Briefing: North Kivu sees fresh clashes as peace talks stall in Kampala
Fresh fighting between the rebel M23 and the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the eastern province of North Kivu could spell the end of efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, analysts say. In what have been described as some of the deadliest clashes since the rebellion began in […]
UN Intervention Brigade fires on Congo rebel positions
Though it received its mandate in March, only around 2,000 of the Intervention Brigade's total force of 3,000 troops are currently in place in Congo and supplies and weaponry are still en route from contributing countries. But Jason Stearns, director of the Rift Valley Institute's Usalama Project, said the force had little choice but to […]
Combatants “recycled” in DRC
… The integration strategy has been viewed as far from favourable, but even so, the Mai-Mai group Yakutumba is on the cusp of being integrated into the FARDC, according a recent report by the Rift Valley Institute (RVI).
Congo, U.N. Extend Gains as Tension With Rwanda Rises
A Congolese army spokesman, Olivier Hamuli, said the rapes were committed by individual solders who are being prosecuted under the country's military law. Military analysts have blamed the indiscipline on poor training and commanders who exercise little control over troops. "Trust between soldiers and their superiors is extremely low in the Congolese army," Jason Stearns, […]
Usalama Kinshasa Conference
In collaboration with the Réseau pour la réforme du secteur de sécurité et de justice (RRSSJ) and the Centre pour la gouvernance (CEGO), RVI held a national workshop in Kinshasa from 4 to 6 November 2013, to conclude the first phase of the Usalama Project. The conference was held in the context of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework signed in Addis Ababa […]
Analysis: African U.N. troops raise stakes for Rwanda in Congo crisis
An analysis of the situation in Eastern DRC from Reuters: The deployment of a U.N. force of African troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to draw Rwanda into a damaging conflict with African powers and derail its economic 'miracle' if donors again cut aid over Kigali's involvement there… Rwanda's fortunes took a tumble last year, […]
In Kampala: Congo and M23 agree on almost everything before talks collapse
In a blog for the Christian Science Monitor, Jason Stearns, Director of the RVI Usalama Project describes how a deal to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo fell foul of demands from M23 rebels for integration into the Congolese army President Joseph Kabila expressed the view of many Congolese when he said during his speech to […]
Congo Halts Offensive Against M23 for Peace Talks
KAMPALA, Uganda—Congo's United Nations-backed troops have halted an offensive against the rebel group known as M23, in a step toward a peace deal that aims to end fighting and revive commerce in the mineral-rich African nation… The move comes as regional leaders look for ways to end a 20-month rebellion spearheaded by M23 and to […]
M23 Rebels Call Halt to Congolese Insurgency
KAMPALA, Uganda—The biggest rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday declared an end to its 20-month insurgency, after government troops earlier in the day drove fighters from their last remaining strongholds near the Ugandan border. People displaced from fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo troops gather in the eastern […]
Rapports français du Projet Usalama
Le RVI a le plaisir d’annoncer la publication des versions françaises des deux premiers rapports du Projet Usalama sur les groupes armés dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo. Le premier rapport, intitulé Du CNDP au M23: évolution d’un mouvement armé dans l’est du Congo, explore les racines de la récente rébellion, ainsi que […]