{"id":23087,"date":"2021-09-03T09:16:16","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T07:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/\/?post_type=weekly-briefing&p=23087"},"modified":"2025-09-17T22:14:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T20:14:52","slug":"ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges","status":"publish","type":"weekly-briefing","link":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"IPIS Briefing August 2021 – Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade.\u00a0 Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS\u2019 areas of research.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In focus: Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the news: Conflict diamonds may be virtually extinct in 2021, but your sparkler could still be a blood diamond financing rogue regimes; How Allies of South Africa’s Infamous Gupta Family Gamed the Country’s Diamond Trade; Sahel: Amnesty identifies Serbian weapons in stockpiles of brutal armed groups.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

New subscribers can register\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to receive the briefing and updates on IPIS\u2019 new maps and reports.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This briefing is produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of IPIS and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

IN FOCUS<\/strong><\/h1>\n

CAMEROON’S DIAMOND SECTOR: <\/strong><\/h1>\n

SMALL PLAYER, BIG CHALLENGES<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Jaff Bamenjo and Christian Anangue (<\/em>RELUFA<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hans Merket (IPIS)<\/em><\/p>\n

In the multi-billion diamond industry, Cameroon is a tiny player. It reports<\/a> an average annual production of about 2,000 carats, with a value of ca. USD 260,000. This constitutes a fraction (0,00002%) of the average global production<\/a> of 135 million carats, worth USD 12,7 billion, per year. Nonetheless, Cameroon is confronted with one of the biggest challenges facing the diamond industry in recent years, namely the illegal trade in conflict diamonds from the neighbouring Central African Republic<\/a> (CAR).<\/p>\n

Conflict-ridden neighbour<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a coup, in 2013, plunged the CAR into a protracted civil war<\/a>, and reports of rebel groups financing their activities<\/a> through control over diamond mining and trade, the country was subjected to an embargo on rough diamond exports by the Kimberley Process (KP) Certification Scheme (KPCS). This is the last and since then only embargo of this scheme, which was launched in 2003, to bar conflict diamonds \u2013 defined<\/a>(notoriously narrow) as \u201crough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to undermine legitimate governments\u201d \u2013 from entering the mainstream rough diamond trade. The embargo on the CAR did however not stop the country\u2019s diamond production, which provides a livelihood to an estimated 100-150,000 workers and their families<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, the embargo created the enabling conditions for smuggling<\/a> activities, with increased involvement of armed and international criminal groups, to become the norm in CAR\u2019s diamond trade. This development could not be stopped by the partial lifting of the embargo<\/a> in 2015. Half of the CAR\u2019s diamond production originates from eight compliant zones in the West of the country, but it is estimated<\/a> that circa 300,000 carats annually, or 90% of all rough diamonds continue to be smuggled out of the country. According to reports by the UN Panel of Experts on CAR<\/a> and NGOs<\/a>, the main transit hub for diamonds smuggled from this conflict-ridden country is Cameroon.<\/p>\n

Kimberley Process controls<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the adoption of Decree No. 2011\/3666\/PM of 2 november 2011 on the Creation, Organisation and Functioning of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, Cameroon was accepted as Kimberley Process participant<\/a> in June 2012. This was shortly before the outbreak of civil war in the CAR. Cameroon shares a porous 729-km long border as well as its only diamond deposit with CAR. This deposit is artisanally mined on both sides of the Bombe river that separates the two countries. In light of this particularly challenging context, the imposition of the 2013 KPCS embargo on CAR, immediately put Cameroon\u2019s internal controls to the test.<\/p>\n

These controls are one of the minimum requirements of the KPCS, by means of which KP participants should ensure that no conflict diamonds enter shipments of rough diamonds imported into or exported from their territory. Even though the efficacy of the KPCS relies on the combined effectiveness of internal controls implemented by its 56 participants, representing 82 countries (with the EU and its 27 Member States counting as a single participant), these measures are not clearly defined or enforced<\/a> by the KP.<\/p>\n

Cameroon is unfortunately a case in point. Recent research<\/a> by the Cameroonian NGO RELUFA has shown that controls fall short in monitoring production and trade from the small artisanal mines scattered across the country\u2019s Eastern region. These controls are even less up to the daunting task to avoid infiltration by the illicit flows from CAR that dwarf Cameroon\u2019s domestic production. One of the most important shortcomings is the limited presence of and oversight by governmental actors in diamond mining areas. In Boumba-et-Ngoko, for instance, which is one of the main diamond mining departments in Cameroon, the National Permanent Secretariat for the Kimberley Process has only 3 field agents to cover an area of over 30,000 km2<\/sup>. These are supposed to perform basic duties such as gathering production statistics and checking the provenance of diamonds in all artisanal diamond mines.<\/p>\n

This reality has led to a poor enforcement of laws and regulations, leaving the sector in disordered informality. \u00a0Miners and middlemen, a number of them being refugees from CAR, despite this profession being legally reserved for Cameroonians, work clandestinely without the required licenses. Miners have not filled out production registers since 2016, the year of the last and so far only KP review visit. Such registers are the first link of the paper trail that should guarantee the Cameroonian mining origin of exports under the country\u2019s KP system.<\/p>\n

The substandard registration of production is a common challenge for countries with an artisanal diamond mining sector. Yet, typically, oversight improves further down the chain<\/a>, where the centralization of the trade by a limited number of registered buying houses and their provincial antennae allows more effective regulation. This is not the case in Cameroon where numerous investors, who reside in Yaound\u00e9 and Douala, far away from the mining areas, are able to buy and sell diamonds partly or entirely off-books.<\/p>\n

This underregulation forms a fertile ground for corruption<\/a> of all kinds and is what renders Cameroon\u2019s diamond trade prone to abuse by smuggling networks.<\/p>\n

(Photo source: RELUFA)<\/p>\n

\n

IN THE NEWS<\/span><\/h1>\n

BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS<\/span><\/h2>\n

Diamond Dealers on Doing the Right Thing<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | Rapaport<\/span><\/p>\n

Trust, reputation, integrity \u2014 these words are central to the diamond trade. \u201cOur business is like no other in that we\u2019ve always conducted it on a handshake,\u201d says Maximo Quinones, president and CEO of wholesaler DVG Diamonds in Miami, Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n

De Beers Plans To Include Code of Origin on Its Diamonds<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | JCK<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of a new plan to increase the value and visibility of its name, De Beers hopes to eventually sell most of its diamonds with a code of origin that indicates the company mined them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Atrocities Haunt Zimbabwe\u2019s Marange Fields<\/a> | 25 August 2021 | Rapaport<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite its claims of progress, the Kimberley Process continues to greenwash Zimbabwe\u2019s conflict diamonds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Castel of France to Probe Claims of African Militia Support<\/a> | 22 August 2021 | Bloomberg<\/span><\/p>\n

Centrafrique: une entreprise fran\u00e7aise aurait conclu un “accord tacite” avec des groupes arm\u00e9s (ONG)<\/a> | 18 August 2021 | Anadolu Agency<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Groupe Castel, g\u00e9ant fran\u00e7ais du sucre et des boissons, li\u00e9 au financement de milices arm\u00e9es en R\u00e9publique centrafricaine<\/a> | August 2021 | The Sentry<\/span><\/p>\n

Une ONG am\u00e9ricaine sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9e dans l’investigation sur l’argent sale, “The Sentry” a r\u00e9v\u00e9l\u00e9, mercredi, l’existence de ce qu’elle a qualifi\u00e9 d’ “Accord tacite” entre le groupe fran\u00e7ais Castel et des groupes arm\u00e9s centrafricains. <\/span><\/p>\n

Diamond Sector Says \u2018Thank You\u2019 to Consumers<\/a> | 19 August 2021 | Rapaport<\/span><\/p>\n

A new consumer campaign by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is emphasizing the positive impact of mined stones.<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth about sustainable jewelry and ethical practice<\/a> | 13 August 2021 | The CEO Magazine<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems that sustainability and ethics are at the heart of just about every jewelry brand you Google these days and yet this industry, like fashion, requires a discerning pair of eyes to differentiate how clean a company\u2019s products are. In the \u2018Conscious Jewelry Trend Report 2020\u2019 conducted by ExJewel, data suggests that the demand for sustainable jewelry is, in fact, being driven by consumers, as searches for \u2018ethical diamond\u2019 have increased by 75 per cent, \u2018lab-grown diamond\u2019 by 83 per cent and \u2018ethical gold\u2019 by 73 per cent year on year.<\/span><\/p>\n

RDC : 205 ONG militent pour l\u2019expulsion de Kimia Mining de la r\u00e9serve \u00e0 Okapis<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | Afrik21<\/span><\/p>\n

