Congo rebels set conditions for Goma withdrawal
Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday they would withdraw from the eastern city of Goma only if President Joseph Kabila agreed to their demands, which the Congolese government was quick to dismiss as a farce. The deadlock raises the risk that the eight-month-old insurgency could turn into an all-out war in a […]
Une instabilité stable
Après plus de deux décennies de conflit violent permanent, les groupes armés—quel que soit le caractère plus ou moins fugace de leur existence—sont devenus une caractéristique incontournable de l’ordre socio-politique au Congo oriental. Ils n’y sont pas une aberration provi- soire dans ce qui est, par ailleurs, une société normale. Ils sont au cœur des […]
Youth Groups and Urban Policing in the Eastern Congo
Key points In numerous cities in the eastern Congo, youth groups are involved in urban policing, operating in the space between state and non-state actors and formal and informal governance. While some youth policing groups are responsible for improvements in security in their neighbourhoods, others play a role in the deterioration of the local security […]
Blog series on urban insecurity in the eastern DRC
Research on conflict and violence in the eastern Congo often focuses on rural areas, which harbour armed groups, and are the prime sites of military operations against these groups. However, conflict and insecurity do not stop at the borders of cities. The inhabitants of many cities in the Congo are faced with rampant insecurity. […]
Un Ordre Ambigu
Points clés Dans de nombreuses villes de l’est de la République démocratique du Congo, des groupes de jeunes sont impliqués dans le maintien de l’ordre en milieu urbain, opérant dans un espace se situant à la fois entre les acteurs étatiques et non étatiques et entre la gouvernance formelle et informelle. Si l’on doit à […]
Kidnapping à Goma : « Les enfants, une nouvelle cible des ravisseurs »
A form of insecurity that first manifested in rural areas in North Kivu, since 2015, kidnappings for ransom have also become commonplace in the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Here, it is children who are often the victims. In this blog, Passy Mubalama zooms in on the experiences of parents whose […]
La tracasserie prend le dessus sur la sécurité au port de Goma
Roadblocks—infamous for the informal fees travellers must pay—are often thought to be found exclusively in rural areas. Yet, as Evariste Mahamba shows in this blog, the harbor of Goma also has a history of roadblocks. Having become hotspots of extortion, pressure mounted from citizen movements to dismantle the roadblocks. Recently, the new mayor of Goma […]
A System of Insecurity: Understanding urban violence and crime in Bukavu
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 […]
Vendre à perte ? L’insécurité des femmes vendeuses de Bukavu
Within the city of Bukavu—as elsewhere in the Congo—many women earn a living selling goods and produce at the market or in the streets. In this blog, Alice Mugoli explores the different types of insecurity to which these women are exposed. In particular, women who do not have a stall at the market but rather […]
Insécurité des marchands vespéraux dans la ville de Goma
In the city of Goma, numerous shop-keepers and street vendors—for instance, those selling phone credit, alcoholic drinks or food—work at night. As Alain Mukombe Misege analyzes in this blog, in certain quarters of the city of Goma—in particular, Kyeshero, Majengo and Mugunga—these economic operators run very high risks. Since the end of 2018, there has […]