HEADLINES

– DR Congo:

* military operation against ADF-Nalu (North Kivu), backed by MONUSCO

* clashes between army and APCLS in Masisi (North Kivu)

* violence by FDLR north of Goma (North Kivu), Raia Mutomboki in Shabunda and            FNL in Uvira (South Kivu), Bakata Katanga (Katanga)

* farm of former head of police John Numbi in Lubumbashi searched

* Rwanda asks to dismiss report by UN Group of Experts on DRC

* Dan Gertler sells oil rights to government for 300 times purchase price

– Central African Republic:

* Bangui’s mayor Catherine Samba-Panza elected as new interim president

* continued violence, mainly between Christians and Muslims

* EU decides to send troops

– Uganda for the first time admits it has troops in South Sudan to support president        Salva Kiir

– Human Rights Watch publishes World Report 2014

IPIS’ Latest Publications

IPIS Insights: The 2nd Annual United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, Geneva 2013 | January 2014 | IPIS
From the 2 – 4 December 2013, IPIS attended the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights. The Forum was established by the Human Rights Council and is under the guidance of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. IPIS’ researchers Gabriella Wass and Anna Bulzomi offer some insights into topics at the Forum that struck them as particularly interesting.

Practice What You Preach: Theory and Practice of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan in Chad | 9 January 2014 | IPIS
The past decade has seen a staggering increase in Chinese investment flows in Africa, leaping from USD 392 million in 2005 to USD 2520 million in 2012. Chinese Government officials often describe the burgeoning Sino-African ties as ‘win-win partnerships’, emphasizing how their ‘non-interference’ policy truly allows African countries to choose their own development path.
Against this background, doubts may arise with regard to the environmental and social standards applied by Chinese companies conducting business overseas, especially in post-conflict states with poor human rights records and inadequate governance structures.
The case discussed in this paper concerns the operations of the Chadian branch of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

Business, Human Rights, and Uganda’s Oil – Part II: Protect and Remedy: Implementing State duties under the UN Framework on Business and Human Rights | December 2013 | IPIS
The following is the second in a series of four reports exploring business and human rights issues in Uganda’s oil sector. This series is a collaboration between IPIS vsw and ActionAid Uganda.
In accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, this second report assesses the duty of the Ugandan, British, French and Chinese States to prevent, investigate, punish and redress human rights abuse by businesses.

In search of clean water: human rights and the mining industry in Katanga, DRC | 27 November 2013 | IPIS
Today, around 1,8 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the most water-rich country in Africa, 51 million people lack access to potable water; only 26% of the population has access to safe drinking water. This is one of the lowest access rates in the world.
In the Katanga province, rich in cobalt and copper, some industrial mining companies operate provoking significant pollution of water sources, seriously affecting the local population. Although there is a lack of comprehensive data available, several studies conducted by local civil society show environmental, health and socio-economic negative effects.

IPIS Insights: Kimberley Process: observations from the sidelines. Part I | 21 November 2013 | IPIS
Ten years after the launch of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) this paper is the first in a two part series providing an overview of where the Kimberley Process and international efforts to combat the trade in conflict diamonds currently stand. It will analyse some of the present challenges facing the system and some of the potential solutions on the table.

Travail des enfants dans le site minier d’exploitation artisanale de Bisie en territoire de Walikale. Une crise oubliée en République Démocratique du Congo | 19 November 2013 | Prince Kihangi Kyamwami
Plus de deux décennies après l’entrée en vigueur de la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant (1989) en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), la situation des enfants dans le territoire de Walikale demeure critique.

Ambushed in Bangkok? The U.N. Panel on North Korea and the case of the IL-76 “4L-AWA” | 14 November 2013 | IPIS/TA
This new IPIS/TA report explains why the conclusion of the latest United Nations report on North Korea sanctions, about an arms flight grounded in Thailand, is not supported by facts, but based on a misalliance of wrong and misleading information, gleaned both about the cargo aircraft, its flight and the entities involved, together with erroneous interpretations of standard aviation practices made by the UN Panel of experts on North Korea.

Analysis of the interactive map of artisanal mining areas in Eastern DR Congo | 12 November 2013 | IPIS
In August 2009 the ‘International Peace Information Service’ (IPIS) published a first map of militarised mining areas in Eastern DR Congo. By 2012, the international interest in the issue had grown but the map was out-dated. To find a structural solution, IPIS sat down with the Congolese mining cadastre (CAMI) and agreed to set up a permanent system to monitor artisanal mining activities and the involvement of armed groups in the mineral exploitation and trade.
A first version of the resulting map has been published at https://ipisresearch.be//mapping/webmapping. It shows the location of nearly 800 mining sites and 85 trading centres, including information about armed groups presence and involvement, and the scale of the mining activity. The map includes at least 410 cases of illegal taxation by armed groups or the Congolese army.

‘Conflict Minerals’ initiatives in DR Congo: Perceptions of local mining communities | 12 November 2013 | IPIS
The exploitation of minerals is an important source of income for many communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yet this mineral wealth also plays a significant role in the continuation of insecurity in parts of the country.
Over recent years, several domestic, regional and international initiatives have been developed to address the so-called ‘conflict minerals’ problem and the high level of informality in the DRC’s artisanal mining sector. These initiatives have provoked varying reactions regarding their impact on local livelihoods.
This report aims to provide insight into the impact of initiatives on the livelihood strategies of local communities in the DRC, based on field research in a wide range of mining areas; and document the perceptions of local stakeholders of these initiatives and their impacts.

IPIS Insights: Why businesses should assess human rights impacts from the outset of projects. SOCO International Oil Company in Virunga National Park, DRC | 26 August 2013 | International Peace Information Service (IPIS)
SOCO International, a British oil company, is prospecting for oil in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park – a World Heritage Site. For the past year, their presence has been criticised for putting a fragile environment at risk. However, more recently, their impact on human rights has also been questioned. In this Insights IPIS looks at why it is so vital for companies to employ rights-respectful processes, such as those advised in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, from the very beginning of the prospection stage.

Strijd tegen conflictmineralen: sleutel tot conflictresolutie in Oost-Congo? | 25 July  2013 | IPIS (Internationale Spectator)
De PDF van dit artikel is met toestemming van de redactie overgenomen uit de ‘Internationale Spectator, Clingendael Magazine voor Internationale Betrekkingen’, uitgegeven door de Koninklijke Van Gorcum, te Assen namens het Nederlands Instituut voor Internationale Betrekkingen ‘Clingendael’ te Den Haag.

Business, Human Rights, and Uganda’s Oil. Part I: Uganda’s oil sector and potential threats to human rights | 25 July 2013 | International Peace Information Service (IPIS) – ActionAid International Uganda
The following report is the first of a series of four collaborations between IPIS Research and ActionAid International Uganda. The series sheds a light on the oil sector in Uganda, its possible impact on human rights, and how government, companies, and civil society can best enable a positive bond between oil and the welfare of the Ugandan people.

The formalisation of artisanal mining in the DRC and Rwanda | December 2012 [April 2013] | IPIS
This report describes and evaluates initiatives to formalise the artisanal mining sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, in order to locate lessons learned. We hope that these perspectives will support the formation of well-informed policy and regulatory options – both by the EU and by harvesting countries – concerning the formalisation of timber production in tropical countries.
The report was commissioned by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which is dedicated to advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity through providing information that leads to better informed and equitable decision making about the use and management of forests in tropical countries.

Gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic. The country’s mining sector, and related social, economic and environmental issues | 26 March 2013 | IPIS
Gold and diamonds in Central Africa easily conjure up images of conflict, rebel funding, human rights violations, and smuggling. As a country landlocked within an unstable region, neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and recently the scene of another coup, the Central African Republic (CAR) might be considered an appropriate candidate for analysis within the conflict-mineral perspective. Yet this framework would ignore the country’s mining sector’s very specific characteristics. The sector offers an essential livelihood to many households, represents the country’s second most important export product, and is organised in a particular way. Nonetheless, a wide range of issues regarding the country’s mining sector persist.
This report aims to analyse both the Central African Republic’s gold and diamond mining sector and related environmental and socio-economic issues.

Conflict and security in the Great Lakes region

Recent news on conflict, security and arms trade across the Great Lakes Region 
Export Constraints Agreed for Internet Snooping Tech | 17 January 2014 | SciDev.net | allAfrica
Arms-exporting nations have agreed to extend the export control regime that limits the proliferation of military products to include internet surveillance technology.

Conflict trends (no. 22): Real-time analysis of African political violence, January 2014 | 20 January 2014 | ACLED | Reliefweb

Human Rights Watch World Report 2014 – Rights Struggles of 2013 | 21 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch
Stopping Mass Atrocities, Majority Bullying, and Abusive Counterterrorism.

Africa can solve its own problems with proper planning and full implementation of the African Standby Force | 21 January 2014 | Institute for Security Studies
How much longer will the African Standby Force (ASF) simply continue to ‘stand by’ while France and others deal with Africa’s crises? As African leaders prepare for their 22nd Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa next week, questions around the implementation of the ASF have become more urgent than ever.

LRA Regional Update: Central African Republic, DR Congo and South Sudan (October – December 2013) | 22 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

DRC

MONUSCO weekly press conference
Conférence de presse des Nations Unies du mercredi 22 janvier 2014 | 22 January 2014 | MONUSCO

Military operation against ADF-Nalu, Beni, North Kivu
Nord Kivu : Les FARDC entament les opérations militaires contre les ADF/Nalu | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
RDC: l’armée lance une vaste offensive contre les ADF-Nalu dans l’Est | 18 January 2014 | RFI
Les Forces armées de la RDC (FARDC) ont débuté jeudi 16 janvier les opérations militaires de désarmement des rebelles ougandais de l’ADF/ Nalu dans le territoire de Beni (Nord-Kivu).