Deux cent cinq organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) de protection de l’environnement, demandent aux autorit\u00e9s RD congolaises de mettre un terme \u00e0 l’exploitation mini\u00e8re, par la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Kimia Mining, dans la R\u00e9serve de faune \u00e0 Okapis, situ\u00e9e au nord-est de la R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (RDC). L\u2019entreprise chinoise est accus\u00e9e de d\u00e9forestation et destruction de la faune sauvage dans l\u2019une des quatre aires prot\u00e9g\u00e9es du Congo, qui demeurent sur la liste du patrimoine mondiale en p\u00e9ril.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conflict diamonds may be virtually extinct in 2021, but your sparkler could still be a blood diamond financing rogue regimes<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | RT<\/span><\/p>\n

Many consumers don\u2019t know that their supposedly ethical lab-grown and mined stones could be part of a shady, toxic and unethical industry which only looks to be getting worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

DR Congo: Video of miners beaten for trespassing shows stranglehold of foreign mining interests<\/a> | 28 July 2021 | France24<\/span><\/p>\n

In southern DR Congo, soldiers beat and whipped two miners who were trespassing on a site managed by the Chinese-owned Commus company in Kolwezi, as site managers looked on. The incident shocked many after it was captured in a video that has been circulating on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp since July 21. However, several NGOs say that the incident is nothing new, the video highlighting the stranglehold foreign mining companies have on local communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

NATURAL RESOURCES<\/span><\/h2>\n

Le Burundi rebat les cartes de son exploitation mini\u00e8re<\/a> | 31 August 2021 | DW<\/span><\/p>\n

Les gisements en terres rares du Burundi attirent des entreprises \u00e9trang\u00e8res pour la fabrication des aimants des \u00e9oliennes. Le gouvernement, lui, esp\u00e8re ren\u00e9gocier les accords.<\/span><\/p>\n

We need to do more than recognise that water is a human right<\/a> | 31 August 2021 | Mail & Guardian<\/span><\/p>\n

The great statesman Kofi Annan declared in 2001 that \u201caccess to safe water is a fundamental human need, and therefore a basic human right\u201d. In the 17 years between that declaration and his death in 2018, Annan established the millennium development goals, the precursor to today\u2019s sustainable development goals, which included a target to halve the portion of the global population without access to water. <\/span><\/p>\n

West African coastal nations including Sierra Leone to join region\u2019s top league oil producers<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | The Sierra Leone Telegraph<\/span><\/p>\n

Hot on the heels of oil majors either exiting or cutting back their activities in West Africa, comes news of other players moving to fill the gap \u2013 in the coastal countries of Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Ghana, for instance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angola links mining region to the world with Lobito Corridor<\/a> | 27 August 2021 | RailFreight.com<\/span><\/p>\n

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia have 34 per cent of the world\u2019s cobalt reserves and over 10 per cent of global copper reserves. Soon, these raw materials will find a shorter route to the world, through the Angolan port of Lobito. How? Through the Lobito Corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congo reviewing $6 billion mining deal with Chinese investors<\/a> | 27 August 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s government is reviewing its $6 billion \u201cinfrastructure-for-minerals\u201d deal with Chinese investors as part of a broader examination of mining contracts, Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi told Reuters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angola : la mise en concession du chemin de fer de Benguela, qui traverse le pays d\u2019ouest en est, se profile<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | Agence Ecofin<\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019Angola veut jouer un r\u00f4le essentiel dans l\u2019exportation des minerais de cuivre et de cobalt en provenance de ses voisins, la Zambie et la RDC, dont les volumes de production ne sont pas des moindres. Et en termes de revenus, les espoirs du pays lusophone sont \u00e9normes.<\/span><\/p>\n

La G\u00e9camines r\u00e9alise un chiffre d\u2019affaires de 324 millions USD au cours de l\u2019exercice comptable 2020 contre 246 millions en 2019<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | Politico.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

La G\u00e9n\u00e9rale des carri\u00e8res et des mines (G\u00e9camines) vient de publier ses \u00e9tats financiers pour l\u2019exercice comptable 2020, avec un chiffre d\u2019affaires \u00e9tabli \u00e0 324,4 (trois cent vingt-quatre millions, quatre cent mille) USD contre 246,3 (deux cent quarante-six millions, trois cent mille) USD en 2019, indique un document de cette entreprise \u00e9tatique contenant le rapport comptable dont l\u2019ACP a re\u00e7u une copie mercredi.<\/span><\/p>\n

All-Female Vegan Rangers Leading Anti-Poaching in Zimbabwe<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of the pandemic has increased wildlife poaching around Zimbabwe\u2019s national parks, as people who lost their jobs hunt the animals for food. To help protect the animals, anti-poaching organizations have been formed, including a squad of vegan, women rangers.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Allies of South Africa’s Infamous Gupta Family Gamed the Country’s Diamond Trade<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | OCCRP<\/span><\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s Gupta family is the subject of a sprawling commission that\u2019s probing years of theft of state resources. An OCCRP investigation uncovers new details about how the family\u2019s close allies systemically undervalued and sold off tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burundi wants new Rainbow Rare Earths mining convention<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | The Africa Report<\/span><\/p>\n

Burundi has halted the Rainbow Rare Earths mining operation at Gakara because it wants to renegotiate its mining convention with the company, CEO George Bennett tells The Africa Report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angola mine leak causes ‘unprecedented’ pollution in Congo rivers, researchers say<\/a> | 21 August 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

A suspected leak of heavy metals from a mine in northern Angola is causing an “unprecedented environmental catastrophe”, affecting some 2 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers at Kinshasa University said on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Est de la RDC: les autorit\u00e9s suspendent les activit\u00e9s d’entreprises mini\u00e8res chinoises<\/a> | 21 August 2021 | Actualite.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Les activit\u00e9s d’une demi-douzaine d’entreprises mini\u00e8res ont \u00e9t\u00e9 suspendues par les autorit\u00e9s du Sud-Kivu, dans l’est de la RDC, soucieuses de “remettre de l’ordre” dans un territoire th\u00e9\u00e2tre de tensions r\u00e9currentes entre populations locales et chercheurs d’or chinois, a-t-on appris samedi de source provinciale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congo Initiates Probe Into China Moly\u2019s TFM Copper-Cobalt Mine<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | Bloomberg<\/span><\/p>\n

The Democratic Republic of Congo established a commission to ensure China Molybdenum Co. is complying with its contractual obligations regarding the giant Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt project.<\/span><\/p>\n

With free education, DR Congo child miners swap tools for books<\/a> | 18 August 2021 | The East African<\/span><\/p>\n

Squeezed on to benches and on the floor, the Congolese students of Kipushi Primary School did not complain that they only had a few, battered textbooks to share — just down the road, hundreds of less fortunate children were working in open-pit mines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uganda: How Middlemen Fleece Gold Miners in Busia, Karamoja<\/a> | 17 August 2021 | The Monitor | AllAfrica<\/span><\/p>\n

Deep down in the rural village of Tiira in Busia District, Mr Robert Wafula, pours ore onto a sluice. “When this ore, which is mixed with water, is poured on this sluice, the gold sediment sticks on the blanket,” Mr Wafula says as other miners look on. After that, he gathers the gold sediment, which he then sieves in a plastic basin using mercury.<\/span><\/p>\n

Petra Diamonds to restart mining operations in northern Tanzania<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | The East African<\/span><\/p>\n

Petra Diamonds is looking to restart operations of the Williamson mine at Mwadui in Shinyaga region, northern Tanzania, in the first quarter of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

The illegal gold mines killing rivers and livelihoods in Ghana<\/a> (video) | 11 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

Sixty percent of Ghana\u2019s water bodies are now polluted, largely due to illegal mining activities. Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa and about 35% of it is extracted by small-scale miners, most of them operating illegally.<\/span><\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s ReconAfrica oil and gas exploration in Namibia and Botswana worries World Heritage Committee<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | Mail & Guardian<\/span><\/p>\n

Unesco\u2019s World Heritage Committee is concerned about oil exploration licences being granted in environmentally sensitive areas in the Okavango river basin in northwestern Botswana and northeastern Namibia, because spills and pollution will harm the Okavango Delta and the Tsodilo Hills.<\/span><\/p>\n

ARMS TRADE<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sahel: Amnesty identifies Serbian weapons in stockpiles of brutal armed groups<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | Amnesty International<\/span><\/p>\n

Amnesty International\u2019s arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia\u2019s sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mali : Raison du blocage sur l’exportation d’un avion militaire am\u00e9ricain<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | Afrique-sur-7<\/span><\/p>\n

Mali : Bamako demande \u00e0 Washington de lever le blocage de l\u2019exportation d\u2019un avion militaire<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | el Watan<\/span><\/p>\n

