The uneasy peace in Ituri
The seventh RVI Usalama report on armed movements in the DRC focusses on two groups operating in Ituri District, the FNI and the FRPI. The report, by Henning Tamm, analyses these two mainly Lendu armed groups and considers the lessons to be learnt from the relative decline in violence in Ituri. FNI and FRPI: Local Resistance […]
Colonial Remembering, Injured Bodies, and Current Humanitarianism in the DRC
Charlotte Mertens, a researcher into sexual violence in the DRC, warns that Congolese victims of rape have different ideas about the kind of help they need from those who are trying to help them. Her commentary first appeared in the Amani Itakuya essay series on peacebuilding in the eastern DRC on www.christophvogel.net. Congolese colonial subjects […]
Reflections on the Recent Historiography of Eastern Congo
In a recent article for the Journal of African History, DRC specialist René Lemarchand writes that ‘there can be no doubt about Jason Stearns’ impressive command of l’histoire évènementielle, a fact amply confirmed by the excellence of the several monographs produced by the author under the auspices of the Rift Valley Institute‘. He describes RVI’s Usalama […]
Great Lakes Course 2012
The third Great Lakes Course was held in Bujumbura, Burundi from 7 to 13 July. The Director of Studies was Jason Stearns, also director of RVI’s Usalama Project and author of the acclaimed Dancing in the Glory of Monsters. The Deputy Director of Studies was Emily Paddon, Trudeau Scholar and Lecturer in International Relations at the University of […]
UN and DRC forces prepare for war
The clock is ticking down on the launch of a military operation in eastern DRC against a Rwandan-Hutu militia that has refused to surrender and disarm. United Nations troops with MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, together with the Congolese army (FARDC), have tackled the rebels before, but this operation comes loaded with […]
Learning from past failures: The DRC crisis in perspective
The panel discussion on the historical roots of the present-day Congolese crisis was timed to coincide with the release of the first two French RVI Usalama Project reports. Organised by the Observatoire de l’Afrique and RVI, the discussion was chaired by Koen Vlassenroot and saw talks by Stephen van Damme from Oxfam and Jason Stearns, […]
Congo protests expose weakness of Kabila’s coalition
KINSHASA (Reuters) — Protests that blocked a reform which could have extended Congo President Joseph Kabila’s rule have exposed deep rifts in his ruling coalition and galvanized opposition, increasing the chance of further unrest ahead of elections due next year. Kabila took power in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2001 following the assassination of his […]
Congo Escalates Crackdown on Pro-Democracy Activists
KAMPALA, Uganda—Congolese government security agents arecracking down on pro-democracy activists and sympathetic U.S. diplomats, raising concerns about the intentions of President Joseph Kabila who is due to relinquish control of a country with a history of heavy-handed rule. Dozens of protesters gathered this week outside the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency in the Democratic […]
Great Lakes Course 2010
The first RVI Great Lakes Course was held in July 2010 in the Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda. The Director of the Course was Philip Winter OBE, formerly Chief of Staff for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and one of the founders of the Rift Valley Institute. The Director of Studies was Jason Stearns of Yale University, […]
M23 and the Challenges to Peace in the Eastern DRC
The capture of Goma by the M23 rebel group marks an alarming escalation in the crisis facing the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Confusion over the nature and agenda of the rebel group, as well as other regional actors, makes analysis – let alone policy responses – difficult. This roundtable sought to help clarify […]