Congo army attacks Ugandan Islamist rebels in lawless east | 17 January 2014 | Reuters
Reuters correspondents outside the town of Beni, in North Kivu province, heard heavy gunfire as government troops moved in on positions held by ADF-NALU rebels who have been based in Congo for years and are seen as a major obstacle to peace.

Les positions des ADF/Nalu à Beni | 18 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
L’armée congolaise a lancé le jeudi 16 janvier les opérations contre les rebelles ougandais des ADF/ Nalu, actifs dans le territoire de Beni au Nord-Kivu. Cette rébellion, responsable de plusieurs exactions contre les populations civiles, occupe plusieurs positions dans cette partie de la province. La position des ADF/ Nalu la plus proche de Beni est située au village Kambi ya Miba, à environ 35 kilomètres de la ville dans le secteur de Beni-Mbau.

Nord-Kivu : l’armée déloge les ADF/Nalu de 3 localités | 18 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les militaires congolais ont délogé ce samedi 18 janvier les rebelles ougandais des ADF/Nalu de trois localités du Nord-Kivu qu’ils occupaient depuis plusieurs mois.

Traque des ADF/Nalu : la RDC ne collabore pas avec l’Ouganda, selon l’armée | 19 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
«Il n’y a jamais eu d’opérations conjointes de l’armée congolaise avec celle ougandaise contre les rebelles des ADF/Nalu», a précisé samedi 18 janvier le porte-parole des Forces armées de la RDC (FARDC), le général Léon Kasonga. Il a indiqué que l’opération dénommée «Sokola» [Nettoyez] contre les rebelles ougandais de l’ADF/Nalu sera menée du début jusqu’à la fin par les militaires congolais.

Les rebelles ADF migrent vers la Province Orientale | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Quatre jours après le lancement par les FARDC de l’opération “Sokola” [Nettoyez] pour démanteler les groupes armés actifs dans le territoire de Beni, des sources locales signalent un mouvement des rebelles ougandais des ADF vers la Province Orientale.

RDC: l’offensive de l’armée contre les ADF-Nalu s’enlise | 21 January 2014 | RFI
En RDC, au cinquième jour de l’opération Sokola («nettoyez» en lingala) de l’armée congolaise contre la rébellion des ADF-Nalu, les choses se compliquent. Des sources locales évoquent un mouvement des rebelles de l’est vers l’ouest, ainsi que des problèmes de coordination du côté de l’armée congolaise.

Beni : la population appelée à dénoncer toute présence suspecte des rebelles ADF | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Le maire de Beni, Nyonyi Bwanakawa a appelé, lundi 20 janvier, la population de sa juridiction à dénoncer toute présence suspecte des rebelles ougandais des ADF. Il craint que les rebelles, traqués depuis cinq jours dans tout le territoire de Beni par l’armée dans le cadre de l’opération « Sokola » [nettoyez], ne s’infiltrent dans le groupe des déplacés qui arrivent dans la ville.

La Monusco réaffirme son appui aux FARDC dans la traque des ADF | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Le commandant de la Brigade d’intervention des Nations unies en RDC, le général Alberto Do Santos Cruz, a réaffirmé lundi 20 janvier à Beni le soutien de la Monusco à l’armée congolaise. «Nous soutenons les FARDC sur le plan logistique aussi bien que sur le plan tactique.», a-t-il expliqué.

Traque contre ces forces négatives : les premiers résultats de l’Opération Sukola 1 sont très encourageants dixit Lambert Mende | 22 January 2014 | MMC | digitalcongo.net

Nord-Kivu : les ADF renforcent leurs positions à Beni et dans le parc des Virunga | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les rebelles ougandais ADF renforcent leurs positions dans plusieurs localités de la chefferie de Watalinga, environ 90 km de Beni-ville, dans le Nord-Kivu, ont indiqué mardi 21 janvier des sources locales, confirmées par des sources de la société civile.

Murder of Col. Mamadou Ndala
Mamadou Ndala : la société civile du Nord-Kivu veut un procès public | 19 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
RDC: attente et questionnements au Nord-Kivu après la mort du commandant Ndala | 20 January 2014 | RFI
La société civile du Nord-Kivu exige l’organisation d’un procès public dans l’assassinat du général de brigade Mamadou Ndala, commandant du 42e bataillon des commandos des FARDC des Unités de réaction rapide, tué dans une embuscade le 2 janvier à Beni.

RDC: arrestation musclée du capitaine Moïse Banza, aide de camp du commandant Ndala | 19 January 2014 | RFI
Le gouvernement congolais a annoncé l’interpellation samedi 18 janvier du capitaine Moïse Banza, l’aide de camp du commandant Mamadou Ndala, mort le 2 janvier dernier dans une embuscade.

RDC – Anatomie d’un attentat : comment Mamadou Ndala a trouvé la mort | 22 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Dans quelles circonstances exactes le colonel Mamadou Ndala a-t-il trouvé la mort ? Qui avait le doigt sur la gachette et quel type de munition a-t-il été utilisé ? Dans ce long billet, Laurent Touchard se livre à l’analyse détaillée d’une vidéo tournée quelques secondes après l’attentat qui a coûté la vie au héros des FARDC.

Assassinat de Mamadou Ndala: «L’hypothèse» du gouvernement n’est pas un jugement, selon Mende | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
«S’il vous plait, cessez de penser que si le gouvernement émet une hypothèse, c’est un jugement ou un arrêt de justice qui désigne les coupables ». Lambert Mende, porte-parole du gouvernement congolais, a ainsi répondu mardi 21 janvier aux critiques d’une partie de l’opinion congolaise sur la déclaration qu’il avait faite le 2 janvier dernier lors de l’annonce de la mort du colonel Mamadou Ndala. Il avait indiqué ce jour-là que les auteurs de l’assassinat de Mamadou Ndala seraient des rebelles ougandais des ADF. Une piste moins plausible au regard de l’évolution de l’enquête, estiment des observateurs.

M23 reorganising?
Nord-Kivu: la Monusco redoute des exactions d’anciens combattants du M23 | 16 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Le chef de bureau de la Monusco au Nord-Kivu, Ray Virgilio Torres, a déclaré le mercredi 15 janvier redouter que d’anciens rebelles du M23 deviennent des criminels qui commettent des exactions dans certains coins de la province.

RDC: en Ouganda, les chefs du M23 «ni en prison, ni en résidence surveillée» | 16 January 2014 | RFI
La mission des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo a fait état de la réapparition de combattants du M23 dans l’est du pays et d’un soutien des pays voisins, notamment de l’Ouganda, aux ex-rebelles. Des accusations déjà portées par le chef de la Monusco, Martin Kobler, lundi et vivement démenties par le M23.

Grands Lacs : pas d’asile pour les criminels de guerre, exhorte l’ONU | 16 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
La Haut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l’homme, Navi Pillay, a exhorté les chefs d’Etats de la région des Grands Lacs à ne pas donner asile aux personnes suspectées d’avoir commis des crimes internationaux et de graves violations des droits de l’homme.

Réorganisation du M23: «la RDC est prête à toute éventualité », affirme Lambert Mende | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
La RDC est prête à toute éventualité, a indiqué vendredi 17 janvier le porte-parole du gouvernement congolais, le ministre Lambert-Mende, en réaction aux déclarations selon lesquelles des cadres du M23 tenteraient de réorganiser ce mouvement rebelle.

Rwanda asks for U.N. report on Congo sanctions to be dismissed | 17 January 2014 | Reuters
Soutien de Kigali au M23: un rapport de l’ONU jugé «inacceptable» par le Rwanda | 18 January 2014 | RFI
Rwanda asked a U.N. Security Council sanctions committee on Friday to dismiss a report that says the defeated M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are still recruiting fighters in Rwanda and Congolese troops are involved in rights abuses.

L’ONU dans l’est de la RDC: Comment fonctionne le régime des sanctions? | 17 January 2014 | RFI
Le 6 janvier dernier, RFI révélait en avant première les grandes lignes du dernier rapport annuel du groupe d’experts des Nations unies sur la République démocratique du Congo daté du 12 décembre et qui devrait bientôt être rendu public. Une fois de plus, les experts mettent en cause le Rwanda et l’Ouganda, pointant notamment le soutien de ces deux pays à la rébellion du M23. Quel peut être l’impact de tels rapports dans la résolution du conflit ? Quelles sanctions sont-elles prévues ? Explications.

RDC : Quel avenir pour l’ex-M23 ? | 20 January 2014 | Afrikarabia
Après sa défaite militaire de novembre 2013, la rébellion attend la mise en place de l’accord signé avec Kinshasa et notamment la loi d’amnistie. Mais les décisions tardent, au risque de voir revenir les anciens démons.

FDLR
Washington demande à la Monusco de « redoubler d’efforts » contre les FDLR | 18 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Washington demande à la Mission des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo (Monusco) de « redoubler d’efforts » dans la lutte contre les rebelles rwandais des Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda présents dans l’Est de ce pays.

Virunga National Park Ranger Killed in DRC Ambush | 21 January 2014 | Voice of America
Park officials of Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo report a park ranger was shot and killed when their patrol was ambushed by rebel militia. Two other rangers were seriously wounded in the attack.

Masisi, North Kivu
Des humanitaires signalent d’« importantes tensions ressenties à Kitchanga-Centre » entre les FARDC et des miliciens de l’APCLS | 16 January 2014 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica
Ils rapportent également que, « dans la nuit du 13 janvier, des éléments du groupe armé Nduma Defence of Congo (NDC) ont attaqué les positions de l’armée régulière (FARDC) dans la cité de Pinga ».

Nord-Kivu : tension à Masisi après des affrontements entre FARDC et APCLS | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
La tension reste perceptible à Masisi malgré le retour d’un semblant de calme après les affrontements qui ont opposé samedi 18 janvier à des combattants de la coalition APCLS-Nyatura à Ngingwe, Bushoha et Kyekire, dans le groupement Bashali Mokoto, à 6 Km à l’ouest de la cité de Kitshanga, dans ce territoire du Nord-Kivu.