Les autorit\u00e9s de la transition au Mali s’activent pour acqu\u00e9rir un avion militaire de transport am\u00e9ricain. Sauf qu’un blocage sur la licence d’exportation emp\u00eache jusque-l\u00e0 l’acquisition de l’a\u00e9ronef par l’arm\u00e9e malienne.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vente d\u2019armes et munitions aux djihadistes : un r\u00e9seau de ravitaillement d\u00e9mantel\u00e9 \u00e0 Bamako<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | Mali24.info<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Commissariat du 16\u00e8 Arrondissement de police, sous la houlette du Commissaire Yaya Niambel\u00e9, a d\u00e9mantel\u00e9, le dimanche 8 ao\u00fbt dernier, un vaste r\u00e9seau de trafic d\u2019armes destin\u00e9es aux terroristes, et groupes d\u2019autod\u00e9fense au Mali, avec la complicit\u00e9 des \u00e9l\u00e9ments des forces arm\u00e9es maliennes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chadian military parade reveals new equipment deliveries <\/a>| 19 August 2021 | Jane’s<\/span><\/p>\n

Several new vehicle types featured in Chad’s annual military parade on 11 August, including a large number of Terrier LT-79 light armoured personnel carriers (APCs) operated by the elite Directorate General of Security Services of the State Institutions (DGSSIE).<\/span><\/p>\n

Gun control in South Africa: tightening the law, and more <\/a>| 19 August 2021 | The Conversation<\/span><\/p>\n

Statistics produced by the police and mortuary surveillance systems in South Africa have consistently shown that firearms are the most commonly used weapons to commit murder and other violent crimes, such as carjacking and house robberies.<\/span><\/p>\n

US military providing additional training to Mozambican Armed Forces<\/a> | 16 August 2021 | DefenceWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States and Mozambique have launched a second military Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) programme, which will see US Special Operations Forces train with more than 100 Mozambican commandos and rangers to improve capabilities on the battlefield.<\/span><\/p>\n

Security Firms Protest KSh 3.1 Billion Tender to Supply Bullet Manufacturing Materials<\/a> | 14 August 2021 | Tuko<\/span><\/p>\n

Local security firms are up in arms after the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation (KOFC) awarded a Chinese company a KSh 3.1 billion tender to supply bullet manufacturing materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Boko Haram mastered the art of \u2018self-sustaining\u2019 warfare<\/a> | 8 August 2021 | The National News<\/span><\/p>\n

Boko Haram militants do not buy guns and ammunition on the black market to fuel their decade-long insurgency in West Africa \u2013 they simply nab weapons from the armies sent to fight against them, a study has revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ghana lines up L-39NG jet acquisition<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | Jane’s<\/span><\/p>\n

Ghana’s defence minster sought parliamentary approval for the procurement of six L-39NG aircraft from the Czech company Aero Vodochody on 2 August.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kogi Govt Laments Over Proliferation Of Arms In The Country<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | Nigerian Tribune<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kogi State government has said that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons have caused plenty of pains and wreaked havoc which were being experienced currently across the length and breadth of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nigerian Federal Government to establish arms control centres across geopolitical zones<\/a> | 3 August 2021 | The Cable<\/span><\/p>\n

The federal government says offices for the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) will be established across the six geopolitical zones of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : prolongation de l’embargo sur les armes jusqu’au 31 juillet 2022<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Conseil de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 a adopt\u00e9 la semaine derni\u00e8re (29 juillet) une r\u00e9solution visant \u00e0 prolonger l’embargo sur les armes destin\u00e9 \u00e0 la R\u00e9publique centrafricaine jusqu’au 31 juillet 2022, ainsi que le mandat du Groupe d’experts assistant le Comit\u00e9 des sanctions contre la RCA jusqu’au 31 ao\u00fbt 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arms Agency (NCCSALW) Seeks Ties With Military, Police<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | The Will (Nigeria)<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has solicited the collaboration of the Armed Forces and the Police to combat illicit arms flow in Nigeria.<\/span><\/p>\n

CONFLICT<\/span><\/h2>\n

Mali: forte augmentation des violences contre les civils selon un rapport onusien<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | RFI<\/span><\/p>\n

Note sur les tendances des violations et atteintes aux droits de l\u2019homme et au droit international humanitaire au Mali, 1er avril – 30 juin 2021<\/a> (pdf) | 30 August 2021 | MINUSMA<\/span><\/p>\n

Au Mali, la Minusma publie ce lundi 30 ao\u00fbt 2021 sa note trimestrielle sur les violations des droits de l\u2019homme. La mission des Nations unies a comptabilis\u00e9 les agressions contre les civils entre le 1er avril et le 30 juin, et constat\u00e9 une importante augmentation de 25% entre le premier et le deuxi\u00e8me trimestre de l’ann\u00e9e 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beni : au moins 16 morts lors d\u2019une nouvelle incursion des ADF \u00e0 Kasanzi<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | Politico.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Une nouvelle attaque attribu\u00e9e aux rebelles du groupe arm\u00e9 d\u2019origine ougandaise Forces d\u00e9mocratiques alli\u00e9es (ADF) a fait seize morts. C\u2019\u00e9tait dans la nuit de vendredi 27 \u00e0 samedi 28 ao\u00fbt 2021 au village Kasanzi en territoire de Beni (Nord-Kivu).<\/span><\/p>\n

Mafia dans l\u2019arm\u00e9e : L\u2019inspection g\u00e9n\u00e9rale des FARDC a transmis au Ministre de la D\u00e9fense son rapport d\u00e9taill\u00e9<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | Politico.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019inspection g\u00e9n\u00e9rale des Forces Arm\u00e9es de R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo a transmis au Ministre de la D\u00e9fense Nationale et Anciens Combattants avec copie au Chef de l\u2019Etat son rapport d\u00e9taill\u00e9 sur le contr\u00f4le des fonds allou\u00e9s aux op\u00e9rations militaires au Nord-Kivu et en Ituri, deux provinces en \u00e9tat de si\u00e8ge.<\/span><\/p>\n

African human rights organisations call on Uganda to end repression of civil society<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | Daily Maverick<\/span><\/p>\n

In many African countries, governments have enacted or are considering onerous new laws to restrict independent activism of civil society, often led by NGOs and social movements. Uganda is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cabo Delgado deployments pits SADC solidarity against Rwandan unilateral interests<\/a> | 30 August 2021 |Global Risk Insights<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout July, both Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed troops to Mozambique to combat the long-running Islamist insurgency. While the Rwandan troops were first to deploy, their secretive arrival has been dogged by controversy surrounding Rwanda\u2019s intentions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Le Cameroun et le Nigeria s\u2019engagent dans une coop\u00e9ration active contre les terroristes djihadistes et s\u00e9paratistes<\/a> | 29 August 2021 | Agence Ecofin<\/span><\/p>\n

Les deux pays qui partagent 2000 km de fronti\u00e8res font face aux exactions de Boko Haram, de l\u2019\u00c9tat islamique en Afrique de l’Ouest et \u00e0 celles des s\u00e9paratistes du Biafra nig\u00e9rian et des r\u00e9gions anglophones camerounaises. La collaboration transfrontali\u00e8re portera sur le volet s\u00e9curitaire et sur le d\u00e9veloppement \u00e9conomique des populations vuln\u00e9rables.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suspected islamic militants kill 19 in eastern Congo village<\/a> | 29 August 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 19 people in a raid on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chad Rebel Group FACT Says It\u2019s Willing to Join National Dialogue<\/a> | 28 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

A Chadian military-political rebel group behind this year’s deadly insurgency said on Friday it was prepared to take part in a national dialogue proposed by transitional president Mahamat Idriss Deby.<\/span><\/p>\n

France\u2019s drawdown in West Africa fuels local extremists\u2019 hope for a Taliban-style victory<\/a> | 27 August 2021 | The Washington Post<\/span><\/p>\n

As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban this month, one of the most notorious extremists in West Africa praised his \u201cbrothers\u201d and what he cast as their successful strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peacebuilding in Mozambique – When Talking is the Surest Path to Peace<\/a> (Transcript) | 26 August 2021 | AllAfrica<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to AllAfrica’s Silencing The Guns<\/i> series where we focus on peacebuilding on the continent. I’m Juanita Williams for allAfrica and we’re talking about the situation in Mozambique, where terror engulfs the northern province of Cabo Delgado.<\/span><\/p>\n

Centrafrique : l\u2019offensive russe dans le Nord-ouest tourne au massacre de la minorit\u00e9 peule<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>| 26 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s le massacre de Bambari, dans l\u2019Ouaka, et de Bossangoa, dans l\u2019Ouham, les mercenaires russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner sont en train d\u2019exterminer la population peule du Nord-ouest. On parle d\u2019au moins 40 morts, dont une famille compl\u00e8te, une dizaine arr\u00eat\u00e9s et transf\u00e9r\u00e9s \u00e0 Bangui, puis une centaine port\u00e9e disparue dans un total anonymat. Un v\u00e9ritable g\u00e9nocide avec la complicit\u00e9 des autorit\u00e9s actuelles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tchad : la cr\u00e9ation d\u2019une force mixte aux fronti\u00e8res libyennes<\/a> | 25 August 2021 | Sahel Intelligence<\/span><\/p>\n

