Briefings
28 April – 4 May 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Kivu saw several attacks by armed groups over the past week. According to local sources, an FARDC station in Masisi territory was attacked by Nyatura and FDLR rebels in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, April 28. Three people were killed and three others injured. […]
31 March – 6 April 2016
The UN stabilisation missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) are facing several new allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers. UN and French authorities called for thorough investigations into the cases involving soldiers of Sangaris (France), MONUSCO and MINUSCA. […]
24 – 30 March 2016
This Wednesday, March 30, the UN Security Council adopted a new resolution that extends the mandate of MONUSCO with another year. The UN reiterated its concerns over the humanitarian situation in the country and called for free and credible elections to be held soon. France announced that its military operation in the Central African Republic, Sangaris, will come to an end this year. […]
17 – 23 March 2016
The Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, and the UN Secretary-General this week expressed their concerns over the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They fear that rising political tensions in the run-up to the presidential elections, which are to be held in November […]
10 – 16 March 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, protesters turned to the streets in Goma this week, calling for the release of two Lucha activists who have been detained for a year and went on hunger strike this Monday. Eighteen people were arrested during the protests. Last Thursday, March 10, the Goma High Court sentenced two other Lucha militants, arrested in December 2015, to three months’ imprisonment.
Arms Trade Highlights: January – February 2016
In our last editorial, we cautioned not to overlook government-approved arms transfers to unstable regions in the face of a focus on the illicit trafficking of arms used in terrorist attacks. Current events, especially surrounding arms transfers to Saudi Arabia and the situation in Yemen, confirm this concern. The conflict in Yemen continues to escalate. Various exporting countries are profiting f
3 – 9 March 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the sentence of the six Lucha militants, who were arrested during pro-democracy protests on February 16, has been reduced from two years to six months imprisonment. In North Kivu, officials from Walikale condemned the activities of FDLR and Nyatura rebels in the territory. […]
25 February – 2 March 2016
The six Lucha militants arrested during pro-democracy protests on February 16 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been sentenced to two years in prison for inciting revolt. Several Western governments have condemned the verdict, but the Congolese government has rejected calls for a revision. […]
18 – 24 February 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, last week’s ‘ville morte’ on February 16 resulted in several arbitrary arrests of opposition members and youth activists who protested against the delay in organising presidential elections. Human Rights Watch has deplored this repression of opposition supporters. This Tuesday, February 23, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited […]
11 – 17 February 2016
Unicef and MONUSCO have expressed their concerns over the enrolment of child soldiers into armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the UN, over 33 000 children were recruited over the past 15 years. In Tanganyika, a new technical group was inaugurated last Wednesday, February 10, to prevent the use of children in armed groups or security services in the province. […]
4 – 10 February 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, six people died during violent clashes between Nande and Hutu communities in North Kivu on Friday, February 5. In Mukeberwa, Luberu territory, between 15 and 32 people were killed during confrontations between FDLR and Maï-Maï rebels on Sunday, February 7. […]
28 January – 3 February 2016
On Thursday, January 28, the FARDC and MONUSCO officially signed an agreement on military cooperation against armed rebel groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. During the last week of January, FARDC soldiers stated that they have driven FDLR rebels out of several localities in Lubero and Walikale territory in North Kivu. […]
21 – 27 January 2016
Last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Kivu saw the incursion of FDLR rebels in Lubero territory on Friday, January 22. They attacked a local market, leaving three people dead and four others gravely injured. On Tuesday, January 26, the same militia reportedly kidnapped about 50 families in Lubero and Walikale. […]
14 – 20 January 2016
On January 19, demonstrations took place in several provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to commemorate the victims of the 2015 riots against an attempt to change the electoral law, exactly one year ago. Thousands of people took to the streets in Bukavu and several hundreds in Lubumbashi, while in the capital Kinshasa, police prevented demonstrations by arresting protesters. […]
Arms Trade Highlights: October – December 2015
2015 ended with sad news: the death of our colleague and friend, Sergio Finardi. The world has lost a brilliant arms trade and defence logistics researcher. Although publicly ignored by some, his research was freely copied by those same entities and often left uncredited. His mark on his field of expertise remains indelible. Some of the perpetrators of the 13 November Paris terrorist attacks were
7 – 13 January 2016
In the night between 6 and 7 January, the Democratic Republic of Congo saw FDLR rebels attacking Miriki, located about 100 km north of Goma, North Kivu. 18 people died during the attack and six others became injured. After the attack, the FARDC launched a military operation in the area, regaining control over five localities in Lubero territory, which were controlled by FDLR and Maï-Maï militias.
31 December 2015 – 6 January 2016
On Tuesday, January 5, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon recommended to reduce the number of MONUSCO staff members by 1700. Meanwhile, South-African General Derick Mbuyiselo Mgwebi replaced General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz as the new commander of the UN Stabilisation Mission’s forces in the DRC. […]
10 – 16 December 2015
In Burundi, unidentified assailants attacked several military camps in the capital Bujumbura last Friday, December 11. According to the army, 87 people died, 79 of whom were labelled as ‘enemies’. According to local witnesses, however, dozens of innocent victims – hands bound behind their backs – were executed by security forces. […]
3 – 9 December 2015
On Tuesday, December 8, the UN released a report stating that security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have made 143 human rights violations associated with the country’s electoral process. According to the document, the Congolese authorities used methods such as executions, threats and arbitrary arrests against the opposition, media and civil society. […]
26 November – 2 December 2015
On Sunday, November 29, the Democratic Republic of Congo saw violent clashes between the FARDC and ADF rebels in Eringeti, 60 km outside of Beni in North Kivu. At least 24 people were killed and over 2,000 inhabitants have fled the town. One peacekeeper was killed and another gravely injured in the crossfire. On Tuesday, December 1st, MONUSCO executed air strikes against ADF positions to support t
ZOEK IN BRIEFINGS