Masisi: conditions de vie difficiles pour les déplacés à Kitchanga | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les personnes fuyant les combats du week-end entre les Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) et les miliciens du groupe armé Alliance du peuple pour un Congo libre et souverain (APCLS) à Ngingwe et Muhanga, quittent le territoire de Masisi pour se réfugier à Kitchanga (Nord-Kivu).

The Kivu Conflict: Say No To War – Stay in Civilian Life | 21 January 2014 | Local Voices
Deciding between an armed existence and civilian life is far from being a rhetorical question in a context where armed groups abound and the lack of economic opportunities erodes all thoughts of the future – as in rural North Kivu.

South Kivu
Restauration de l’Etat au Sud-Kivu – La MONUSCO dresse un état des lieux | 17 January 2014 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica
La Monusco tient à soutenir l’Etat congolais dans la restauration et l’extension de son autorité dans les zones affectées par les conflits armés. C’est dans ce contexte qu’elle a dernièrement accompagné au Sud-Kivu le gouverneur de la province et son équipe dans le territoire de Shabunda. Selon la Monusco, l’objectif poursuivi par cette visite de travail a été de « dresser un état des lieux de la situation et appeler les éléments des Rahiya Mutomboki, actifs dans la zone, à se rendre et à se soumettre au processus DDR ».

Shabunda : les miliciens Raia Mutomboki multiplient les exactions depuis début janvier | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les miliciens Raia Mutomboki de la coalition Sisawa casapard ont multiplié les exactions sur l’axe Tombi-Kazozola à Shabunda, depuis le début de l’année.

Sud-Kivu : une grenade explose et fait un mort et 4 blessés | 18 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Une personne est morte et quatre autres blessées après l’explosion d’une grenade dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi 18 janvier au centre commercial d’Uvira-centre (Sud-Kivu).

Sud-Kivu : des rebelles burundais de FNL accusés d’exactions dans 3 localités d’Uvira | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Des rebelles burundais du FNL violent, pillent, enlèvent et extorquent les populations des localités de Mushule, Kagogo et Manana, surplombant la cité d’Uvira au Sud-Kivu. Des acteurs humanitaires ont affirmé, mardi 21 janvier que ces rebelles se réorganisent dans ces cités où ils ont installé des camps depuis le début du mois de janvier.

Katanga
Katanga: les ex-combattants de Kasokota réclament leur réinsertion sociale | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les ex-combattants regroupés aux centres de Kasokota et de Mulubwe au Katanga réclament leur retour dans leurs milieux d’origine. Ils l’ont exprimé mercredi 15 janvier à une délégation de la division Désarmement, démobilisation, rapatriement, réinsertion et réintégration (DDRRR) de la Monusco venue de Goma, en vue d’évaluer la situation humanitaire des ex-miliciens, quatre mois après leur installation dans ce site.

Katanga: des miliciens Bakata Katanga accusés de pillage à Diambala | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Des miliciens Bakata Katanga sont accusés de pillage dans les localités de Diambala et Kakokonya, en territoire de Kipushi (Katanga).

Katanga: les Bakata Katanga enlèvent 2 personnes à Kasama | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les miliciens Bakata Katanga ont kidnappé, dimanche 19 janvier, deux personnes au terme d’une incursion au groupement de Kasama, à 60 km au Nord-Ouest du territoire de Pweto (Katanga). Des sources de la région accusent ces assaillants d’avoir blessé un militaire et emporté des armes ainsi que des munitions à l’Etat-major militaire de Kasama.

Katanga: les Bakata Katanga incendient plus de 600 habitations à Pweto | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les miliciens Bakata Katanga ont incendié, du 17 au 21 janvier, environ 600 maisons dans une vingtaine de localités du territoire de Pweto (Katanga). Les auteurs de ces incendies obéissent aux ordres des chefs miliciens Mandrakwa et Malusoke, très actifs dans cette zone.

RDC : le domicile du général John Numbi perquisitionné à Lubumbashi | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
RDC : John Numbi dans le viseur de la justice militaire congolaise | 21 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Lambert Mende: «La perquisition n’était pas dirigée contre John Numbi» | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Le domicile du général John Numbi, ancien inspecteur général de la police nationale congolaise, a été perquisitionné lundi 20 janvier par les forces de l’ordre à Lubumbashi, capitale provinciale du Katanga. Selon des sources concordantes, John Numbi ne s’y trouvait pas au moment de la perquisition.

Bafwasende, Province Orientale
Province Orientale: 12 000 déplacés bloqués dans la forêt de Balobé depuis 2009 | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Environ douze mille personnes sont bloquées depuis 2009 dans la forêt de Balobé, une localité du territoire de Bafwasende à 262 km de Kisangani (Province Orientale). Elles avaient fui des affrontements entre les FARDC et les Maï-Maï dans leur localité.

Human Rights Watch – World Report 2014
World Report 2014: Democratic Republic of Congo | 21 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch
RDC: la majorité des atteintes aux droits humains restent impunies, selon Human Rights Watch | 22 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Armed conflict continued in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with Congolese security forces and non-state armed groups responsible for serious abuses against civilians. The Rwandan-backed M23 armed group committed widespread war crimes, including summary executions, rapes, and forced recruitment of children. As the military focused attention on defeating the M23, many other armed groups also attacked civilians.

Uganda

Military intervention in South Sudan
Uganda Backing South Sudanese Army in Rebel Fight, Museveni Says | 15 January 2014 | Bloomberg
Yoweri Museveni: Uganda troops fighting South Sudan rebels | 16 January 2014 | BBC Africa
Uganda Admits Helping South Sudan Fight Rebels | 16 January 2014 | Voice of America
Ugandan troops are fighting alongside South Sudanese government forces against rebels, President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed.

South Sudan rebels demand Uganda end support for president | 16 January 2014 | Reuters
South Sudan’s rebels have demanded that Uganda stop supporting government forces as a condition for signing a ceasefire to end fighting that has riven Africa’s youngest nation, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Doubts over Uganda’s military intervention in South Sudan | 17 January 2014 | IRIN
The Ugandan parliament’s retroactive authorization of a military intervention in neighbouring South Sudan has elicited considerable criticism from activists and analysts.

South Sudan says regains key town from rebels, Uganda claims credit | 18 January 2014 | Reuters
South Sudanese government forces said they seized the flashpoint town of Bor back from rebels on Saturday and Uganda’s army claimed credit for the operation, highlighting the depth of its involvement in the conflict.

Uganda Playing Critical ‘Role’ to Solve South Sudan Conflict | 21 January 2014 | Voice of America
Uganda’s foreign ministry spokesman says the country is playing a critical role in regional efforts to resolve South Sudan’s security situation, despite criticism that the government in Kampala is undermining ongoing peace negotiations between warring factions in Ethiopia.

Uganda army ‘sets up rapid response centre’ | 22 January 2014 | BBC Africa
Uganda has set up a rapid response centre to get soldiers operational as soon as possible to intervene in regional conflicts, an official says.
The way its forces recently deployed to South Sudan to fight rebels was an example of how it could work, he said.

Rwanda

Former Prime Minister allies himself with FDLR
Rwanda: pour Faustin Twagiramungu, «il est temps de mettre fin au chantage de Kigali» | 16 January 2014 | RFI
Rwanda : l’opposant Faustin Twagiramungu se rapproche des FDLR | 17 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
L’ancien Premier ministre rwandais, Faustin Twagiramungu, à la tête Rwandan Dream Intiative, parti d’opposition en exil, a décidé de rallier les Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) – accusées par le gouvernement rwandais d’héberger des génocidaires en leur sein – et le Parti social-Imberakuri, dont l’ancien président a été condamné pour « divisionnisme ».

Rwanda: pour les autorités, «Il ne pourra pas y avoir de dialogue avec le FDLR» | 17 January 2014 | RFI
Ce jeudi 16 janvier sur RFI, l’ancien Premier ministre rwandais en exil en Belgique, Faustin Twagiramungu, annonçait que son parti politique Rwandan Dream Initiative avait signé un accord avec les Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR, les rebelles hutus rwandais réfugiés au Congo), et le Parti social-Imberakuri.

Karegeya murder
U.S. rebukes Rwandan leader amid scrutiny over opponent’s murder | 17 January 2014 | Reuters
Affaire Karegeya: déclarations sans précédent des Etats-Unis à l’égard du Rwanda | 17 January 2014 | RFI
The United States says it is deeply worried about threats made by Rwandan President Paul Kagame against political opponents after one of his exiled critics was found murdered in a hotel room in South Africa.

Assassination of Karegyeya Will Usher in Dictatorship | 18 January 2014 | The Star | allAfrica
Mainly Patrick Karegyeya fought for freedom in Uganda and Rwanda. For his opposition to dictatorship, he was jailed by Obote for three years. Later he joined the government of Paul Kagame in Rwanda as one of his intelligent chiefs.

Paul Kagamé : “Pourquoi devrions-nous respecter les terroristes ?” | 19 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Le chef de l’État rwandais, Paul Kagamé, a accordé à Jeune Afrique sa première interview depuis l’assassinat de l’opposant Patrick Karegeya.

Karegeya le transfuge qui en savait trop | 21 January 2014 | Le carnet de Colette Braeckman
Emmitouflé dans son pardessus et son écharpe, l’allure tranquille et le regard aux aguets, Patrick Karegeya, en novembre dernier, avait refusé de nous recevoir ailleurs que dans un grand hôtel du quartier huppé de Johannesbourg et c’est presque à l’improviste qu’il avait soudain surgi à notre table.

Les travaillistes britanniques demandent au gouvernement de suspendre son aide au Rwanda | 21 January 2014 | RFI
En Grande-Bretagne, le parti travailliste appelle le gouvernement à suspendre son aide au Rwanda, le temps d’enquêter sur les assassinats d’exilés politiques rwandais. Ces déclarations surviennent après l’assassinat de l’exilé politique Patrick Karegeya à Johannesburg, et mettent la coalition de David Cameron en difficulté.

