164 Search Results for "Congo" …

Search our video library for "Congo"

DRC Election Results Suggest a Rare Chance for Change

Spotlight   published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies on January 12, 2019

Civic action has been vital to reach a historic outcome, however, many challenges remain to achieve a genuine democratic transition.

Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Uganda’s Experience

Spotlight   published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies on November 28, 2018

In an interview with the Africa Center, Stephen Twebaze says that when MPs govern as representatives rather than political actors, even parliaments dominated by a ruling party can practice effective oversight.

Contemporary Security Challenges in the Horn of Africa

Program Materials  

October 16–18, 2018 Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Read Ahead Program Schedule Bios Session 1 Ethnicity, Governance and Stability Presented by: Mvemba Dizolele (Slides) Session 2 Democracy and Governance Presented by: Mvemba Dizolele (Slides | Video: Congo’s Bloody Coltan) Session 3 Effectiveness of Counterterrorism Responses in the Horn of Africa Presented by: Amy Pate (Slides) Session 4... Continue Reading

Africa’s Contemporary Security Challenges

Program Materials  

Program materials for the Africa Center's 2018 Africa's Contemporary Security Challenges Workshop. Click here for syllabus, readings, presentation slides, and links to videos.

Setting Fire to Your Own House; Crisis in the Kasai: The Manipulation of Customary Power and the Instrumentalization of Disorder

Recommended research   published by Jason Stearns, Congo Research Group on July 31, 2018

Unlike conflicts in eastern DRC where regional actors support non-state armed groups, the Kamuina Nsapu crisis in the Kasai region is a domestic insurgency that results from both the central government’s neglect and its manipulation of traditional clan affairs. The government’s response to the crisis has been heavy-handed—the result of Congolese officials seeking to gain favor with Kinshasa—and has minimized the possibility of a peaceful solution. Efforts at demobilization of combatants and prosecution of abuses by the Congolese military have been non-existent, a further sign of the perceived neglect by the state that helped spur the conflict. The politicization of the conflict along ethnic lines is a troubling sign ahead of elections scheduled for December 2018.

From Urban Fragility to Urban Stability

Africa Security Brief No. 35   published by Stephen Commins on June 12, 2018

The growing share of Africa's urban residents living in slums is creating a further source of fragility. However, integrated urban development strategies that link local government, police, the private sector, and youth are strengthening social cohesion and enhancing stability.

Navigating the Competing Interests of Regional Actors in South Sudan

Spotlight   published by Luka Kuol on May 29, 2018

English | Français | العربية Regional considerations have always played a prominent role in South Sudan’s security landscape. Indeed, the country was born from a regional fissure between what are today Sudan and South Sudan. This schism has been subsequently shaped and influenced to varying degrees by all of South Sudan’s neighbors. These dynamics have... Continue Reading

When Peace Agreements Fail: Lessons from Lesotho, Burundi, and DRC

Spotlight   published by Paul Nantulya on April 30, 2018

Conflicts in Africa often reflect a breakdown of peace agreements that have been methodically dismantled by politicians intent on evading checks on power while oversight is weak. Vigilance is vital as early progress is not a guarantee of long-term success.

Why Justice Matters for Security

Spotlight   published by Godfrey Musila on April 20, 2018

Security encompasses much more than the deployment of armed forces. Effective judicial and quasi-judicial institutions serve as an important means of defusing societal conflicts and provide a check on a state's use of coercive force.

Putting Everyday Police Life at the Centre of Reform in Bukavu

Recommended research   published by Michael Thill, Robert Njangalga, and Josaphat Musamba, Rift Valley Institute on March 31, 2018

Traditional programs to reform the Police Nationale Congolaise (PNC) have attempted top-down approaches but incorporated neither communities’ perception of the PNC nor the lived experiences of uniformed police. High-level, self-led reform in the PNC is unlikely, and large-scale donors are reluctant to offer support. Sustainable police reform must come from local actors and focus on improving working and living conditions of uniformed police. Such improvements will assist in changing the corrupt nature of the PNC and create a police that serves the Congolese instead of profiting off of it.