As the tanks rolled down the streets of Harare this week, Congolese social media lit up. President Kabila was rumored to be panicking to see one of his stalwart allies depart. Congolese and foreign observers hoped that Mugabe departure could somehow provide inspiration for Kabila to leave, as well. The person

By ELISABETH CAESENS and JASON STEARNS There will be flurry of diplomatic activity on the Congo in coming days. Tomorrow (Thursday), the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes Region––a conclave of important donors and diplomats––will meet in The Hague to discuss, among other things, what to do about the

By CHRISTOPH VOGEL On the afternoon of 15 September 2017, the Congolese border town Kamanyola witnessed the deadliest massacre in South Kivu’s Ruzizi Plains since 2014’s Mutarule carnage. At least 36 Burundian refugees and two Congolese (a soldier and a policeman) were killed in what seemed a spontaneous outbreak of violence,

Cette semaine Jason et Trésor parlent de la visite du President Joseph Kabila à New York pour l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU, du processus électoral, aussi que de l’insécurité au Kasai et du massacre à Kamanyola.

The Congo Research Group (CRG) conducted two years of research into the massacres around Beni, interviewing 245 sources, including many perpetrators and eyewitnesses. The report is 93 pages long (read it here) and worth reading for every sub-clause. For those with limited time, here’s a quick summary, outlining how the Congolese

“We reject any notion of a third dialogue with Kabila!” Was the verdict of Felix Tshisekedi, the leader of the main opposition coalition in the Congo. This is now emerging as the consensus among what is usually a fractious civil society and opposition: no more talking with Kabila. At the

Since 2013, a mysterious string of mass killings has taken place around Beni, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This startling wave of attacks transformed Beni territory from an area of relative calm into one of the country’s most violent theaters of conflict in a decade. These killings—primarily machete attacks—bring

In response to Congo Research Group’s report, published July 19, 2017, All the President’s Wealth: The Kabila Family Business, several individuals and companies have issued statements.  We are including those statements below: Nando’s “Nando’s is not operating in the DRC as we exited our franchise agreement in 2011. Please can

This week Jason talks to Ida Sawyer, Central Africa Director for Human Rights Watch, about the recent unrest, protests, and discuss the recent shifts in civil society, politics, and their effects on a possible transition, elections, and President Kabila’s future. Podcast

This week, a Board of Inquiry commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General submitted its final report into the murder of Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán, two members of the UN Group of Experts who were assassinated in the Kasai region on March 12, 2017. The report, which is confidential but