Rwandans join African Mission in Central African Republic
U.S. starts flying Rwandan forces into Central African Republic | 16 January 2014 | Reuters
850 Rwandan Peacekeepers Set Off for CAR Mission | 16 January 2014 | The New Times | allAfrica
RDF Is Living Up to the Vow of ‘Never Again’ | 18 January 2014 | The New Times | allAfrica
The Rwanda Defence Forces’ (RDF) Mechanized Infantry battalion of 850 Personnel has deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of an African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA).

RDF Peacekeepers Guarding New CAR Interim President | 21 January 2014 | News of Rwanda | allAfrica

Silence on anti-corruption activist’s murder – Human Rights Watch
Rwanda: Investigate Anti-Corruption Campaigner’s Murder | 22 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch
Official investigations into the murder of a Rwandan anti-corruption activist appear to have ground to a halt six months later. The case has received surprisingly little public attention, and the victim’s family is still awaiting justice. Human Rights Watch has visited the town of Rubavu where the body was found and interviewed witnesses and the police.

Central African Republic

Catherine Samba-Panza elected as new interim president
RCA: accord du CNT sur les critères pour être candidat à la présidence | 16 January 2014 | RFI
Des discussions autour du choix du nouveau chef d’Etat | 16 January 2014 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle
Les membres du Conseil national de transition (CNT, Parlement provisoire) ont établi, par consensus, une liste de 17 critères que devront remplir les candidats pour se présenter à la présidence de la transition.

Présidence de la transition en Centrafrique: dépôt des premières candidatures | 17 January 2014 | RFI
Ouverture du dépôt des candidatures à la présidence de transition dans un climat de violence | 17 January 2014 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle

Eight run for Central African Republic presidency, violence flares | 19 January 2014 | Reuters
Centrafrique: huit candidatures validées pour l’élection du président de la transition | 19 January 2014 | RFI
Présidence de transition en Centrafrique: les 8 candidats choisis sur des critères très sélectifs | 19 January 2014 | RFI
La Centrafrique élit son nouveau président de transition sur fond de violences | 20 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Central African Republic lawmakers shortlisted eight candidates, including two sons of former leaders, to run for interim president in a vote on Monday and pull the country out of months of turmoil and sectarian killings.

Bangui Mayor Picked as Interim CAR President | 20 January 2014 | Voice of America
Central African Republic names new leader, EU to send troops | 20 January 2014 | Reuters
Central African Republic MPs elect Catherine Samba-Panza | 20 January 2014 | BBC Africa
Centrafrique: Catherine Samba-Panza élue présidente de la transition | 20 January 2014 | RFI
Une femme à la présidence de transition | 20 January 2014 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle
Bangui mayor Catherine Samba-Panza, 59, has been elected interim president of the Central African Republic, making her the first woman to hold the post.

New CAR President Works to ‘Calm Down’ Nation | 20 January 2014 | Voice of America
The new interim president of the Central African Republic tells VOA the most important thing to do to bring peace to her country is to “calm people down.”

Central African Republic: Catherine Samba-Panza seeks troops | 21 January 2014 | BBC Africa
New Central African Republic leader Catherine Samba-Panza has asked both European and African countries to send more troops to help restore order.

Centrafrique: les priorités de la nouvelle présidente | 21 January 2014 | RFI
Centrafrique: Catherine Samba-Panza entend être «efficace» | 21 January 2014 | RFI
Centrafrique : les nombreux défis de Catherine Samba-Panza | 22 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Centrafrique: rétablir la sécurité, défi majeur de Samba-Panza | 23 January 2014 | RFI

Centrafrique : 5 choses à savoir sur Catherine Samba Panza, la nouvelle présidente de transition | 20 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Catherine Samba-Panza, nouvelle présidente de Centrafrique: pourquoi elle | 20 January 2014 | RFI
From Mayor to Interim President – a Portrait of Catherine Samba-Panza | 21 January 2014 | DW | allAfrica

Beaucoup d’espoirs et de satisfaction après l’élection de la nouvelle présidente de transition | 21 January 2014 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle
Centrafrique: l’élection de Catherine Samba-Panza accueillie avec bienveillance | 21 January 2014 | RFI
Les témoignages sont unanimes. Elèves, étudiants, vendeurs, fonctionnaires du public et du privé expriment leur satisfaction face l’élection de la première femmes à la tête de l’Etat.

U.S. Welcomes Selection of New Transitional President of the Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | US Department of State
The United States welcomes the selection of Catherine Samba-Panza as Transitional President in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.). As C.A.R.’s first woman head of state since the country’s independence, and with her special background in human rights work and mediation, she has a unique opportunity to advance the political transition process, bring all the parties together to end the violence, and move her country toward elections not later than February 2015.

Catherine Samba-Panza: «Maire de Bangui, j’ai toujours eu de bonnes relations avec tout le monde» | 21 January 2014 | RFI

Parfait Mbay sur RFI: «Madame Samba-Panza ne part pas en terre inconnue» | 21 January 2014 | RFI

Centrafrique : Catherine Samba Panza nommera son Premier ministre “mercredi ou jeudi” | 21 January 2014 | AFP/Jeune Afrique

Centrafrique: consultations en vue de la formation du nouveau gouvernement | 23 January 2014 | RFI
En Centrafrique, à la veille de son investiture, Catherine Samba-Panza a poursuivi, ce mercredi 22 janvier, ses consultations en vue de la nomination de son futur Premier ministre et de la formation d’un gouvernement de transition. La nouvelle présidente de transition centrafricaine doit prêter serment ce jeudi 23 janvier, dans l’après-midi, alors que des affrontements opposant des civils à des combattants de l’ex-rébellion Seleka ont eu lieu mercredi matin, près d’un camp militaire de la capitale.

Continued violence
Central African Republic lynch mob seeks sectarian revenge | 17 January 2014 | BBC Africa
As sectarian violence continues in the Central African Republic, the BBC’s Thomas Fessy writes of his encounter with a lynch mob in the north-western town of Bozoum.

Centrafrique : violences en cours dans plusieurs localités au nord et à l’ouest de Bangui | 18 January 2014 | AFP | Jeune Afrique
RCA: les actes de violences se multiplient dans le pays | 18 January 2014 | RFI
Centrafrique : les exactions se multiplient en province à l’approche de l’élection | 19 January 2014 | AFP | Jeune Afrique
Eight run for Central African Republic presidency, violence flares | 19 January 2014 | Reuters
Plusieurs localités au nord et à l’ouest de Bangui sont en proie à des actes de violence, ont rapporté samedi des témoins, notamment à Sibut, à 160 km au nord de la capitale, où les habitants terrorisés par des hommes de la Séléka se terrent ou ont fui en brousse.

Red Cross: Death Toll Mounts in Central African Republic’s North | 20 January 2014 | Voice of America
Fresh violence in the western and northwestern Central African Republic has resulted in more deaths, serious injuries and residents fleeing their homes and seeking safety in the bush.

Centrafrique : Nourredine Adam brièvement arrêté à Douala | 20 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Ancien chef des services de sécurité de Michel Djotodia et numéro deux de l’ex-séléka, Nourredine Adam a été brièvement arrêté à Douala au Cameroun.

CAR Fighting Spills Into Cameroon | 20 January 2014 | Voice of America
The government of Cameroon is denying that former Seleka rebels from the Central African Republic have attacked its border town of Garoua Boulai. Officials are trying to calm panic-stricken residents who say they witnessed the fighters enter their town and set off explosives.

CAR: Interim president must rein in “out of control” militias as Muslims forced to flee | 20 January 2014 | Amnesty International
Hunted Down – Muslims Forcibly Displaced in the Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | Amnesty International | allAfrica
The new interim President of the Central African Republic must urgently rein in the “out of control” anti-balaka militias currently forcing scores of people from Muslim communities to leave the country in a bid to escape terrifying abuse, Amnesty International said.

Public killings highlight power shift in CAR | 21 January 2014 | IRIN
Two murders committed in full view of the media and witnessed by French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) this weekend have raised questions about security and the balance of forces in the capital, Bangui.

Des attaques armées en prélude à l’investiture de Catherine Samba-Panza | 22 January 2014 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle
Une attaque à la grenade a visé mardi soir une équipe des forces africaines dans le 8e arrondissement de Bangui. Le bilan fait état de un (1) mort et six (6) blessés graves, parmi lesquels quatre (4) soldats congolais de la MISCA.

Seven dead in tit-for-tat killings in Central African Republic | 22 January 2014 | Reuters
Centrafrique : Bangui replonge dans la violence avant l’investiture de Catherine Samba-Panza | 22 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Seven people died in inter-religious attacks and reprisal killings in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui on Wednesday, a human rights campaigner said, underlining the challenge the new interim president faces in restoring peace.

EU to send troops
France confident of EU troop support in Central African Republic | 18 January 2014 | RFI English | allAfrica
The French defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has expressed confidence that the European Union will send peacekeepers to the Central African Republic.

EU to send 500 troops to Central African Republic, fewer than expected | 20 January 2014 | Reuters
EU Agrees to Send Troops to Central African Republic | 20 January 2014 | Voice of America
Les Vingt-Huit donnent leur feu vert à une mission militaire européenne en RCA | 20 January 2014 | RFI
Centrafrique: un contingent européen en appui des soldats français et africains | 20 January 2014 | RFI
The European Union decided on Monday to send troops to help stabilize Central African Republic, deploying its first major army operation in six years, but the force will be smaller than originally expected at around 500-strong.

Rwandan peacekeepers join AU mission MISCA
U.S. starts flying Rwandan forces into Central African Republic | 16 January 2014 | Reuters
850 Rwandan Peacekeepers Set Off for CAR Mission | 16 January 2014 | The New Times | allAfrica
RDF Is Living Up to the Vow of ‘Never Again’ | 18 January 2014 | The New Times | allAfrica
The Rwanda Defence Forces’ (RDF) Mechanized Infantry battalion of 850 Personnel has deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of an African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA).