Le pr\u00e9sident du Conseil militaire de transition au Tchad (CMT), Mahamat Idriss D\u00e9by, a propos\u00e9 mercredi \u201cde relancer l\u2019accord s\u00e9curitaire quadripartite entre la Libye, le Soudan, le Niger et le Tchad\u201d en cr\u00e9ant une force mixte aux fronti\u00e8res libyennes, pour pr\u00e9venir notamment l\u2019incursion de groupes arm\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corruption en RDC: un gouverneur accus\u00e9 du d\u00e9tournement de huit millions de dollars<\/a> | 25 August 2021 | Actualite.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Le gouverneur Atou Matubuana du Kongo central, dans le sud-ouest de la R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo, a \u00e9t\u00e9 accus\u00e9 de d\u00e9tournement de plus de huit millions de dollars en 2020, consid\u00e9r\u00e9s comme “des avantages l\u00e9gaux”, a-t-on appris mercredi l’AFP de l’Inspection g\u00e9n\u00e9rale des finances (IGF).<\/span><\/p>\n

Mali\u2019s roadmap for lasting peace has laudable goals: but it doesn\u2019t go far enough<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | The Conversation<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to the military coup in 2012, Mali was praised for its transition to democracy in West Africa. That is no longer the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : l\u2019offensive des mercenaires russes contre les rebelles de 3R se poursuit dans le Nord-<\/a>ouest, il y\u2019a des morts<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019offensive des mercenaires russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner contre les rebelles de 3R, membres de la coalition des patriotes pour le changement (CPC) se poursuit dans le Nord-ouest. L\u2019affrontement se concentre d\u00e9sormais dans les localit\u00e9s proches de la fronti\u00e8re avec le Cameroun avec une forte violence, selon des sources militaires jointes au t\u00e9l\u00e9phone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Death by a thousand cuts: Cameroon struggles in fight against separatists<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | African Arguments<\/span><\/p>\n

The Anglophone regions\u2019 relatively quiet start to 2021 was shattered in March by an intense series of IED attacks. Marking a new development in the Cameroonian conflict that has simmered for four years, at least one harrowing new video emerged every day. Each showcased the same pattern: the lumbering roll of a military convoy down a muddy forested road; the explosion underneath a lightly armoured Toyota; the immediate covering fire laid down in anticipation of an ambush; and, eventually, a silence punctuated by the cries of the wounded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t Call It Ethnic. Ituri Conflict Is a Mystery\u201d<\/span><\/a> | 24 August 2021 | Inter Press Service<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a metallic sound, harmless. It lasts just over a second, but it can become as sharp as a machete blade or as devastating as the burst from an assault rifle. It is a beep, just the beep of a phone notification. A woman is on the ground, her belly open, her intestines exposed and her severed head resting on her arm. A pagne of colorful fabric still girds her hips. Where? Why? Then, a video. Do you hear those voices? It happened there, in that village. It was them who did it, it was them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Limiting presidential eligibility could drive deep divides in the DRC<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | ISS <\/span><\/p>\n

Early in July, Noel Tshiani, a 2018 presidential candidate with the support of some Members of Parliament, proposed amending the legislation governing who is eligible to hold high office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Tshiani suggests that candidates for presidential elections or leaders of state institutions such as the National Assembly and the Senate should be DRC citizens born of Congolese parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rwanda’s military intervention in Mozambique raises eyebrows<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | DW<\/span><\/p>\n

Rwandan forces have driven out Islamist militants in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province. Their success underlines the failure of Mozambique’s army, but some observers want Rwanda to say when they will leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uganda Suspends NGOs Opposing Oil Projects<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | OilPrice<\/span><\/p>\n

The government of Uganda has suspended 54 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for non-compliance with local regulations, including organizations fighting to protect people\u2019s rights from planned oil projects in the African country.<\/span><\/p>\n

RDC: un deuxi\u00e8me militant de la Lucha, faisant l\u2019objet d\u2019un mandat d\u2019arr\u00eat, interpell\u00e9<\/a> | 22 August 2021 | RFI<\/span><\/p>\n

Deux militants de Lucha risquent la peine de mort<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | La Libre Afrique<\/span><\/p>\n

En R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (RDC), une deuxi\u00e8me interpellation dans les rangs de la Lucha, l\u2019un des mouvements citoyens congolais. Ghislain Muhiwa a \u00e9t\u00e9 interpell\u00e9 dimanche \u00e0 Goma, chef-lieu de la province du Nord-Kivu, sous \u00e9tat de si\u00e8ge.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : un collectif des officiers et des soldats FACA expriment leur col\u00e8re, l\u2019\u00c9tat major Appelle au calme et menace<\/a> | 22 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

Un collectif des soldats, des officiers et sous-officiers de forces arm\u00e9es centrafricaines ( FACA) ont exprim\u00e9 leur m\u00e9contentement dans un document de 20 pages envoy\u00e9 au chef de l\u2019\u00c9tat Faustin Archange Touadera. Dans cette pi\u00e8ce \u00e9crite, les auteurs ont non seulement exprim\u00e9 leur rage, mais fait savoir que \u00ab Les Forces arm\u00e9es ne sont plus r\u00e9publicaines et non plus au service du peuple comme \u00e9crit dans la constitution de la RCA, mais au service de l\u2019ex\u00e9cutif, des gouvernants et leurs alli\u00e9s les riches expatri\u00e9s \u00bb. Mais l\u2019\u00e9tat-major, de son c\u00f4t\u00e9, pr\u00e9f\u00e8re appeler au calme et tient \u00e9galement \u00e0 mettre en garde les militaires r\u00e9calcitrants.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : \u00e0 Boali, un soldat FACA violent\u00e9 sexuellement par les mercenaires russes<\/a> | 22 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

D\u00e9cid\u00e9ment, les mercenaires russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner d\u00e9ploy\u00e9s \u00e0 Boali, \u00e0 95 kilom\u00e8tres de Bangui ne sont pas pr\u00e8s de s\u2019arr\u00eater. Ils multiplient des exactions sur les populations, sur les forces de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 int\u00e9rieure (FSI) et les forces de d\u00e9fense nationale. Un mois apr\u00e8s avoir violent\u00e9 sexuellement l\u2019un de leur, ces mercenaires de Wagner ont violemment pris \u00e0 partie un soldat FACA de l\u2019unit\u00e9 des forces sp\u00e9ciales d\u00e9tach\u00e9es dans la ville. Ce dernier a \u00e9t\u00e9 agress\u00e9 sexuellement par plusieurs mercenaires, et il a \u00e9t\u00e9 transf\u00e9r\u00e9 dans un h\u00f4pital \u00e0 Bangui.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : violente attaque des positions de 3R par les mercenaires russes dans le nord-ouest, 3 personnes tu\u00e9es<\/a> | 22 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s plusieurs embuscade mortelles tendues par les rebelles de 3R aux mercenaires russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner dont plusieurs ont \u00e9t\u00e9 tu\u00e9s, ces derniers se sont renforc\u00e9s depuis plusieurs semaines \u00e0 koui. Apr\u00e8s l\u2019arriv\u00e9e des huit v\u00e9hicules remplis des autres Wagner lourdement arm\u00e9s \u00e0 koui le vendredi 13 ao\u00fbt dernier, plus de 14 autres v\u00e9hicules, 40 motos et quatre h\u00e9licopt\u00e8res sont arriv\u00e9s \u00e0 nouveau dans la ville de koui le vendredi dernier. Ils ont men\u00e9 des ratissages dans la r\u00e9gion, et des affrontements ont \u00e9t\u00e9 signal\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Africa’s jihadists: What Taliban takeover of Afghanistan means<\/a> | 21 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Islamist groups waging insurgencies in Africa were quick to celebrate. “God is great,” a media outlet linked to Somalia’s al-Shabab wrote in response to the takeover. Elsewhere, the leader of al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) used his first public message since 2019 to congratulate the Taliban.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Central Africa, Russia Won the War\u2014but It\u2019s Losing the Peace<\/a> | 21 August 2021 | Foreign Policy<\/span><\/p>\n

In the lawless provinces of the Central African Republic, a deep hole has been dug into the bare earth of a military base. Measuring some 20 feet deep by 12 feet wide, this grim pit is used by Russian mercenaries and federal troops as a black site to detain anyone suspected of rebel sympathies, two sources familiar with its existence told Foreign Policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Violences intercommunautaires au Cameroun : 11.000 personnes se r\u00e9fugient au Tchad<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | Journal du Tchad<\/span><\/p>\n

Cameroon Says 40 Villages Razed, Thousands Displaced Fear Returning<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

