand, acknowledge and incorporate in the peace-building process, the … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #8: Rebels in suits: tackling civilian support networks of armed groups in the eastern DR Congo
Rebels in suits: tackling civilian support networks of armed groups in the eastern DR Congo Judith Verweijen When thinking of armed groups in the eastern DR Congo, the image that likely comes into the minds of many is that of soldiers in army fatigues brandishing AK-47s against the backdrop of the wilderness of the bush … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #7: Bembe – Banyamulenge à Fizi: à quand la paix ?
Bembe – Banyamulenge à Fizi: à quand la paix ? Godefroid Muzalia Ce questionnement me taraude l’esprit dès le premier jour de mes recherches sur l’insécurité persistante à Fizi. Depuis, j’ai eu plusieurs échanges avec certains Banyamulenge et Babembe. Pour les premiers, rien à faire, les seconds sont hautement xénophobes et potentiellement génocidaires. Pour les seconds les … Continue reading
Quo vadis M23?
In between the Amani Itakuya series (next contribution tomorrow by Prof. Godefroid Muzalia), a short note on recent events in Rutshuru territory, given numerous massive changes on the ground. In re-conquering the towns of Kiwanja, Rutshuru, and Rumangabo not even within 48 hours, FARDC has – with the support of the Force Intervention Brigade of MONUSCO … Continue reading
Amani Itakuya #6: The Conflict Minerals Agenda – Looking For Peace in the Wrong Place
The Conflict Minerals Agenda – Looking For Peace in the Wrong Place (photograph © Ben Radley/Obama’s Law) Ben Radley To be fair to some of the main advocacy organisations behind the campaign to ‘clean up’ the eastern DRC’s minerals – such as Global Witness and the Enough Project – they do not (when you take the … Continue reading
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