RDF Peacekeepers Guarding New CAR Interim President | 21 January 2014 | News of Rwanda | allAfrica
Barely a week after the first batch of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) peacekeepers were airlifted to Central African Republic; the force has been tasked, among other peacekeeping assignments, with maintaining security of the newly-elected CAR Interim President, Catherine Samba-Panza.

UN
‘Seeds of genocide’ in Central African Republic, U.N. warns | 16 January 2014 | Reuters
Centrafrique : “Tous les éléments sont réunis pour un génocide”, selon l’ONU | 16 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique/AFP
Risque de génocide | 16 January 2014 | Hirondelle News Agency
A senior U.N. official warned of the risk of genocide in Central African Republic without a more robust international response to communal bloodshed in which at least 20 more people were killed on Thursday.

L’ONU se félicite de la démobilisation d’un premier groupe de 23 enfants soldats | 17 January 2014 | UN News Centre | allAfrica
UNICEF s’est félicité vendredi de la démobilisation de 23 enfants âgés entre 14 et 17 ans des rangs de groupes armés en RCA, une libération qui devrait être suivie par d’autres dans les jours à venir.

Central African Republic: over 6,000 child soldiers may be involved in fighting, UN says | 17 January 2014 | UN News Centre
More than 6,000 child soldiers may now be involved in the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR), with their numbers growing as fighting pits community against community in clashes that have taken on increasingly sectarian overtones, the United Nations reported today.

UN urges stronger response to ‘crisis of epic proportions’ in Central African Republic | 20 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Le Conseil des droits de l’homme réclame l’arrêt immédiat des violences | 20 January 2014 | UN News Service | allAfrica
United Nations officials today called for a stronger response to prevent further human suffering in the Central African Republic (CAR), which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described as “a crisis of epic proportions.”

United Nations Human Rights Council – Special Session On the Human Rights Situation in the Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch | allAfrica
Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU – Session spéciale sur la situation des droits humains | 20 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch | allAfrica
Since the Seleka rebel coalition seized power in March 2013, the Central African Republic has been in the grip of a grave human rights and humanitarian crisis. Human Rights Watch, since April 2013, has documented widespread burning and pillaging of villages, extrajudicial executions, rape, and the recruitment of children as soldiers by Seleka forces.

Security Council Committee Concerning Central African Republic Commences Work | 21 January 2014 | UN | allAfrica
On 16 January 2014, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic held its first meeting.

Brutality against children in Central African Republic reaches unprecedented levels – UN | 22 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Central African Republic children forced to commit atrocities: U.N. | 22 January 2014 | Reuters
With brutality against children in the Central African Republic (CAR) reaching unprecedented levels as youngsters are maimed, killed and beheaded, and amid rampant sexual violence, the world community must use all the tools at its disposal to stop the conflict, the Security Council was warned today.

Centrafrique: l’ONU annonce la composition de la Commission d’enquête | 22 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Le Secrétaire général des Nations Unies, Ban Ki-moon, a annoncé mercredi la composition de la Commission internationale chargée d’enquêter sur les violations des droits de l’homme en République centrafricaine depuis le 1er janvier 2013.

ICGLR
South Sudan, Central African Republic to Face War Crimes Audit | 16 January 2014 | Bloomberg
African leaders ordered a committee to probe crimes such as murder and sexual violence committed in strife-torn South Sudan and Central African Republic, where the humanitarian crises are mounting.
Heads of state from the 12-member International Conference on the Great Lakes Region who met in the Angolan capital of Luanda yesterday directed its committee on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to “audit” the countries, according to an e-mailed final communique.

France
France ‘underestimated’ Central African Republic hatred | 16 January 2014 | BBC Africa
La haine entre chrétiens et musulmans a été « sous-estimée », selon un diplomate français | 16 January 2014 | Hirondelle News Agency | allAfrica
France, Chad, Gaddafi and the CAR – Years of Meddling Should Not Be Ignored Now | 16 January 2014 | African Arguments | allAfrica
France underestimated the level of hatred between Christian and Muslim communities in the conflict-riven Central African Republic, its ambassador to the UN has said.

RCA: pour le patron de Sangaris, il faut aussi s’appuyer sur les Centrafricains | 17 January 2014 | RFI
Le général Francisco Soriano, commandant de l’opération Sangaris en Centrafrique, a estimé jeudi que le contingent de 1 600 soldats français déployés dans le pays est suffisant pour conduire l’opération, compte tenu de la montée en puissance de la force africaine. Il y a également les forces de l’ordre centrafricaines « qui ont leur rôle à jouer », a souligné le patron de la force Sangaris.

Background, analysis, comments, interviews
More Peacekeepers May Be Needed, Says U.S. Official | 16 January 2014 | allAfrica
Amid fears that the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) could descend into a genocide, a senior member of the Obama administration’s foreign policy team says the time may come when the African-led peacekeeping mission has to be expanded to include more troops from outside the continent.

U.N. troops likely needed to save Central African Republic: EU aid chief | 17 January 2014 | Reuters
Central African Republic could still be saved from becoming another failed state like Somalia, but it probably will require the deployment of a strong United Nations peacekeeping operation, European aid chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

Hervé Ladsous: «Il faut travailler à une intervention de l’ONU en Centrafrique» | 17 January 2014 | RFI
Des Casques bleus francophones dans les pays francophones. C’est l’objectif de Abdou Diouf. Le secrétaire général de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie a annoncé le 14 janvier à Paris que l’OIF va mettre en place un “Réseau d’expertise et de formation francophone pour les opérations de paix”. A ses côtés, le Français Hervé Ladsous, secrétaire général-adjoint de l’ONU chargé des Opérations de maintien de la paix.

Martin Ziguélé: «Nous avons failli à construire un Etat centrafricain» | 17 January 2014 | RFI
L’ancien Premier ministre centrafricain Martin Ziguélé, qui préside le Mouvement de libération du peuple centrafricain (MLPC) et l’Alliance des forces démocratiques de la transition, en ligne de Bangui, répond aux questions de Christophe Boisbouvier.

New management, old divisions | 18 January 2014 | The Economist
An interim president will be chosen soon and is supposed to rule until elections early next year, though France, which has sent 1,600 troops in the hope of providing basic security, wants them sooner. Mr Nguendet is a leading candidate for the crown in the longer term. Others may include Béatrice Epaye, a former minister and fervent opponent of Séléka; Josué Binoua, a former security minister; and Désiré Kolingba, son of a former president, André Kolingba.

South Africa in the CAR – Was Pulling the Troops a Catastrophic Mistake? | 21 January 2014 | The Daily Maverick | allAfrica
After 14 South African soldiers died on the streets of Bangui, South Africa’s military commitment to the Central African Republic halted abruptly. This was a popular decision at home. But was it the right one? Is there anything we could have done to prevent the CAR’s swift descent into chaos and humanitarian crisis?

Du Rwanda à la Centrafrique | 21 January 2014 | Le carnet de Colette Braeckman
« L’Europe ne peut laisser la France seule »… Le Ministre allemand des affaires étrangères a résumé le sentiment général :l’horreur de la situation en Centrafrique est telle que tout doit être mis en œuvre afin d‘enrayer la spirale de la violence, par simple solidarité avec les innombrables victimes mais aussi par crainte de la contagion vers d’autres pays d’Afrique centrale sinon de répercussions en Europe même.

Factbox – Women in the Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | AlertNet | allAfrica
Central African Republic lawmakers chose their capital’s mayor, Catherine Samba-Panza, to become the country’s first female president – Africa’s third female head of state in the post-colonial era – and to pull the country out of months of sectarian bloodshed.

New Leader in CAR, Same Human Rights Crisis? | 22 January 2014 | IPS
The appointment of a new transitional president, Catherine Samba-Panza, in the Central African Republic (CAR) is generating optimism in some quarters that the country’s first female leader will manage to quell mounting ethnic strife.

Peace and Security for Africa, Made in France | 22 January 2014 | ThinkAfricaPress
For all the talk of a new approach, it seems France is the only actor able and willing to engage militarily in much of Africa.

Centrafrique: à Rome, Sant’Egidio œuvre pour la réconciliation | 22 January 2014 | RFI
À Rome, une délégation de représentants du gouvernement sortant centrafricain, de la société civile et de l’autorité nationale des élections discutent avec Sant’Egidio.

Les hérauts de la paix en RCA devant le Parlement français | 23 January 2014 | RFI
Les deux hérauts de la paix en Centrafrique, l’archevêque de Bangui, Mgr Dieudonné Nzapalainga, et le président de la communauté islamique de RCA, l’imam Omar Kobine Layama, poursuivent leur tournée en Europe.

Human Rights Watch – World Report 2014
World Report 2014: Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | Human Rights Watch
HRW: Crises in South Sudan, CAR, Provoke Abuses | 21 January 2014 | Voice of America
A rebel coalition known as the Seleka took control of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), on March 24, 2013, forcing out the former president, François Bozizé. A transitional government was established, and Michel Djotodia was formally named interim president in April. New elections were scheduled for early 2015.

