Lubumbashi Takeover: “Governance by substitution” in the DRC

By Marc-Andre Lagrange, Senior Analyst, Central Africa 

The unexpected occupation of Lubumbashi, the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), by 440 Mai-Mai fighters last month is another sign of the central government’s lack of capacity to govern, ensure security or pursue reform. The occupation, which resulted in 35 dead and 53 wounded, serves as a reminder that the country’s crisis is not limited to North Kivu, in eastern Congo, or to warlords.

By raising the flag of the state of Katanga (independent from 1960-1963) on Moïse Tshombe Square in the centre of Lubumbashi, the Mai-Mai Bakata Katanga group performed a powerful symbolic act. Katangan separatism has haunted Congolese politics since  independence in June 1960. The province is the country’s economic crown jewel, as industrial mining activities are concentrated there.

But despite Katanga’s (and Lubumbashi’s) strategic importance, Mai-Mai Bakata Katanga entered the city with no resistance from the security forces and no protest from the population. The provincial and national governments were taken by surprise.

FULL POST (The African Peacebuilding Agenda)

Read this blog post in French

Photo: Flickr/hdptcar

RDC : Une carte interactive pour suivre le conflit du Kivu | Courrier International

Le think tank International Crisis Group (ICG) propose une carte interactive pour visualiser la crise entre les rebelles du M23 et l’armée régulière congolaise à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo. Un outil qui permet de mettre “une géographie” sur un conflit complexe.

ARTICLE COMPLET (Courrier International)

Africa In Turmoil Again: Why The US Holds The Key To The Heart Of The Continent | International Business Times

By Jacey Fortin

The Obama administration is facing pressure to intervene, particularly by taking stronger actions to convince Rwandan President Paul Kagame to give up his constant campaign of DRC destabilization.

“If we keep trying the old solutions again and again, it will not work,” said Fabienne Hara, the Vice President of Multilateral Affairs at the International Crisis Group. “If we send people to negotiate and they reach an agreement, in two or three years’ time we will have another crisis.”

FULL ARTICLE (International Business Times)

Photo: Graham Holliday/Flickr

DR Congo rebels, govt prepare for peace talks | AFP

By Max Delany

GOMA, DR Congo — Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were preparing for peace talks with government officials in Uganda, officials said Wednesday, as the pope urged the warring sides to reconcile.

Rebel group M23’s political leader Jean-Marie Runiga said his guerrillas were “ready” for talks, which are expected to include a raft of potential demands, including major political reform for the war-weary region.

The rebels’ lightning capture of the mining hub of Goma on November 20, eight months after the army mutineers launched an uprising against the government, had sparked fears of a wider war and a major humanitarian crisis.

The rebels, largely from the ethnic Tutsi community, pulled out of Goma at the weekend.

Uganda, despite being accused by UN experts of having provided logistical support to the M23, claims it strongly denies, will host and mediate the negotiations.

“We are hoping they will begin in the next few days”, said James Mugume, a senior official in the Ugandan foreign ministry, adding no date had been set for them to begin.

FULL ARTICLE (AFP)

Photo: Church Mission Society (CMS)/Flickr

CrisisWatch N°112 | 01 Dec 2012

In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s east, M23 rebels launched an offensive against the national army, breaking a tenuous ceasefire agreed in August. After several days of fighting they captured the key cities of Goma and Sake in North Kivu. Thousands of civilians fled their homes. A UN Panel of Experts report confirmed continuing support for the rebels from neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda. Following a reported agreement with regional leaders, M23 rebels appear now to be withdrawing from Goma.

In Egypt President Mohammed Morsi’s controversial constitutional declaration on 22 November temporarily granted him greater powers, including immunity from judicial review, until a new constitution comes into force. The move triggered fresh protests, and pro-Morsi counter-protests, across the country, some of which turned violent. Morsi justified the declaration as necessary to prevent Mubarak-era judges from sabotaging the country’s transition. His opponents condemned it as a power-grab. The Constituent Assembly approved a draft constitution at the end of the month, after more non-Islamists withdrew from the body. Discontent about the draft’s content and its rushed completion further fuelled protests. The month’s developments have deepened polarisation between supporters and opponents of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. Both camps took to the streets again today.

November 2012 TRENDS

Deteriorated Situations

DR Congo, Egypt

Improved Situations

-

Unchanged Situations

Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China/Japan, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India (non-Kashmir), Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Caucasus (Russia), Northern Ireland, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zimbabwe

December 2012 OUTLOOK

Conflict Risk Alert

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Conflict Resolution Opportunity

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Full CrisisWatch

Burundi: New Rebel Group Strikes in Burundi | allAfrica

By Georges Nikiza

Late last month, a group of armed insurgents crossed into Burundi from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and attacked three communes in the north of the country. Responsibility for the campaign was claimed by a new rebel group calling itself the Murundi People’s Front, ‘the Saviours’ (FPM-Abatabazi). The group said it was opposed to the increasingly authoritarian regime of Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Though Burundi has experienced its fair share of rebel raids in recent years, this being the sixth significant group to declare war on Nkurunziza’s government since the controversial elections of 2010, an increasing trend of violence threatens to pull the nation back into full-scale civil conflict.

FULL ARTICLE (allAfrica)

Photo: United Nations Photo/Flickr