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Publications

Publications

The Institute publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic. Blogs can be read here.

The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. Print versions of most books and reports, and digital versions in Kindle and other specialist formats, are available for sale from Amazon and other online retailers, and from selected bookstores. Proceeds from sales are allocated to the Institute's Scholarship Fund, which provides support to researchers and activists from eastern and central Africa.

The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.

Violent Cities, Violent Society: Analyzing urban violence in the eastern Congo
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
Violent Cities, Violent Society: Analyzing urban violence in the eastern Congo
By
Judith Verweijen
2019
Violent Cities, Violent Society by Judith Verweijen - RVI Usalama Project (2019).pdf

Over the past two decades, urban violence in the eastern Congo has reached alarming levels, However, it has rarely made it to the forefront of international policy and media attention. Violent cities, Violent Societies analyzes urban violence through the lens of the acceptability of using violence and the accessibility of violence, or the ease with which violence can be mobilized. Reducing…

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Villes Violentes, Société Violente: Analyser la violence urbain dans l'est du Congo
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
Villes Violentes, Société Violente: Analyser la violence urbain dans l'est du Congo
By
Judith Verweijen
2019
Villes Violentes, Société Violente par Judith Verweijen - RVI Projet Usalama (2019).pdf

Au cours des deux dernières décennies, la violence urbaine dans l’est du Congo a atteint une ampleur alarmante, cependent, il est rare qu’elle soit la priorité des politiques internationales et de l’attention médiatique. Villes Violentes, Société Violente analysent la violence urbaine sous l’angle de l’acceptabilité de l’utilisation de la violence et l'accessibilité de la violence, ou…

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Kiir Consolidates Power through Border Deal with Khartoum
x-border project
Sudan and South Sudan
Briefings
Kiir Consolidates Power through Border Deal with Khartoum
By
2019
Kiir Consolidates Power through Border Deal with Khartoum - RVI X-Border Briefing (2019).pdf
Key Points

In August 2019 a series of armed clashes occurred in Aweil East state (formerly Northern Bahr el- Ghazal), on the Sudan - South Sudan border between militias aligned to Paul Malong’s South Sudan United Front (SSUF) and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).

These clashes were one consequence of a new border deal made between Khartoum and Juba in June 2019…

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Berbera Port
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Berbera Port
By
Warsame M. Ahmed, Finn Stepputat
2019
Berbera Port- Geopolitics and State-making in Somaliland by Warsame M. Ahmed and Finn Stepputat - RVI Briefing (2019).pdf
Key Points International investment in Somaliland’s strategically located Berbera port may turn it into a new logistical gateway to East Africa and boost economic development in the self-declared republic. Berbera port has played a key role in the formation of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland. The recent deals to upgrade the port, made with the governments of the United Arab Emirates and…
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Rebels and the City
Usalama
Great Lakes
Briefings
Rebels and the City
By
Judith Verweijen, Christoph Vogel, Josaphat Musamba
2019
Rebels and the City by Judith Verweijen, Christoph Vogel and Josaphat Musamba - RVI SPR Usalama Project Briefing (2019).pdf
Key Points Despite focusing the bulk of their operations on rural areas, armed groups in the eastern Congo have long-standing connections with urban centres. Technological progress, such as mobile communication, and enhanced movement, especially through motorcycle taxis, have intensified these connections. These relations rely on mutual advantages: Urban-based supporters can bolster their…
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L'insécurité à Goma
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
L'insécurité à Goma
By
Maarten Hendriks, Karen Büscher
2019

Depuis le début de 2019, une série de meurtres, de vols qualifiés avec violence et d’enlèvements frappe les quartiers périphériques de Goma. L’aggravation rapide de cette criminalité violente a alarmé les habitants de la ville et les a poussés à réclamer une réponse plus efficace au gouvernement local et aux services de sécurité. L'insécurité à Goma: Expériences, acteurs et réponses…

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Un système d'insécurité
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
Un système d'insécurité : Comprendre la violence et la criminalité urbaines à Bukavu
By
Michel Thill
2019
Un systeme d'insecurite par Michel Thill - RVI Projet Usalama (2019).pdf

Un système d'insécurité: Comprendre la violence et la criminalité urbaines à Bukavu examine le rôle des rôle des acteurs étatiques et non étatiques dans la mise à disposition d’outils pour la sécurité, ainsi qu’à la façon dont les citoyens perçoivent l’insécurité, leur vécu à cet égard et les réponses qu’ils y apportent à Bukavu, capitale de la province du Sud-Kivu dans l'est du Congo…

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Insecurity in Goma
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
Insecurity in Goma: Experiences, actors and responses
By
Maarten Hendriks, Karen Büscher
2019
Insecurity in Goma by Maarten Hendriks and Karen Buscher - RVI Usalama Project (2019).pdf

Since the start of 2019, a series of murders, violent robberies and kidnappings have taken place in peripheral neighbourhoods of Goma. The rapid rise in violent crime has alarmed city residents and led to calls for the local government and security services to respond more effectively. Insecurity in Goma: Experiences, actors and responses maps out the dynamics and experiences of, and…

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Making Order Out of Disorder: Customary authority in South Sudan
Sudan and South Sudan
Research Reports
Making Order Out of Disorder: Customary authority in South Sudan
By
Cherry Leonardi
2019
Making Order Out of Disorder by Cherry Leonardi - RVI SSCA Project (2019).pdf

South Sudan’s customary authorities play an important role in local government, justice, and as intermediaries or brokers between local communities and the government. While significant attention was paid to the role of customary authorities in South Sudan’s statebuilding project prior to the country’s secession in 2011, the start of South Sudan’s civil war in December 2013 reoriented the…

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A System of Insecurity: Understanding urban violence and crime in Bukavu
Usalama
Great Lakes
Research Reports
A System of Insecurity: Understanding urban violence and crime in Bukavu
By
Michel Thill
2019
A System of Insecurity by Michel Thill - RVI Usalama Project (2019).pdf

A System of Insecurity: Understanding Urban Violence and Crime in Bukavu examines the role of state and non-state actors in the provision of security, and citizens’ perceptions of, experiences with and responses to insecurity in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in the eastern Congo. Facing growing urban insecurity, the residents of Bukavu have taken matters into their own…

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