Humanitarian news

Non-comprehensive overview of humanitarian news & events, including refugee and IDP issues

DRC

RD Congo : Situation humanitaire – Décembre 2013 | 20 January 2014 | UNICEF | Reliefweb

68 Congolais en provenance de la Centrafrique regagnent leurs villages en Equateur | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi

Rapport de mission d’information sur le nouveau site des Déplacés de Kampunda 14 janvier 2014 | 20 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Province Orientale: 12 000 déplacés bloqués dans la forêt de Balobé depuis 2009 | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi

Nord-Kivu: 5 000 ménages des déplacés de Mugunga veulent rentrer chez eux | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi

Without Precedent or Prejudice? UNSC Resolution 2098 and its potential implications for humanitarian space in Eastern Congo and beyond | 22 January 2014 | ChristophVogel.net

UNOCHA bulletins
Bulletin humanitaire provincial – Sud-Kivu 2013 en revue | 21 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

RD Congo – Province du Sud-Kivu : Déplacements au 31 décembre 2013 (Janvier 2009 – décembre 2013) | 21 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

LRA Regional Update: Central African Republic, DR Congo and South Sudan (October – December 2013) | 22 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province du Nord-Kivu N° 02/14, 15 janvier 2014 | 19 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire, Province du Katanga No. 01/14, 15 janvier 2014 | 20 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province du Nord-Kivu N° 03/14, 21 janvier 2014 | 21 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire, Province du Katanga No. 02/14, 22 janvier 2014 | 21 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire, Province du Sud-Kivu, N°02/14, 22 janvier 2014 | 22 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province Orientale No 2/14, 22 janvier 2014 | 22 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Uganda

Uganda Flash Update: South Sudanese Influx 12 – 15 January 2014 | 20 January 2014 | UNHCR | Reliefweb
As at 15 January, a total of 45,239 South Sudanese refugees had arrived in Uganda since 16 December according to manual registration by the Ugandan Government.

South Sudan Conflict Leaves Women and Children to Cope As Refugees | 21 January 2014 | UNHCR | allAfrica

Central African Republic

Central African Republic: UN humanitarian appeal for $247 million only 6 per cent funded | 16 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Un haut responsable humanitaire de l’ONU appelle à faire de la Centrafrique une priorité | 16 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Donors have provided only 6 per cent of the $247 million that the United Nations needs over the next 100 days to ease the “mega-tragedy” in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where nearly 900,000 people have been driven from their homes and now lack the very basics of food, water, medical care and shelter.

In Central African Republic, WFP Distributions Bring Hope | 16 January 2014 | WFP | allAfrica

9 Hunger Facts | 16 January 2014 | WFP | allAfrica
9 faits sur la faim | 16 January 2014 | WFP | allAfrica
The conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Amid ongoing insecurity, WFP is distributing food assistance to families in need. Here are nine key facts about the hunger crisis in CAR.

Major food crisis looms in CAR | 16 January 2014 | IRIN

OP-ED: Avoiding Another Crisis in the Central African Republic | 17 January 2014 | IPS

The World Can No Longer Ignore the Humanitarian Catastrophe | 17 January 2014 | ICRC | allAfrica

Central African Republic: Overview of evacuation (15 Jan 2014) | 18 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Central African Republic: Humanitarian Snapshot (as of 16 Jan 2014) | 18 January 2014 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Central African Republic Fact Sheet January 2014 | 19 January 2014 | UNHCR | Reliefweb

WFP Running Out of Food in Central African Republic Amid Widespread Bloodletting | 20 January 2014 | WFP | allAfrica
U.N. Truckers’ Strike Cuts Food Aid to Displaced in Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | AlertNet | allAfrica
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of food to distribute to growing numbers of displaced people in the Central African Republic because insecurity is blocking supply routes.

EU and UN Mobilise Half a Billion Dollars to Save Lives in Central African Republic | 20 January 2014 | European Union External Action | allAfrica

Centrafrique: aux abords de l’aéroport de Bangui, la misère se banalise | 20 January 2014 | RFI

Centrafrique : crise humanitaire, la solidarité africaine mise à l’épreuve | 20 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique

ICRC Appeals for End to Intercommunal Violence | 21 January 2014 | ICRC | allAfrica

Central African Republic’s Children Urgently Need Healing, Hope and Funding, Says Unicef Chief | 21 January 2014 | UNICEF | allAfrica

Additional U.S.$30 Million in Humanitarian Assistance for the People of the Central African Republic | 21 January 2014 | USAID | allAfrica

La persistance des violences suscite de vives préoccupations | 22 January 2014 | ICRC | allAfrica

Justice and tribunals

Selected articles on criminal justice proceedings regarding crimes committed in the Great Lakes region

 DRC

Province Orientale : 9 militaires poursuivis pour crimes de guerre à Walendu Bindi | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Neuf militaires congolais sont aux arrêts au cachot de l’auditorat militaire garnison de l’Ituri à Bunia. Ils sont poursuivis pour crime de guerre par meurtre, viol et pillage commis pendant les opérations militaires dans la collectivité de Walendu Bindi au sud d’Irumu en Province Orientale. Ces arrestations sont consécutives à une enquête menée conjointement par l’auditorat militaire et le Bureau des droits de l’homme de la Monusco dans cette entité coutumière début janvier.

La CPI menace de renvoyer en RDC 3 témoins, demandeurs d’asile aux Pays-Bas | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
La Cour pénale internationale (CPI) a menacé lundi 20 janvier de renvoyer en République démocratique du Congo trois témoins, qui ont demandé l’asile aux Pays-Bas en 2011. Les trois Congolais avaient été transférés depuis leur prison à Kinshasa pour témoigner en mars 2011 dans le procès pour crimes contre l’humanité et crimes de guerre de deux chefs de milice congolais, Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui et Germain Katanga.

Lubanga Adds Prosecution’s Non-Disclosure of Evidence to His Appeal Grounds | 20 January 2014 | Lubanga trial website | allAfrica
Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have allowed Thomas Lubanga to add a new ground of appeal related to non-disclosure by the prosecutor to the accused of evidence that the defense deems exculpatory.

Bemba Lawyers, Prosecutor Want Statement By Judges’ Witness Discounted | 21 January 2014 | Bemba trial website | allAfrica
Prosecutors and lawyers representing Jean-Pierre Bemba in his trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have opposed the admission into evidence of a statement by a witness called by judges.

Rwanda

Attentat contre Habyarimana: inquiètude des parties civiles après l’affaire Karegeya | 16 January 2014 | RFI
Les parties civiles dans l’affaire de l’attentat contre l’avion du président rwandais Juvenal Habyarimana, le 6 avril 1994, se sont plaintes de la lenteur de la procédure en France et se sont dit préoccupées par la disparition d’un possible témoin, Patrick Karegeya, assassiné le 31 décembre 2013, dans un hôtel à Johannesburg.

Natural resource exploitation, governance and trade

Minerals, energy (oil & gas, hydro and solar), poaching, logging, foreign investment, trade, environmental issues

DRC

DRC’s future is in the hands of its parliament | 17 January 2014 | Africa Progress Panel
L’avenir de la RD Congo est entre les mains de son Parlement | 16 January 2014 | Jeune Afrique
Used wisely, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s natural resources could help lift millions out of poverty and build the foundations for a functioning, peaceful society.

Minerals
Congo Postpones Ban on Mineral Exports Because of Power Shortage | 15 January 2014 | Bloomberg
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mines Ministry postponed a ban on exports of concentrated copper and cobalt until 2015 because the country doesn’t have enough electricity to process the minerals, Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu said.

Walikale: l’exploitation de la cassitérite n’améliore pas les conditions de vie, selon la Cenco | 16 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
La Conférence épiscopale nationale du Congo et la Commission épiscopale pour les ressources naturelles (CERN) déplorent dans un rapport que l’exploitation de la cassitérite à Walikale (Nord-Kivu) ne profite pas aux creuseurs artisanaux et à leurs familles.

Kisangani: sensibilisation sur le nouveau certificat de traçabilité des minerais | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les opérateurs miniers de Kisangani sensibilisés sur le nouveau certificat de traçabilité des minerais de la CIRGL | 18 January 2014 | ACP | Digitalcongo.net
Le nouveau certificat de la Conférence internationale sur la région des Grands Lacs (CIRGL), qui doit entrer en vigueur dans trois jours, va permettre de réduire sensiblement la fraude à l’exportation des minerais.

Kasaï Oriental – Les miniers sans carte d’exploitation indésirables | 18 January 2014 | Les Dépêches de Brazzaville | allAfrica
Le gouvernorat provincial a annoncé le démarrage prochain d’un recouvrement forcé pour faire respecter sa directive qui ne doit souffrir d’aucune exception, a-t-il averti. Tout opérateur minier non-détenteur de ce document ne peut exercer dans le secteur minier sur toute l’étendue du territoire de la province du Kasaï Oriental.

Gold trafficking: UN singles out Uganda | 21 January 2014 | Africa Mining Intelligence
Ressources naturelles – L’équivalent en or de 400 millions de dollars US sortis clandestinement de la RDC en 2013 | 18 January 2014 | Les Dépêches de Brazzaville | allAfrica
The effect of the sanctions imposed by the Security Council in 2007 against the two main Ugandan gold exporters has been to multiply the illegal traffic in gold from Congo-K ten-fold.

Echos d’économie du mardi 21 janvier 2014 | 21 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
(…) Ce magazine parle également du coordonnateur de la Cellule de coordination de planification minière au ministère des Mines, Donnat Kampata qui estime que seule l’exploitation industrielle des minerais peut permettre réellement à la population locale de profiter de ses richesses. Il a par ailleurs indiqué que cette stratégie, prônée par le gouvernement, permettra de mettre fin à l’exploitation illicite des minerais dénoncée chaque fois par les ONG nationales et internationales.

Mining companies
Katanga : 113 familles délogées par Tenke Fungurume exigent leurs indemnisations | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Dans une correspondance adressée samedi 18 janvier à la société civile, cent treize familles réclament à l’entreprise minière Tenke Fungurume ming de payer leurs frais d’indemnisation de délogement. Elles ont été délogées il y a huit ans de Fungurume, à 250 kilomètres de Lubumbashi (Katanga) pour être relogées dans la cité de Kiloville au village Mulumbu.

Randgold Resources: Kibali meets its goals and more | 20 January 2014 | Randgold Resources Ld | Marketwired
Randgold’s Kibali mine aces first operating quarter | 21 January 2014 | Mining Weekly
Bristow warns on Kibali gold mine – Don’t rock the boat! | 21 January 2014 | Mineweb
The Democratic Republic of Congo-based Kibali gold mine, which last month completed its first operating quarter, has more than met the objectives set for it at the time of its acquisition in September 2009, Africa-focused miner Randgold Resources CEO Mark Bristow said on Monday.

