The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to dozens of armed groups. Studying these groups and the way they affect local governance and conflict dynamics is challenging. How can we gather reliable data on these groups? And…
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In this blog, Claude Iguma analyses the rumours and events surrounding an attack by an armed group on the gold mining site of Misisi in Fizi, South Kivu. These rumours, resulting from uncertainties about the perpetrators and their motives,…
Ce blog analyse les raisons pour lesquelles certains politiciens se donnent à s’ingérer dans les conflits autour du pouvoir coutumier, un phénomène en recrudescence dans les deux provinces du Kivu. Il soutient que les chefs coutumiers ne doivent pas…
This blog analyses the social and security situation in the groupement (local administrative unit) of Waloaluanda, located in the territory of Walikale in North Kivu province. It argues that the isolation of this area, which is partly a result…
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Commodification and Conflict in the Horn of Africa Borderlands
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This report synthesizes findings from the Rift Valley Institute’s X-Border Local Research Network (2019–2025). In the surveyed studies, 25 leading local and international area specialists conducted extensive qualitative fieldwork across borderlands in South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Somali

Peace and Instability: Tigray since the Pretoria Agreement
March 26, 2026
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