Congo rebels keep hold on towns they pledged to leave
Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo kept a firm grip on Wednesday over towns captured from government forces, despite a pledge to respect a deal brokered by Uganda and withdraw. World powers and regional neighbors are scrambling to contain the latest violence in Congo's volatile east, where political and ethnic rifts and competition for […]
Rwandan Ghosts
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 played only a marginal role in the affair and appears to have just been reading from […]
Vice Versa: La RDC menacée d’implosion?
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 DRC faced with implosion? What does M23 want? Why does Kinshasa seem militarily impotent? And how […]
Concern over conflict
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 the possibility of a compromise between the dissidents, the Congolese government and the Rwandan government,” said […]
OTJR debate on the UN Group of Experts
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 of the motion that ‘This house believes that international monitors, such as the UN Group of […]
Insight: Congo army debacle at Goma raises specter of betrayal
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 Goma fell to M23 rebels on November 20, drunk and terrified Congolese soldiers roamed the streets […]
Congo rebels say will withdraw from Goma
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 far from clear after the rebels' political and military leaders gave conflicting statements over their intentions. […]
Does M23 want to create its own country?
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 imposed on his country — and urged the entire population to defend its sovereignty. Jason Stearns, […]
Briefing: DRC’s M23 rebellion under pressure
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 months. M23 (The Mouvement Du 23 Mars) began in April 2012 as an army mutiny by […]
Congo Rebels Strengthen Hand as Summit Fails to End Conflict
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 ethnic Tutsi- led rebellion in the east of the country, President Joseph Kabila and his Rwandan […]