Analysis: African U.N. troops raise stakes for Rwanda in Congo crisis
An analysis of the situation in Eastern DRC from Reuters: The deployment of a U.N. force of African troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to draw Rwanda into a damaging conflict with African powers and derail its economic 'miracle' if donors again cut aid over Kigali's involvement there… Rwanda's fortunes took a tumble last year, […]
News from RVI
In Kampala: Congo and M23 agree on almost everything before talks collapse
In a blog for the Christian Science Monitor, Jason Stearns, Director of the RVI Usalama Project describes how a deal to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo fell foul of demands from M23 rebels for integration into the Congolese army President Joseph Kabila expressed the view of many Congolese when he said during his speech to […]
Congo Halts Offensive Against M23 for Peace Talks
KAMPALA, Uganda—Congo's United Nations-backed troops have halted an offensive against the rebel group known as M23, in a step toward a peace deal that aims to end fighting and revive commerce in the mineral-rich African nation… The move comes as regional leaders look for ways to end a 20-month rebellion spearheaded by M23 and to […]
M23 Rebels Call Halt to Congolese Insurgency
KAMPALA, Uganda—The biggest rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday declared an end to its 20-month insurgency, after government troops earlier in the day drove fighters from their last remaining strongholds near the Ugandan border. People displaced from fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo troops gather in the eastern […]
Rapports français du Projet Usalama
Le RVI a le plaisir d’annoncer la publication des versions françaises des deux premiers rapports du Projet Usalama sur les groupes armés dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo. Le premier rapport, intitulé Du CNDP au M23: évolution d’un mouvement armé dans l’est du Congo, explore les racines de la récente rébellion, ainsi que […]
The uneasy peace in Ituri
The seventh RVI Usalama report on armed movements in the DRC focusses on two groups operating in Ituri District, the FNI and the FRPI. The report, by Henning Tamm, analyses these two mainly Lendu armed groups and considers the lessons to be learnt from the relative decline in violence in Ituri. FNI and FRPI: Local Resistance […]
Colonial Remembering, Injured Bodies, and Current Humanitarianism in the DRC
Charlotte Mertens, a researcher into sexual violence in the DRC, warns that Congolese victims of rape have different ideas about the kind of help they need from those who are trying to help them. Her commentary first appeared in the Amani Itakuya essay series on peacebuilding in the eastern DRC on www.christophvogel.net. Congolese colonial subjects […]
Reflections on the Recent Historiography of Eastern Congo
In a recent article for the Journal of African History, DRC specialist René Lemarchand writes that ‘there can be no doubt about Jason Stearns’ impressive command of l’histoire évènementielle, a fact amply confirmed by the excellence of the several monographs produced by the author under the auspices of the Rift Valley Institute‘. He describes RVI’s Usalama […]
Great Lakes Course 2012
The third Great Lakes Course was held in Bujumbura, Burundi from 7 to 13 July. The Director of Studies was Jason Stearns, also director of RVI’s Usalama Project and author of the acclaimed Dancing in the Glory of Monsters. The Deputy Director of Studies was Emily Paddon, Trudeau Scholar and Lecturer in International Relations at the University of […]