After more than two decades of ongoing violent conflict, armed groups—however fleeting their existence—have become an integral feature of the eastern Congo’s social-political order. They are not a temporary aberration in what is otherwise a normal society. They are…
RVI publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic.
The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.
SEARCH
PUBLICATION TYPE
LANGUAGE
REGION
COUNTRY
For more than 20 years, Kalehe and Walikale, two territories connecting the provinces of North and South Kivu, have been characterized by a proliferation of armed groups. The first of these groups emerged during the Masisi war in North…
- By Koen Vlassenroot, Emery Mudinga, Kasper Hoffmann
- Download
Cela fait plus de vingt ans que les territoires de Kalehe et de Walikale, où se rejoignent les provinces du Nord et du Sud-Kivu, subissent une prolifération de groupes armés. Le premier de ces groupes est apparu pendant la…
Dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), les litiges fonciers sont considérés à la fois comme une source majeure et un facteur important de conflit. Au fil du temps, les chercheurs et les praticiens ont identifié plusieurs…
- By Michel Thill, Robert Njangala, Josaphat Musamba
- Download
Depuis les années 1990, le concept de Réforme du secteur de la sécurité (RSS) fait partie intégrante des programmes de reconstruction post-conflit, de rétablissement de l’autorité de l’État et de développement. En République démocratique du Congo (RDC), la réforme de…
Security sector reform has been a central component of post-conflict reconstruction and development programmes, and the restoration of state authority since the 1990s. However, these reforms have rarely been successful in the long run. In the DRC, police reform has…
The Rift Valley Institute’s Rural to urban mobility project aims to better understand the dynamics of rural to urban migration and the ways in which this phenomenon impacts the social and infrastructural fabric of cities in East Africa. It is conducted…
Recent Publications

2025 Year in Review
February 16, 2026
The 2025 Year in Review provides an overview of the Rift Valley Institute’s work over the past year across eastern and central Africa. The report highlights RVI’s research and publication outputs, education and training activities, and public forums and convenings,

Rethinking Aid in Sudan and South Sudan
January 28, 2026
The brief draws on a joint convening held in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2025, which brought together more than 45 Sudanese and South Sudanese participants representing more than 30 grassroots organizations and international NGOs. Its primary objective is to amplify

EWNET Writes: Writing Workshop Session I
December 18, 2025
The Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) inaugural writing workshop series aims to not only provide women researchers with uninterrupted time for their scholarly projects, but also build a supportive academic community. The first session, entitled ‘EWNET Writes: Writing Workshop Session