Les affrontements entre les \u00e9leveurs Choa et les agriculteurs Mousgoum, ayant d\u00e9but\u00e9 le 10 ao\u00fbt dernier \u00e0 l\u2019Extr\u00eame-Nord du pays, ont fait 32 morts et 74 bless\u00e9s.Dans de nombreux pays africains, ces deux groupes cohabitent difficilement. Au Cameroun, les r\u00e9cents heurts sont caus\u00e9s par des tensions autour des ressources agricole, halieutique et pastorale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ntaganda and the \u2018Conduct of Hostilities Crimes\u2019<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | EJIL: Talk!<\/span><\/p>\n

The ICC\u2019s appeals judgement in the Ntaganda case, although covering a diverse array of legal issues, will likely be remembered as the focus for a confused and chaotic debate on the meaning of \u2018attack\u2019 within IHL and ICL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burkina Faso: UN chief condemns deadly attack on northern town, 80 reported dead<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has strongly condemned an armed attack on a convoy near the town of Arbinda, in the north of Burkina Faso, on Wednesday, which has reportedly led to the death of some 80 people. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ituri : les FARDC r\u00e9cup\u00e8rent sept villages des mains des miliciens de la CODECO \u00e0 Djugu<\/a> | 20 August 2021 | Radio Okapi<\/span><\/p>\n

Les Forces arm\u00e9es de la R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (FARDC) annoncent avoir r\u00e9cup\u00e9r\u00e9 sept villages des mains des miliciens de la CODECO dans le secteur de Banyali-Kilo en territoire de Djugu. Les villages pass\u00e9s sous le contr\u00f4le des FARDC sont Itendey, Gbado, Mayolo, Lisey, Lib\u00e9ria, Sakoko et Samangoli.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mozambique: Vigil Insight Situation Report<\/a> (pdf) | 19 August 2021 | Insecurity Insight<\/span><\/p>\n

The retaking of Mocimboa da Praia will stall the spread of the Islamist militant insurgency for now, though the civilian death toll from the conflict is likely to increase along with human rights abuses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzania: SADC Anti-Terror Crusade – Dar es Salaam to Host Regional Centre<\/a> | 19 August 2021 | Tanzania Daily News | AllAfrica<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzania will host the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Counter Terrorism Centre, as the region seeks to heighten efforts to thwart terrorism threats and cybercrime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exactions des mercenaires russes en Centrafrique, la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner se pr\u00e9pare \u00e0 manipuler l\u2019opinion<\/a> | 17 August 2021 | CorbeauNews <\/span><\/p>\n

Le massacre de Bossangoa, dont le gouvernement avait pr\u00e9cipitamment attribu\u00e9 la responsabilit\u00e9 aux rebelles de la coalition des patriotes pour le changement (CPC), constitue d\u00e9sormais la preuve irr\u00e9futable des exactions commises par les mercenaires de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 russe Wagner en Centrafrique. Afin de pr\u00e9parer l\u2019opinion publique nationale \u00e0 la conclusion du rapport final de la commission d\u2019enqu\u00eate sp\u00e9ciale, plusieurs dizaines des journalistes des m\u00e9dias proches des int\u00e9r\u00eats russes ont \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9ploy\u00e9s dans les villes de province par Wagner afin de mener leur propre \u00ab enqu\u00eate \u00bb. C\u2019est ce qu\u2019on appelle la manipulation psychologique de l\u2019opinion publique par un travail sur les techniques de la communication.<\/span><\/p>\n

DR Congo accepts US military help against ADF militia<\/a> | 16 August 2021 | al Jazeera<\/span><\/p>\n

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has authorised US special forces to help the Congolese army battle the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group linked to ISIL (ISIS).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ituri : l\u2019\u00e9quipe humanitaire pays s\u2019inqui\u00e8te de la recrudescence des tueries<\/a> | 16 August 2021 | ADIAC<\/span><\/p>\n

Pour le coordonnateur humanitaire en R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo (RDC), David McLachlan-Karr, \u00ab les conditions pour la paix et la construction de ponts entre les communaut\u00e9s bellig\u00e9rantes doivent \u00eatre promues dans la province et accompagn\u00e9es de plateformes pour promouvoir le dialogue, la justice et la lutte contre l’impunit\u00e9 pour les crimes commis dans le conflit. Les Nations unies et nos partenaires sont pr\u00eats \u00e0 soutenir les activit\u00e9s visant \u00e0 faciliter la r\u00e9conciliation communautaire et la consolidation de la paix \u00bb.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : les mercenaires russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner se renforcent \u00e0 koui, dans le Nord-ouest<\/a> | 15 August 2021 | CorbeauNews <\/span><\/p>\n

Huit v\u00e9hicules remplis des \u00e9l\u00e9ments russes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Wagner sont arriv\u00e9s vendredi dans la sous-pr\u00e9fecture de koui, dans le nord-ouest de la Centrafrique. Occupant tous les coins strat\u00e9giques de la ville, les hommes de Wagner commencent \u00e0 multiplier des patrouilles.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : le mouvement 3R d\u00e9nonce \u201cla persistance des affirmations mensong\u00e8res v\u00e9hicul\u00e9es par les officines du gouvernement du Pr\u00e9sident Touadera\u201d<\/a> | 14 August 2021 | Mouvement 3R | CorbeauNews <\/span><\/p>\n

Le Mouvement 3R, \u00e0 l\u2019instar de tous les observateurs de la situation politique et s\u00e9curitaire en R\u00e9publique centrafricaine, note la persistance des affirmations mensong\u00e8res v\u00e9hicul\u00e9es par les officines du gouvernement du Pr\u00e9sident Faustin Archange Touadera.<\/span><\/p>\n

Djugu: des combats ont oppos\u00e9 l\u2019arm\u00e9e \u00e0 des miliciens de Codeco \u00e0 Liseyi<\/a> | 14 August 2021 | MediaCongo.net<\/span><\/p>\n

Entre 6 et 13 heures locales de ce vendredi 13 ao\u00fbt 2021, les FARDC se sont affront\u00e9s \u00e0 des hommes arm\u00e9s identifi\u00e9s aux miliciens de Codeco \u00e0 Liseyi, entit\u00e9 situ\u00e9e \u00e0 plus ou moins 13 km au Sud-Est de Kilo-Centre en secteur des Banyali-Kilo, territoire de Djugu (Ituri).<\/span><\/p>\n

UN peacekeepers and DR Congo troops kill 45 ADF rebels<\/a> | 14 August 2021 | CGTN<\/span><\/p>\n

The army and the UN peacekeeping force in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said Friday that they have killed 45 Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n

DR Congo: \u2018Widespread and systematic\u2019 violence linked to clashes over gold<\/a> | 13 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

UN \u2018gravely concerned\u2019 by reports of mass rape in DRC<\/a> | 13 August 2021 | The Guardian<\/span><\/p>\n

Rival armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are carrying out horrific sexual attacks against women and girls, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

RDC : combats entre l\u2019arm\u00e9e et les miliciens de Twigwaneo-Gumino signal\u00e9s ce jeudi dans les haut-plateaux de Fizi, Mwenga et Uvira<\/a> | 12 August 2021 | Actualite.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Les affrontements ont oppos\u00e9 ce jeudi 12 ao\u00fbt, les Forces arm\u00e9es de la R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo (FARDC) aux miliciens de Twigwaneo-Gumino dans plueiurs localit\u00e9s et villages des hauts plateaux de Fizi, Mwenga et Uvira (Sud-Kivu). Ces combats ont \u00e9t\u00e9 signal\u00e9s notamment \u00e0 Bijombo, Muravya, Mikenge, Ngoma et Mikarati.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner: Gaddafi’s son faces arrest over Russian mercenaries<\/a> | 12 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner: Scale of Russian mercenary mission in Libya exposed<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

Prosecutors in Libya have issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, over suspected ties to Russian mercenaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beni : le CEPADHO esp\u00e8re que la pr\u00e9sence des troupes kenyanes va redynamiser la lutte contre les ADF<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | Radio Okapi<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Centre d\u2019\u00e9tude pour la promotion de la paix, la d\u00e9mocratie et les droits de l\u2019homme (CEPADHO) esp\u00e8re que l\u2019arriv\u00e9e et le d\u00e9ploiement des troupes kenyanes dans la r\u00e9gion de Beni au Nord-Kivu, va redynamiser la brigade d\u2019intervention aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s des Forces arm\u00e9es de la RDC (FARDC) dans la lutte contre les terroristes ADF\/MTN qui sont traqu\u00e9s par l\u2019arm\u00e9e congolaise. Cette organisation de d\u00e9fense des droits de l\u2019homme l\u2019a fait savoir dans un communiqu\u00e9 rendu public mardi 10 ao\u00fbt. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ituri\/Djugu : barri\u00e8res et taxes illicites p\u00e8sent sur les commer\u00e7ants dans des zones d\u2019ins\u00e9curit\u00e9 \u2013 Enqu\u00eate<\/a> | 10 August 2021 | Actualite.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus de trois mois apr\u00e8s le d\u00e9marrage de l\u2019\u00e9tat de si\u00e8ge dans la province de l\u2019Ituri, au Nord-Est de la R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo, la situation s\u00e9curitaire est toujours volatile dans plusieurs contr\u00e9es o\u00f9 s\u00e9vissent des groupes arm\u00e9s. Les plus c\u00e9l\u00e8bres sont les Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), la Force Patriotique et Int\u00e9grationniste du Congo (FPIC\/Chini ya kilima), la Force de R\u00e9sistance et Patriotique du Congo (FRPI), le ZAIRE, et la Coop\u00e9rative pour le D\u00e9veloppement du Congo (CODECO) qui \u00e9cument les territoires de Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi et Mambasa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sudan, the International Criminal Court and Omar Al Bashir<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | Opinio Juris<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019, as a result of mass mobilization and popular protest against Omar Al Bashir and his administration, Sudan embarked on a process of transition. Currently, there is a transitional administration in place \u2013 a civilian and military administration \u2013 with a new cabinet announced early this year, as a result of the Juba Peace Agreement of 3 October 2020, relating to Darfur and other conflict areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The disturbing rise of the corporate mercenaries<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | Open Democracy<\/span><\/p>\n