Kipoi’s financials surge on higher reserves | 21 January 2014 | Mining Weekly
Copper miner Tiger Resources has doubled the expected net present value (NPV) of its Stage 2 solvent extraction electrowinning (SX-EW) operation at the Kipoi project, following a recent ore reserve increase.

Mawson West Limited: Kapulo Project Mineral Resource Update | 22 January 2014 | Mawson West Limited | Marketwired
Mawson West lifts DRC flagship’s resources | 23 January 2014 | Mining Weekly
Africa-focused miner Mawson West on Wednesday announced that it had increased the National Instrument 43-101-compliant copper resources at its flagship Kapulo copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), lifting the total tonnes of resource by 54% and the estimated contained copper in the measured category by 64%.

Oil
Congo Oil Law May Impose 40% Tax, Allow Drilling in Gorilla Park | 22 January 2014 | Bloomberg
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s parliament is debating an oil code that may impose a 40 percent capital gains tax, allow drilling in national parks, and force current title holders to renegotiate their deals.

Ituri: controverse entre les communautés locales et la société Oil of DRC | 19 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Ituri : les communautés locales de Djugu sollicitent le retrait de la licence d’exploitation à la société Oil of Congo | 20 January 2014 | MMC | Digitalcongo.net
Les communautés locales du bloc 1 Graben Albertine dans le territoire de Djugu (Province Orientale) appellent le Gouvernement à retirer la licence d’exploitation accordée à la compagnie pétrolière Oil of Congo, accusée de n’avoir réalisé «aucune action sociale depuis 2010.»

Israeli billionaire sells Congo oil rights for 300 times purchase price | 22 January 2014 | Reuters
Congo fails to reveal loss-making oil deal with controversial businessman’s offshore firm | 23 January 2014 | Global Witness
Israeli billionaire businessman Dan Gertler sold one of his Congo-based oil companies to the government last year for $150 million – 300 times the amount paid for the oil rights – in a deal criticised by transparency campaigners.

Illegal logging
Province Orientale : 90% des exploitants forestiers artisanaux travaillent illégalement | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Le ministre provincial des Ressources naturelles de la Province Orientale, Paulin Odiane, a accordé un délai d’un mois aux exploitants forestiers artisanaux de cette province, en vue de se mettre en ordre avec le gouvernement congolais.

Uganda

Nebbi Residents Get Oil Money | 19 January 2014 | The Observer | allAfrica
The oil exploration firm Total E&P has compensated Nebbi residents for land trampled on during exploration activities.

Expedition Begins Study of Uganda’s Shrinking Ruwenzori Glaciers | 17 January 2014 | Voice of America
A two-week expedition into western Uganda’s Ruwenzori Mountains – Africa’s fabled Mountains of the Moon – will begin tomorrow to assess the effects of climate change on Africa’s vanishing glaciers and raise awareness of the advent of a looming global water crisis.

Rwanda

Vanoil Announces Settlement Accord With the Government of Rwanda | 22 January 2014 | Vanoil Energy Ltd. | Marketwired
Vanoil Energy Ltd., a Vancouver-based Canadian international oil and gas development company announces that the Government of Rwanda and Vanoil have agreed to end their discussions regarding the exploration of Lake Kivu in Rwanda following expiry of the Technical Evaluation Agreement (“TEA”) between them in June 2013.

Central African Republic

AXMIN Reports on Recent Events in the Central African Republic | 20 January 2014 | AXMIN Inc. | Marketwired
Vancouver, British Columbia – AXMIN Inc. announces today that it is closely monitoring the recent political developments in the Central African Republic. (…) AXMIN’s permanently stationed Vice President and CAR Country Manager, Mr. Jiang Lifei, reports that AXMIN’s local staff in the CAR is working closely with all stakeholders to ensure the Company is fully updated on what is happening in the country. (…) In the meantime, AXMIN will continue to conduct its activities in the CAR in a safe and diligent manner.

Other

South Sudan
South Sudan civil war still no deterrent to Chinese firms | 20 January 2014 | South China Morning Post
Hundreds of Chinese nationals and tens of thousands of refugees are fleeing the worsening civil war in South Sudan, yet Chinese companies are still investing billions of dollars in the troubled region.

Regulation, voluntary initiatives, and CSR

Selected articles on legal and voluntary initiatives relating to natural resources and good governance
Transparency
Recommendations on Mandatory Disclosure of Payments from Canadian Mining Companies to Governments | 16 January 2014 | Publish What You Pay Canada
Mining Companies and Civil Society Put Forward Strong Recommendations for Increasing Transparency in the Canadian Mining Sector | 16 January 2014 | Global Witness
On January 16th, 2014 The Resource Revenue Transaprency Working Group released its final recommendations to Canadian governments and provincial securities commissions for the creation of a robust mandatory payment reporting standard for mining companies publicly traded on Canadian stock exchanges. The final recommendations detail a payment reporting standard that aligns with those recently passed into law in the U.S. and the E.U.

Kimberley Process
Georges Dallemagne | 21 January 2014 | Africa Mining Intelligence
At the initiative of Belgian MP Georges Dallemagne, the Belgian House of Representatives’ external relations commission passed a resolution on January 15 calling for the government and the European Commission to lobby to broaden the notion of conflict diamonds in the Kimberley Process.

DRC

Sustainable sourcing
Theo: the small chocolate company taking big strides in the DRC | 16 January 2014 | The Guardian
One US chocolate company is pushing industry boundaries by supporting cacao farmers through sustainable sourcing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ICGLR mineral traceability certificate
Kisangani: sensibilisation sur le nouveau certificat de traçabilité des minerais | 17 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Les opérateurs miniers de Kisangani sensibilisés sur le nouveau certificat de traçabilité des minerais de la CIRGL | 18 January 2014 | ACP | Digitalcongo.net
Le nouveau certificat de la Conférence internationale sur la région des Grands Lacs (CIRGL), qui doit entrer en vigueur dans trois jours, va permettre de réduire sensiblement la fraude à l’exportation des minerais.

Conflict-free sourcing
Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative Urges More Companies To Become Members | 18 January 2014 | 3BLMedia
The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) is petitioning more companies to join the effort to become conflict-free by becoming CFSI members. The group is made up of 120 companies from 7 industries and their goal is to help members make informed choices about conflict minerals in their supply chains. One of their greatest challenges in the upcoming year is to help members meet their reporting deadline related to the U.S. conflict minerals regulation.

Local communities against companies
Ituri: controverse entre les communautés locales et la société Oil of DRC | 19 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Ituri : les communautés locales de Djugu sollicitent le retrait de la licence d’exploitation à la société Oil of Congo | 20 January 2014 | MMC | Digitalcongo.net
Les communautés locales du bloc 1 Graben Albertine dans le territoire de Djugu (Province Orientale) appellent le Gouvernement à retirer la licence d’exploitation accordée à la compagnie pétrolière Oil of Congo, accusée de n’avoir réalisé «aucune action sociale depuis 2010.»

Katanga : 113 familles délogées par Tenke Fungurume exigent leurs indemnisations | 20 January 2014 | Radio Okapi
Dans une correspondance adressée samedi 18 janvier à la société civile, cent treize familles réclament à l’entreprise minière Tenke Fungurume ming de payer leurs frais d’indemnisation de délogement. Elles ont été délogées il y a huit ans de Fungurume, à 250 kilomètres de Lubumbashi (Katanga) pour être relogées dans la cité de Kiloville au village Mulumbu. Cette entreprise minière devrait construire à Fungurume une usine de production des minerais.

EITI
Move towards rejoining ITIE | 21 January 2014 | Africa Mining Intelligence
The DRC is on the way to rejoining the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, from which it was suspended in April 2013 for “lack of exhaustiveness” and inadequate “data quality” concerning payments resulting from working natural resources in 2010.

Oil law revision
Congo Oil Law May Impose 40% Tax, Allow Drilling in Gorilla Park | 22 January 2014 | Bloomberg
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s parliament is debating an oil code that may impose a 40 percent capital gains tax, allow drilling in national parks, and force current title holders to renegotiate their deals.

Uganda

CSR
Nebbi Residents Get Oil Money | 19 January 2014 | The Observer | allAfrica
The oil exploration firm Total E&P has compensated Nebbi residents for land trampled on during exploration activities.

Transparency
EU envoy calls for transparency on oil | 19 January 2014 | New Vision
Uganda can only benefit from oil if the Government embraces transparency and allows the civil society to scrutinize the sector effectively, the European Union (EU) head of delegation has said.

Other

Uganda

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni blocks anti-gay law | 17 January 2014 | BBC Africa
Ouganda: pour Museveni, une répression accrue envers les homosexuels n’est pas la solution | 18 January 2014 | RFI
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has refused to approve a controversial bill to toughen punishments for homosexuals.

Uganda’s Museveni: ‘Random Breeding’ Causes Homsexuality | 17 January 2014 | Voice of America
A Ugandan newspaper has reported the president refused to approve a controversial bill that would imprison homosexuals for life, saying there are better ways to cure what he calls the “abnormality” that can be caused by “random breeding.”

Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill Still a Threat, Activists Say | 21 January 2014 | Voice of America
While speculation persists as to whether Ugandan President Museveni will sign the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” passed by parliament, civil society groups are calling attention to the implications of the bill, if it were to become law.

Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill, Unsigned but Still Effective | 21 January 2014 | IPS | allAfrica
Last week, Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, refused to sign a controversial anti-gay bill that would mean life in prison for people convicted of homosexual acts.
But many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and intersex (LGBTI) people in the East African country, and NGOs trying to help them, say many have been suffering discrimination for years and it is getting worse.

Rwanda

Rwanda: première visite officielle de l’expert de l’ONU sur le droit de réunion et d’association | 16 January 2014 | UN News Centre
Libertés démocratiques, meurtre de Patrick Karegeya: un expert des Nations unies au Rwanda | 21 January 2014 | RFI
Le Rapporteur spécial des Nations Unies sur le droit de réunion et d’association pacifiques, Maina Kiai, a annoncé jeudi qu’il se rendra en mission au Rwanda du 20 au 27 janvier 2014 afin d’évaluer dans quelle mesure les droits à la liberté de réunion pacifique et d’association sont garantis dans le pays.

