Guest Post: Une Armée de la Région des Grands Lacs?

Bukavu 2010

ALTERNATIVES POUR LA STABILITE ET LA SECURISATION DE LA REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO Par Josaphat MUSAMBA, Université Simon Kimbangu, Bukavu/RDC (rédaction par http://www.ethuin.wordpress.com) La dynamique de la région des Grands Lacs actuellement pose de nombreuses interrogations et ramène des chercheurs as réfléchir davantage pour aider les Etats de la région a se stabiliser et a … Read more

Taking the Fight to the DRC Rebels: The Potential Pitfalls of a UN Intervention Brigade

Lake Kivu 2010

The creation of a special UN unit in the DRC to conduct “targeted offensive operations” against rebel groups could prove helpful, but there are also dangers. (First published by Think Africa Press at http://thinkafricapress.com/drc/taking-fight-drc-rebels-monusco-intervention-brigade-potential-pitfalls) At the end of March, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 2098. This not only extended the mandate of … Read more

Putting things in perspective: Buffet Foundation versus UN Group of Experts

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On April 1, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation issued a report scrutinising the role, methodology, and content of the UN Group of Experts’ work on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reports closely aligns to the rebuttal the Government of Rwanda issued against the Group’s 2012 interim report’s infamous annex. It … Read more

A Robinson for Kampala, a Brigade for Rumangabo. The UN’s new Congo Strategy?

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As expected by many, the sudden surrender of Bosco Ntaganda to the US embassy and his subsequent transfer to the ICC in The Hague has not stopped the ongoing political dynamics in and on the Great Lakes region. Shortly after his appearance in Kigali, the UN named a new special envoy to the Great Lakes … Read more

Terminator terminated…

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Bosco Ntaganda appears to have “surrendered” to the US embassy of Kigali, Rwanda. One of the most wanted warlords of our days and a prime ICC indictee ends his journey as a commander of various Congolese rebel formations today and has asked to be transferred to the Hague, where most certainly a trial is awaiting … Read more

Confusion totale au Petit Nord?

Summit of Nyiragongo volcano in North Kivu

Few days after the Addis framework agreement on eastern Congo had been signed, North Kivu appears to witness an escalation of violence bearing potential of dramatically changing the short-term politico-military landscape, particularly in the Petit Nord (territoires of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo). While clashes erupted between Congolese army FARDC and the Mayi Mayi of APCLS (“General” … Read more

With the Addis Ababa accord signed, what prospects for Eastern Congo?

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Today has marked the signature of a new peace accord designed to bring an end to continuous violence and civil war in the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is not the first one, and if not properly implemented it will not be the last one either. There are a few positive … Read more

Kampala sets up, Kabila wakes up, M23 makes up, Masisi flares up.

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This post’s header shot has been taken in proximity of one of Lushebere’s IDP camps, a few kilometres east of Masisi town, the administrative centre of Masisi territory, a part of North Kivu province. The shown area, if further neglected that much in terms of attention, may turn into a major hotspot of renewed Kivu … Read more

Once more, international politics on the verge to fail the Congo?

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(Most of this essay, I actually wrote a few weeks ago, but I considered it still interesting now with a few amendments.) Two months ago in Kinshasa, Congolese flags and Francophonie logos were edging the boulevards. Heads of State, including French President Hollande, of l’Organisation Internationale de le Francophonie attended their summit secured by heavily … Read more

Goma. Anatomie einer Eroberung im weiteren Kontext

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Am Vormittag des 20. November vermehrten sich die Agenturmeldungen und Kurznachrichten auf Twitter: Goma, die seit mehreren Tagen von der kongolesischen Rebellengruppe M23 (Bewegung des 23. März, laut einem gescheiterten Friedensabkommen) belagerte Provinzhauptstadt des Nordkivu, sei gefallen. Das Bild verdichtet sich, kurze Zeit später gibt es zahlreiche Bestätigungen dieser Nachricht und Goma fällt für etwa … Read more

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