When the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated by agents of the Saudi government in 2018, it caused an international scandal. Now, it turns out that his killers were trained in the US. In June, The New York Times reported that four Saudis involved in the killing had received paramilitary training from Tier 1 Group, a private security company based in Arkansas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mali violence threatens country\u2019s survival, warns UN human rights expert<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

Rapidly spreading violence in Mali is threatening the State\u2019s very survival, the UN independent expert on the human rights situation in the country said on Friday. <\/span><\/p>\n

RDC: Baisse de 14% des violations et atteintes aux droits de l\u2019homme au premier semestre <\/a>2021 (Rapport BCNUDH)<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | Politico.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

La R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo a enregistr\u00e9, au cours du premier semestre de 2021 soit de janvier \u00e0 juin, une baisse de 14% des violations et atteintes des droits de l\u2019homme soit 3276 sur l\u2019ensemble du territoire national par rapport au semestre pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent (juillet-d\u00e9cembre 2020) et 20% par rapport \u00e0 la m\u00eame p\u00e9riode de janvier-juin 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

Terrorisme au Lac Tchad : le Niger envisage l’installation d’une base a\u00e9rienne \u00e0 Diffa<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | Alwihda Info<\/span><\/p>\n

Le gouvernement nig\u00e9rien envisage l\u2019installation d\u2019une base a\u00e9rienne d\u00e9nomm\u00e9e \u00ab BA 501 de Diffa \u00bb pour augmenter la capacit\u00e9 de riposte des forces arm\u00e9es nig\u00e9riennes, au vu de l\u2019ins\u00e9curit\u00e9 actuelle qui r\u00e8gne dans la r\u00e9gion du Sahel, plus particuli\u00e8rement dans la zone du bassin du Lac Tchad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebels, Doctors and Merchants of Violence: How the fight against Ebola became part of the conflict in eastern DRC<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | Congo Research Group | ReliefWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, the 10th outbreak in the DRC, was the first time that the disease emerged in a conflict zone. This report, the second in a series on the Ebola epidemic, attempts to explain how the epidemic and the transnational effort launched to contain it (the Riposte) was affected by this violence, and how they in turn influenced the armed conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plusieurs partisans de l’opposant tanzanien Freeman Mbowe arr\u00eat\u00e9s<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzania opposition leader Mbowe in court on \u2018terror\u2019 charges<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | al Jazeera<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzania opposition leader Freeman Mbowe in court to face charges<\/a> | 31 August 2021 | al Jazeera<\/span><\/p>\n

La police anti-\u00e9meute tanzanienne a arr\u00eat\u00e9 jeudi plusieurs partisans du leader de l’opposition Freeman Mbowe, r\u00e9cemment arr\u00eat\u00e9, devant un tribunal de Dar es Salaam o\u00f9 une audience pour “terrorisme” contre lui a \u00e9t\u00e9 report\u00e9e.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual self-imposed SPLM-IO leadership a solution to the Conflict in South Sudan?<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | Radio Tamazuj<\/span><\/p>\n

My answer is no, let me remind you of earlier defections from the start of the conflict in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. A good number of disgruntled Generals have switched sides from SPLA-IO to the government, but their main goal in doing so is merely getting lumpsum bites of Brazilian chicken meals and sleeping in comfortable hotels in Juba\u2014with their pockets full, they forget the suffering of the South Sudanese people.<\/span><\/p>\n

RDC : des officiers des FARDC arr\u00eat\u00e9s pour d\u00e9tournements de fonds<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | AfricaNews<\/span><\/p>\n

A Goma, dans l\u2019Est de la RDC, l’arm\u00e9e a annonc\u00e9 l’arrestation des 9 officiers sup\u00e9rieurs, soup\u00e7onn\u00e9s de d\u00e9tournement des fonds allou\u00e9s aux op\u00e9rations militaires du Nord-Kivu. Les auteurs pr\u00e9sum\u00e9s de ce d\u00e9lit ont \u00e9t\u00e9 appr\u00e9hend\u00e9s et mis \u00e0 la disposition de la justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rwanda Troops in Mozambique Claim Progress Against Jihadists<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

Mozambique insurgency: Rwanda leads the fightback<\/a> | 6 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

Rwandan forces in Mozambique, deployed less than a month ago to help battle jihadists, said Thursday they have scored successes in driving out the militants wreaking havoc in the country’s gas-rich north.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzanian military transport spotted in Mozambique<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | DefenceWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tanzanian Air Force has been transporting troops and equipment to Mozambique, presumably as a contribution to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) intervention force.<\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019arm\u00e9e rwandaise commence le d\u00e9ploiement de 750 militaires en R\u00e9publique centrafricaine<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | CorbeauNews <\/span><\/p>\n

Environ 300 soldats de l\u2019arm\u00e9e rwandaise \u00e9taient arriv\u00e9s mardi \u00e0 Bangui, capitale de la R\u00e9publique centrafricaine. Ils ont \u00e9t\u00e9 accueillis \u00e0 leur descente d\u2019avion par le chef d\u2019\u00c9tat major des forces arm\u00e9es centrafricaines (FACA) et le Commandant de la Force de la Minusca.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ituri : plus de 30 000 d\u00e9plac\u00e9s \u00e0 la suite des op\u00e9rations militaires et exactions de la CODECO \u00e0 Djugu<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | Radio Okapi<\/span><\/p>\n

Environ trente mille personnes d\u00e9plac\u00e9es internes ont fui, en l\u2019espace de deux semaines, les op\u00e9rations militaires et les exactions de miliciens de la CODECO dans la r\u00e9gion de Kobu, Bambou, Beliba, Tolo et Nyapala dans le territoire de Djugu, en Ituri. Selon la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 civile locale, ces d\u00e9plac\u00e9s vivent dans des conditions difficiles. Cette structure citoyenne redoute des cas de mortalit\u00e9 dans les diff\u00e9rents sites o\u00f9 sont h\u00e9berg\u00e9s ces sinistr\u00e9s. L’arm\u00e9e d\u00e9clare qu’elle est en train de s\u00e9curiser la zone en vue du retour de la population. <\/span><\/p>\n

Un rapport de la Minusca confirme l\u2019assassinat du sultan maire de koui par les hommes de Wagner<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | CorbeauNews<\/span><\/p>\n

Un rapport de la division des droits de l\u2019homme de la Minusca confirme l\u2019assassinat du sultan maire de koui, Monsieur Lamido Souleymane Daouda et son adjoint ainsi que son garde du corps par les mercenaires de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 russe Wagner. Ce qui confirme les all\u00e9gations de la famille et des multiples sources ind\u00e9pendantes alors que le gouvernement et ses alli\u00e9s russes donnent une autre version des faits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rapport public sur les violations des droits de l\u2019homme et du droit international humanitaire en republique centrafricaine durant la periode electorale juillet 2020 \u2013 juin <\/a>2021<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | MINUSCA\/OHCHR | ReliefWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

Le pr\u00e9sent rapport de la Division des Droits de l\u2019Homme (DDH) de la Mission Multidimensionnelle Int\u00e9gr\u00e9e des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en R\u00e9publique Centrafricaine (MINUSCA) est publi\u00e9 conjointement avec le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux Droits de l’Homme (HCDH). Il pr\u00e9sente une analyse et un r\u00e9sum\u00e9 des violations et abus du droit international humanitaire et du droit international des droits de l\u2019homme commis pendant la p\u00e9riode \u00e9lectorale en R\u00e9publique centrafricaine, du 1er juillet 2020, date de lancement de la derni\u00e8re phase de pr\u00e9paration des \u00e9lections, au 30 juin 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

