Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday they would withdraw from the eastern city of Goma only if President Joseph Kabila agreed to their demands, which the Congolese government was quick to dismiss as a farce. The deadlock raises the risk that the eight-month-old insurgency could turn into an all-out war in a region dogged by nearly two decades of conflict that has killed more…
The Rift Valley Institute is pleased to announce that RVI Fellow, Aly Verjee, has been awarded the 2019 Oslo Forum Peacewriter Prize for his article, 'Monitoring Ceasefires is Getting Harder: Greater Innovation is Required'.
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 backing, manpower and weapons. The UN investigation’s findings would mean that Rwanda has been violating UN Security Council resolutions…
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 days in late November, but withdrew this past weekend amid mounting international pressure. The rebels were largely disenfranchised by the internationally…
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 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, fell to the rebels in November, sparking fears of yet another fully-fledged conflict in the region. The rebels pulled…
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 RPGs surround his car. As we observe the spectacle, someone says under his breath “where were these officers, 2 weeks ago?” I couldn’t help pondering that question, how…
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, et Jason Stearns, directeur du Projet Usalama pour The Rift Valley Institute
The headquarters of Sudan's Communist Party is a shabby place. The peeling leather chairs in its meeting room are watched over by dusty photos of its most famous leaders since 1946, most of whom died at the hands of assassins. The party's newspaper has been shut down by government censors, says Salih Osman, a leading member of the group. And although the party long ago joined forces with…
If recent events in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo seem familiar, it is because in many ways they are. History is repeating itself – as it tends to in places where deep-seated problems are left to fester. The chaos threatening to engulf the region provides a salutary reminder that while, on many fronts, the African continent is emerging buoyant, at its volatile centre it is anything…
Un nuevo grupo rebelde - M23 - han sacudido Congo, al gobierno congoleño, los países vecinos y la comunidad internacional. Ahora amenaza con dirigirse hacia la capital del país, Kinshasa. Más de 500.000 personas se han visto desplazadas en su propio país, la ciudad más grande e importante del este del Congo - Goma - se encuentra bajo asedio, los policías y soldados desertan abiertamente ante…
