Over the last 20 years, the Congolese city of Goma has attracted almost 100 international NGOs, due to its history of violent conflicts, natural disasters and vast refugee population. In ‘The Humanitarian industry and urban change in Goma’, an…
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On 23 January 2013, RVI published the third Usalama report on the armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Written by Usalama Project Director, Jason Stearns, PARECO: Land, Local Strongmen and the Roots of Militia…
On 25 January 2013, RVI published the fourth and fifth Usalama Project reports on armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). UPC in Ituri: The External Militarization of Local Politics in North-eastern Congo describes the origins and…
On 5 April 2013, RVI published the sixth in its series of Usalama Project reports on armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Raia Mutomboki: The Flawed Peace Process in the DRC and the Birth of…
A recent report from the UN Group of Experts accuses high-level Rwandan defence officials of backing a Congolese military coup earlier this year, which displaced 200,000 people. Known as M23, the group of mutineers has allegedly received money, political…
The M23 Congolese rebel group (Guardian), widely thought to be backed by the Rwandan government, has been making significant gains in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks. The rebels occupied the vital city of Goma for ten…
Congo's M23 rebels have pulled back from the city of Goma but they are calling all the shots, leaving an increasingly isolated President Joseph Kabila with tough military and political challenges. The mining hub of Goma, the main city…
As our team drives out of our Goma hotel, we are told to wait at the barrier. The police commissioner of Goma has just returned to this city. Twelve bodyguards with ray ban sunglasses, clutching semi-automatic rifles and even…
With fighting continuing between rival factions of the M23 rebel movement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the RVI’s Usalama Project presents a profile of one of the M23’s most important commanders, General Bosco Ntaganda. Despite his…
Radio France Internationale “Le Débat du jour”, 4 December 2012 Thomas-Daquin Muiti, président de la Société Civile du Nord-Kivu en direct de RDC Aloys Tegera, directeur de recherche au Pôle Institut de Goma Jason Stearns, directeur du Projet Usalama…
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