RCA : violation de l\u2019embargo, les experts de l\u2019ONU s\u2019alarment<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | Journal de Bangui<\/span><\/p>\n

Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to <\/a>Security Council resolution 2536 (2020)<\/a> (S\/2021\/569) | 4 August 2021 | UN Security Council | ReliefWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

Le dernier rapport des experts de l\u2019ONU, sorti le 29 juin, le comit\u00e9 d\u2019experts d\u00e9nonce des livraisons de mat\u00e9riel effectu\u00e9es \u00e0 \u201cun rythme jamais vu depuis l\u2019imposition de l\u2019embargo sur les armes en 2013\u201d, et documente longuement les violations de l\u2019embargo via le Soudan, le Congo, la RDC ou encore les Emirats arabes unis.<\/span><\/p>\n

115 Killed in Military Crackdown in Nigeria: Amnesty<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

Amnesty International on Thursday accused Nigerian security forces of using excessive force and killing at least 115 people in a crackdown on separatist agitators in the country’s restive southeast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rwanda, Mozambican forces take control of strategic city in insurgency-hit region<\/a> | 4 August 2021 | The New Times<\/span><\/p>\n

Reports from Mozambique indicate that Rwandan and Mozambican forces are now in full control of the key base of Awasse after repulsing the retreating Islamic State-linked insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of Mozambique.<\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res forced to withdraw teams from Cameroon\u2019s North-West region<\/a> | 3 August 2021 | MSF<\/span><\/p>\n

The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders\/M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res has been forced to withdraw its teams from the North-West region of Cameroon, an area severely impacted by years of armed violence between security forces and separatist groups. MSF has not been able to operate in the area since its programs were suspended by Cameroonian authorities almost eight months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

RDC: En 6 mois, les agents de l\u2019\u00c9tat responsables des ex\u00e9cutions extrajudiciaires d\u2019au <\/a>moins 199 personnes dont 24 enfants<\/a> | 3 August 2021 | Actualite.cd<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Bureau conjoint des Nations Unies aux droits de l\u2019homme (BCNUDH) a publi\u00e9 mardi son rapport semestriel. 3276 violations et atteintes aux droits de l\u2019homme sur l\u2019ensemble du territoire national, soit une moyenne de 546 par mois. <\/span><\/p>\n

Traque des groupes arm\u00e9s en Ituri : une ONG locale salue le professionnalisme de l\u2019arm\u00e9e<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | Radio Okapi<\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019ONG \u00ab Justice et dignit\u00e9 pour tous \u00bb salue le professionnalisme des forces arm\u00e9es congolaises lors des op\u00e9rations militaires lanc\u00e9es depuis le weekend dernier \u00e0 Bambou et Kobu dans le secteur de Djatsi dans le territoire de Djugu contre les groupes arm\u00e9s. <\/span><\/p>\n

Madagascar arrests generals over plot to kill President Rajoelina<\/a> | 1 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

More arrests in Madagascar in connection with plot to kill president<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | France24<\/span><\/p>\n

High-ranking army and police officials have been arrested in Madagascar in connection with a failed attempt to kill the country’s president. The arrested include five generals and several active police officers, meaning 21 people are now being investigated over last month’s foiled assassination.<\/span><\/p>\n

US Military Targets Al-Shabab in Somalia With More Airstrikes<\/a> | 1 August 2021 | VoA<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States military has confirmed that it carried out another airstrike against al-Shabab militants, its third in less than two weeks. Sunday\u2019s strike was in support of Somali government forces in the vicinity of Qeycad, in the central Galmudug state, according to the U.S. military.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ituri : offensive contre les miliciens \u00e0 Kobu, l\u2019arm\u00e9e appelle la population \u00e0 chercher des <\/a>zones s\u00e9curis\u00e9es<\/a> | 31 July 2021 | Radio Okapi<\/span><\/p>\n

Quatri\u00e8me jour ce samedi 31 juillet de l’offensive lanc\u00e9e par les FARDC contre les miliciens de la CODECO (Coop\u00e9rative pour le D\u00e9veloppement du Congo) au centre commercial de Kobu et sa p\u00e9riph\u00e9rie en territoire de Djugu, dans la province de l\u2019Ituri.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.N. arms embargo on CAR extended for year, China abstains<\/a> | 30 July 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday extended a Central African Republic (CAR) arms embargo and targeted sanctions regime for another year, however China abstained in the vote because it believes the measures should be removed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disturbing wave of extrajudicial executions on the rise in South Sudan\u2019s Warrap State \u2013 <\/a>UN experts note<\/a> | 29 July 2021 | OHCHR<\/span><\/p>\n

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan expressed its grave concern today at the wave of extrajudicial executions being carried out by Government forces across Warrap State. Beginning in March this year and coinciding with the appointment of a new governor in Warrap, dozens of individuals including young boys have been extrajudicially killed. In almost all reported cases, the Commission found that members of the South Sudan People\u2019s Defence Forces, the National Police Service, or the National Security Service either carried out or were present within the vicinity of the executions.<\/span><\/p>\n

La Turquie au Sahel<\/a> | 27 July 2021 | International Crisis Group<\/span><\/p>\n

Ankara renforce ses liens avec les capitales du Sahel ; elle construit des mosqu\u00e9es et des h\u00f4pitaux et ouvre des march\u00e9s d\u2019exportation. Le pacte de d\u00e9fense qu\u2019elle a conclu avec Niamey a pouss\u00e9 ses rivaux \u00e0 s\u2019inqui\u00e9ter de ses intentions. Ankara, \u00e0 l\u2019instar d\u2019autres puissances ext\u00e9rieures, devrait tout mettre en \u0153uvre pour \u00e9viter d\u2019intensifier la comp\u00e9tition au sein de la r\u00e9gion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defending Our Sovereignty: US Military Bases in Africa and the Future of African Unity<\/a> | 5 July 2021 | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research<\/span><\/p>\n

On 30 May 2016, the African Union\u2019s Peace and Security Council (PSC) held its 601st meeting. Though the agenda was broad, members of the PSC came to the meeting concerned about a range of conflicts: the collapse of the Libyan state and the impact that this had across the Sahel, the ongoing struggles in the Lake Chad region with the persistence of Boko Haram, and the wars that marked the Great Lakes region (with the loss of sovereignty by the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its eastern flank). The \u2018primary responsibility for ensuring effective conflict prevention\u2019, the PSC noted, \u2018lies with the Member States\u2019, namely the fifty-five countries on the African continent from Algeria to Zimbabwe.<\/span><\/p>\n

ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY CONFLICT<\/span><\/h2>\n

U.S. Response To The Human Rights Crisis In Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray Conflict<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | The Organization for World Peace<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ethiopia elected Abiy Ahmed to be the prime minister in 2018, the international community looked optimistically on the country\u2019s future. In 2019, the new prime minister disintegrated the Ethiopian People\u2019s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which was led by the Tigrayan People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party in Ethiopia since 1991. Abiy successfully negotiated for peace over border disputes with the neighbouring nation Eritrea, winning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, and instituted a number of promising reforms. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia on diplomatic campaign in East Africa as int\u2019l pressure mounts<\/a> | 30 August 2021 | Borkena<\/span><\/p>\n

In what appears to be a move to deepen diplomatic ties with countries in the region, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with leaders from three countries in a span of less than a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women in Tigray Face Increased Risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Amid Humanitarian Crisis<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | Refugees International | ReliefWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

The world has watched as long-standing political and ethnic rivalries in Ethiopia have turned into active conflict and horrific mass atrocities in the northern region of Tigray.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia Risks U.S. Trade Access on Tigray Rights Violations<\/a> | 26 August 2021 | Bloomberg<\/span><\/p>\n

The humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia\u2019s northern region could affect Ethiopia\u2019s eligibility to export goods to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S., EU warn of influx of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray<\/a> | 24 August 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States and European Union are raising alarm over the recent deployment of troops from Eritrea to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where nine months of war have killed thousands of people and sparked a worsening humanitarian crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia acquires Iranian UAVs for Tigray War<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | DefenceWeb<\/span><\/p>\n

In the latest effort to halt the advancing Tigray Defence Force (TDF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), it appears Ethiopia has purchased several Iranian-made Mohajer-6 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia grateful to Russia for its position on Tigray crisis, Ambassador to Moscow says<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | TASS<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia is discussing the crisis in the Tigray region with the Russian side at various levels and is grateful to Russia for its position on this issue, Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau said in an interview with TASS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sanctioning Eritrean Military Leader in Connection with Human Rights Abuse in Ethiopia<\/a> | 23 August 2021 | U.S. Department of State<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States is designating the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) Chief of Staff General Filipos Woldeyohannes (Filipos) for his connection with serious human rights abuse committed during the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. Filipos is designated pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world. Filipos commands all of the EDF forces that have committed serious human rights abuses in Ethiopia throughout the conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: US accuses Abiy’s government of blocking aid<\/a> | 21 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

