Televised comments made by Amb. Susan Rice shortly after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi have dominated the debate over her probable nomination for secretary of state. This is a bit surprising, since it's clear that she…
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Que veut le M23? Pourquoi Kinshasa semble impuissant militairement? Comment le Président Kabila peut-il sauver son régime face a la fronde de l'opinion congolaise? Tentatives de réponse avec Erik Nyindu et ses invités. (RVI translation:) Vice Versa: Is the…
The withdrawal of armed fighters who have swept through the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a matter of months is unlikely to mean an end to the perpetual conflict, analysts say. “I’m sceptical about…
On 17 April 2013, Oxford Transitional Justice Research launched an online debate on the role of the UN Group of Experts (GoE) on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Opening arguments were made by RVI Usalama Project Director Jason Stearns (in support…
When Congo's government army retreated in panic from the eastern city of Goma last month, many observers blamed the poor morale and leadership, ill discipline and corruption that have sapped its fighting capacity for years. In the hours before…
Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday they would pull out of the eastern city of Goma in an apparent stalling of their drive to "liberate" the whole country. However, the situation on the ground remained…
The United Nations Security Council has voted to sanction the leaders of Congo's M23 rebel force that has occupied the eastern Congolese city of Goma as UN peacekeepers stood by without resisting. President Joseph Kabila said war had been…
Heavy fighting broke out on 15 November in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo between M23 rebels and government forces (FARDC), breaking a virtual truce that had lasted on the frontlines between these forces for nearly three…
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda failed to resolve a border-region dispute at a meeting yesterday, strengthening the position held by rebels whose insurgency has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. After Congo accused Rwanda of supporting an…
The M23 rebel army, which seized control of areas along the border with Rwanda, is now establishing its own administration, complete with ministers, committees and local councils. The group is trying to present itself as a new type of…
Recent Publications
Thinking about Borderlands: Observations and implications from XCEPT programme research
March 31, 2025
Do the ways in which policymakers and national governments view borderlands reflect how the communities living there experience them? Building on this, can a better understanding of the characteristics of borderlands help in promoting development, improving governance and making more
Digital Governance and Security in the Horn of Africa
March 28, 2025
While digital finance—including mobile money—has developed unevenly across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, such technologies are nevertheless transforming everyday economic activities. In some cases, borderlands and cross-border financial flows are central to these digital developments and are driving further innovation. From
Legally Informal: Women, conflict and cross-border trade in the Mandera tri-border area
March 28, 2025
In the Mandera triangle—a pastoralist region encompassing the point at which the borders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia meet—the reality of local and cross-border trade often diverges widely from official state policies of control. This disjunction has created a grey