The US international development agency has blamed the Ethiopian government for a shortage of humanitarian aid in the country’s conflict-torn Tigray region.<\/span><\/p>\n

UN chief gravely concerned over \u2018unspeakable violence\u2019 in Tigray<\/a> | 19 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking outside the Security Council chamber on Thursday, UN chief Ant\u00f3nio Guterres told journalists that he is gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia, particularly the \u201cunspeakable violence\u201d against women and others in Tigray.<\/span><\/p>\n

Violence in Tigray Threatens Ethiopia’s Already Fragile Stability<\/a> | 18 August 2021 | Foreign Policy Research Institute<\/span><\/p>\n

The ongoing violence between the Ethiopian central government and the Tigray Peoples\u2019 Liberation Front (TPLF), which began in 2020, has Ethiopia at a crossroads. An ancient kingdom that stood as a powerful state between the Roman Empire and Persia and home of the earliest hominids on Earth, Ethiopia\u2019s written history dates from the time of King Solomon. The country was ruled by emperors from the Zagwe dynasty in the 9th century until 1974 when Haile Selassie, the last emperor of the Solomonic dynasty, was overthrown and the communist Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia took control of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethnic Tigrayans Forcibly Disappeared<\/a> | 18 August 2021 | Human Rights Watch<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopian authorities since late June 2021 have arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared, and committed other abuses against ethnic Tigrayans in Ethiopia\u2019s capital, Addis Ababa. The authorities should immediately account for Tigrayans\u2019 forcibly disappeared, release those being held without credible evidence of a crime, and end all discriminatory treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

TDF accuses UN of lying as Tigray conflict escalates<\/a> | 15 August 2021 | Garowe<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] has accused a top UN body of misleading the public over alleged deaths at Galicoma in the Afar region, where the separatist group was blamed for opening fire, killing children, and innocent women.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia: \u201cI don\u2019t know if they realized I was a person\u201d: Rape and sexual violence in the <\/a>conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia<\/a> (AFR 25\/4569\/2021) | 11 August 2021 | Amnesty International<\/span><\/p>\n

During the conflict that began on 4 November 2020 in Tigray – Ethiopia\u2019s northernmost region – troops fighting in support of the federal government have committed widespread rape against ethnic Tigrayan women and girls. The perpetrators include members of the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF), the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), the Amhara Regional Police Special Forces (ASF), and Fano, an informal Amhara militia group. Given the context, scale, and gravity of the sexual violence committed against women and girls in Tigray, the violations amount to war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tigray forces seek new military alliance<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia armed group says it has alliance with Tigray forces<\/a> | 11 August 2021 | The Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the new Tigray-Oromo pact more political than military?<\/a> | 14 August 2021 | The East African<\/span><\/p>\n

Forces from Ethiopia’s rebellious Tigray region said on Wednesday they were in talks to forge a military alliance with insurgents from Ethiopia’s most populous region, Oromiya, heaping pressure on the central government in Addis Ababa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia\u2019s prime minister calls for mass enlistment amid battlefield losses to Tigray rebels<\/a> | 10 August 2021 | The Washington Post<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid a string of battlefield losses that have allowed rebels from Ethiopia\u2019s northern Tigray region to move into neighboring areas and down a key highway leading to the capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia\u2019s prime minister called Tuesday for a national war effort, including mass enlistment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tigray rebels seize UNESCO site of Lalibela in Ethiopia’s Amhara region<\/a> | 5 August 2021 | France24<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebels from Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region on Thursday seized Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the neighbouring Amhara region famed for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches, residents told AFP.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Heartbreaking\u2019 devastation in Tigray, says UN humanitarian chief<\/span><\/a> | 4 August 2021 | UN News<\/span><\/p>\n

The new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator ended a six-day mission to Ethiopia with a fresh push to get badly needed food and other supplies into the embattled Tigray region. <\/span><\/p>\n

US warns Ethiopia of ‘dehumanizing rhetoric’ on Tigray<\/a> | 3 August 2021 | The Washington Post<\/span><\/p>\n

The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development expressed concern Wednesday about the \u201cdehumanizing rhetoric\u201d used by Ethiopia\u2019s leaders amid the nine-month conflict in the Tigray region, whose forces last month were described as \u201cweeds\u201d and \u201ccancer\u201d by the country\u2019s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia: Growing concerns for unity as Tigray conflict spreads<\/a> | 3 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

There are increasing concerns about Ethiopian unity as the conflict in the northern Tigray region escalates. The nine-month-long war between Tigrayan rebel forces and the Ethiopian army and its allies has been mostly contained in Tigray itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bodies found in river between Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray and Sudan<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | The Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n

A Sudanese official says local authorities in Kassala province have found around 50 bodies, apparently people fleeing the war in neighboring Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray region, floating in the river between the countries over the past week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: Rebels vow to fight on until blockade ends<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | BBC<\/span><\/p>\n

The commander of the rebel group in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray has told the BBC they will continue fighting until their terms for a ceasefire are met. Gen Tsadkan Gebretensae said the group aims to force the federal government to lift a blockade in the region and agree to a political solution to the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Africa can prevent Ethiopia from going down Rwanda\u2019s path: here\u2019s how<\/a> | 2 August 2021 | The Conversation<\/span><\/p>\n

When Ethiopia\u2019s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2019, I congratulated him in a public US and Africa dialogue forum. I thought he deserved the prize, given what he had done. In particular he showed a calm and responsible interest in listening to all community grievances to avoid outbursts of war.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopian Airlines denies shipping arms, soldiers to Tigray<\/a> | 1 August 2021 | France24<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier in Africa, on Sunday denied it was transporting weapons and soldiers to the war-torn Tigray region. Calls to boycott the state-owned airline appeared on social media over allegations it was involved in the nine-month-old conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade.\u00a0 Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS\u2019 areas of research. In focus: Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges. In the news: Conflict […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23093,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"publication-author":[2795],"publication-gis":[],"briefing-category":[7051],"publication-editor":[],"narrative":[7538],"class_list":["post-23087","weekly-briefing","type-weekly-briefing","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","publication-author-hans-merket","briefing-category-ipis-briefing","narrative-diamonds"],"yoast_head":"\nIPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges - IPIS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade.\u00a0 Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS\u2019 areas of research. In focus: Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges. In the news: Conflict […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IPIS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IPISResearch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-17T20:14:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@IPISResearch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Geschatte leestijd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"46 minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/\",\"name\":\"IPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges - IPIS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-03T07:16:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-17T20:14:52+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/nl\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Briefings\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/fr\\\/weekly-briefing\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"IPIS Briefing August 2021 – Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/\",\"name\":\"IPIS\",\"description\":\"INTERNATIONAL PEACE INFORMATION SERVICE\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"IPIS\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/logo-IPIS.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/logo-IPIS.png\",\"width\":46,\"height\":68,\"caption\":\"IPIS\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ipisresearch.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/IPISResearch\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/IPISResearch\",\"https:\\\/\\\/be.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/international-peace-information-service-ipis-\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"IPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges - IPIS","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/","og_locale":"nl_NL","og_type":"article","og_title":"IPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges","og_description":"The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade.\u00a0 Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS\u2019 areas of research. In focus: Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges. In the news: Conflict […]","og_url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/","og_site_name":"IPIS","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IPISResearch","article_modified_time":"2025-09-17T20:14:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@IPISResearch","twitter_misc":{"Geschatte leestijd":"46 minuten"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/","url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/","name":"IPIS Briefing August 2021 - Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges - IPIS","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-03T07:16:16+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-17T20:14:52+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"nl-NL","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"nl-NL","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RELUFA_IMG_20200311-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/weekly-briefing\/ipis-briefing-august-2021-cameroons-diamond-sector-small-player-big-challenges\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Briefings","item":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/fr\/weekly-briefing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"IPIS Briefing August 2021 – Cameroon\u2019s diamond sector: small player, big challenges"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/","name":"IPIS","description":"INTERNATIONAL PEACE INFORMATION SERVICE","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"nl-NL"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#organization","name":"IPIS","url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"nl-NL","@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/logo-IPIS.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/logo-IPIS.png","width":46,"height":68,"caption":"IPIS"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IPISResearch","https:\/\/x.com\/IPISResearch","https:\/\/be.linkedin.com\/company\/international-peace-information-service-ipis-"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/weekly-briefing\/23087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/weekly-briefing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/weekly-briefing"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/weekly-briefing\/23087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23097,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/weekly-briefing\/23087\/revisions\/23097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23087"},{"taxonomy":"publication-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-author?post=23087"},{"taxonomy":"publication-gis","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-gis?post=23087"},{"taxonomy":"briefing-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing-category?post=23087"},{"taxonomy":"publication-editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-editor?post=23087"},{"taxonomy":"narrative","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipisresearch.be\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/narrative?post=23087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}