IPIS Recent Publications

Pinocchio Ltd. The NRA and its corporate partners: US shipments of small arms ammunition by sea | 25 March 2013 | TA-R | IPIS
The National Rifle Association (NRA) claims to have monitored in the last 20 years all United Nations activities that could impact Second Amendment rights. Its latest target is the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an international treaty to establish common international standards for the import, export, and transfer of conventional arms presently under discussion at the United Nations. The international community has been calling for the inclusion of ammunition and civilian arms within the scope of the ATT. This reasonable call is used by the NRA to claim that the ATT could restrict the lawful ownership of firearms in the United States.

Major Powers Fuelling Atrocities. Why the world needs a robust Arms Trade Treaty | March 2013 | Amnesty International
IPIS contributed to the research for this AI report.
Every year, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped and forced to flee from their homes as a result of abuses and atrocities committed with conventional arms and ammunition. Harrowing testimonies and images from conflict zones and human rights crises around the world underline the urgent need to end irresponsible arms transfers and illicit trafficking.

The Arms Trade Treaty: Building a Path to Disarmament | 19 March 2013 | Sergio Finardi, Brian Wood, Peter Danssaert, Ken Matthysen
The goal of this article is to examine and suggest proposals that could enhance the role of the international Arms Trade Treaty—presently in discussion at the United Nations—in the regulation of the international arms trade and in addressing the role of the legal trade in: a) providing the bulk of the arms used in armed conflicts, armed violence and human rights abuses; b) the excessive arming of developing countries; and c) the continuous unsettling of power balances in sensitive world regions, not least because of competition amongst arms-exporting countries.

Upstream Implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Final Report on one-year pilot implementation of the Supplement on Tin, Tantalum, and Tungsten | January 2013 | OECD – IPIS
This report is the final in a cycle of three reports on the pilot implementation by upstream companies of the “Supplement on Tin, Tantalum and Tungsten of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas”. The goal of the report is to provide an overall assessment of the progress and impact of the one-year pilot implementation phase of the OECD Guidance and its Supplement on Tin, Tantalum and Tungsten. The pilot implementation phase of the Guidance focused on Africa’s Great Lakes region and was carried out during the period August 2011 – October 2012. Drawing on lessons from the ground, this final report identifies key trends and common approaches to overcome challenges as well as tools used by companies to implement the OECD Guidance.

Exploitation minière industrielle et artisanale au Sud-Kivu. Possibilités d’une cohabitation pacifique ? | December 2012 | Gabriel Kamundala Byemba
Le secteur minier en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) en général et au Sud-Kivu en particulier alimente toujours les débats tant au niveau international qu’au niveau national. Présenté sous plusieurs facettes, ce secteur au Sud-Kivu a été dans le temps industriel, puis artisanal et aujourd’hui il est en même temps artisanal et industriel. Le retour en force, ces dernières années, des sociétés industrielles dans le paysage minier du Sud-Kivu coïncide avec l’accélération des dynamiques minières, grâce aux opportunités qu’offre la RDC en matière d’investissements privés et aux réformes amorcées du cadre législatif et réglementaire du secteur minier congolais. Ces réformes ont abouti à la mise en place du nouveau Code minier en 2002 et du Règlement minier en 2003.

Cartographie des motivations derrière les conflits : le M23 | November 2012 | IPIS
À la lumière de la récente occupation de Goma par le M23 et eu égard à la recrudescence du risque de conflit armé à grande échelle en RDC, IPIS publie une brève mise à jour de sa série de rapports « Cartographie des motivations derrière les conflits » (2007-2010), en se focalisant spécifiquement sur les intentions du M23.
Ces rebelles affichent clairement une ambition politique et s’orientent vers l’instauration d’un contrôle politique sur le territoire, en contestant l’autorité de Kinshasa – intérêts stratégiques qu’ils pourraient partager avec le Rwanda.

Mapping Conflict Motives: M23 | November 2012 | IPIS
In light of the recent occupation of Goma by M23 and the renewed risk of large-scale armed conflict in the DRC, IPIS publishes an update to its 2007-2010 ‘mapping conflict motives’ report series focusing specifically on the intentions of M23.
The M23 rebels show a clear political ambition and a tendency to establish political control over territory and challenge Kinshasa’s authority – strategic interests they might share with Rwanda.

A Code of Conduct for Arms Transport by Air. Transport Services under an Arms Trade Treaty Series | August 2012 | IPIS
This report is a discussion of some key considerations for the development of a Cargo Industry Voluntary Code of Conduct relating to the transport of arms, ammunition and other military equipment (ACI Code). The purpose of such a Code is to encourage as many aviation companies and other actors as possible in the air cargo industry to adhere to existing and new standards relating to the transport of arms, ammunition and other military equipment.

Rough Seas. Maritime Transport and Arms Shipments | July 2012 | IPIS
As stated by the authors in their report “Transparency and Accountability” (February 2012), the Chairman’s Draft Paper (14 July 2011) presented by the Arms Trade Treaty’s Preparatory Committee (ATT PrepCom), included within the ATT’s scope certain “services”, such as transport and brokering. However, no provision has been envisaged for the monitoring or ATT-related regulation of arms transport services. Monitoring transport services may be key to implementing and enforcing the Arms Trade Treaty. This report will demonstrate how arms shipments may be monitored and reported where there is a substantial risk that the shipments could contribute to fuelling conflict, repressive state practices, and other human rights abuses. The report provides examples of the monitoring of actual conventional arms shipments to Egypt and Syria in 2011 and 2012, and of suspected conventional arms shipments to Syria in 2012.  It also shows that where there is an open society, or at least a fair degree of access to government activities, arms transfers can be monitored and discussed without jeopardizing legitimate security policies.

Upstream Implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Cycle 2 Interim Progress Report on the Supplement on Tin, Tantalum, and Tungsten | May 2012 | OECD – IPIS
The following report is the second in a cycle of three on upstream companies’ implementation of the Supplement on Tin, Tantalum and Tungsten to the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. The objective is to report on progress made by upstream companies in their implementation of due diligence, with a focus on current practices and experiences in developing systems and processes for the implementation of the Five-Step OECD Framework.

Etat des lieux du développement socio-économique dans les zones minières au Nord-Kivu (territoires de Walikale et Masisi) | March 2012 | ASSODIP | IPIS (editorial advice)
At a moment when the attention of both the national and international communities is focused on the reorganisation of the mining sector in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the local civil society organisation ASSODIP considered it opportune to carry out a study of the impact of mining exploitation on the socio-economic development in North Kivu’s Walikale and Masisi territories. These territories are among the richest in mineral resources of eastern DRC, with the exploitation and trade in minerals adding greatly to public revenues. Nonetheless, the concrete situations as presented in this paper sufficiently show that the development of the local mining communities has never been taken into due account.

Assessment of existing practices regarding end-user certification | February 2012 | UNODA | IPIS
Already, in 2002, the Security Council called upon States to establish an effective national end-user certificate system and to study the feasibility, as appropriate, of developing such a system at the regional and global levels, as well as information exchange and verification mechanisms. This study assesses existing practices regarding end-user certification in a wide range of countries. It examines concepts, documents and procedures relating to the regulation of end use and end users of conventional arms. It also endeavours to identify political and practical obstacles to the development of an international framework for authentication, reconciliation and standardization of end-user certificates. Finally, it proposes practical guidelines to assist States in the development of a reliable system of end-user certification.

Transparancy and Accountability. Monitoring and Reporting Methods Under An Arms Trade Treaty | February 2012 | TransArms R | IPIS
Without an understanding of the existing practices of States regarding their commonly agreed standards for the monitoring and reporting of their international transfers of conventional arms, it will be very difficult to draft many of the basic provisions of the Treaty to ensure compliance and enforcement. This report therefore seeks to clarify and discuss existing terminology and reporting practices for State regulation of international transfers of goods and services and for international transfers of conventional arms. It is hoped that this will also help contribute to the development of common international standards for monitoring and reporting international transfers of conventional arms. Standardization of statistical requirements and reporting methods is of paramount importance for the ATT to be effective.

Upstream Pilot Implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas  Baseline Report on the Supplement on Tin, Tantalum, and Tungsten | November 2011 | OECD | IPIS
IPIS executed the research for and writing of this OECD report. The present baseline report is the first in a cycle of three reports on the implementation by upstream companies of the Supplement on Tin, Tantalum and Tungsten of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (hereafter “the Guidance”). The objective of this report is to understand where upstream companies currently stand with the implementation of due diligence.

Violence against women in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Whose responsibility? Whose complicity? | November 2011 | ITUC | IPIS
IPIS contributed the research for and writing of this ITUC report. Summary: Eastern DRC has been ravaged by war and violence since the mid-1990s. Civilians carry the greatest burden of the conflict. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to such attacks.. Hundreds of women and girls get sexually violated in their homes and at their workplace. Fuelled and motivated by Congo’s minerals, rebel and army forces are inclined to maintain an insecure environment that ensures the continuation of the status quo. Congo’s conflict minerals go through a convoluted, yet manageable and traceable, supply chain and end up in industrialised consumer products. The introduction of transparency and governance into the mining sector is advancing, but still much has to be done.

Bisie. A one-year snapshot of the DRC’s principal cassiterite mine | November 2011 | IPIS
Much has happened in the mining sector of Eastern DRC over the last year. President Kabila imposed a ban on all mining activities last fall, during which production fell considerably. As soon as the suspension was lifted in the spring of this year, the major global electronic companies stopped buying minerals from the region, provoking a de facto embargo on Congo’s minerals with detrimental effects on the sector. At the same time, the Congolese government has taken major steps to restructure its army in the east of the country. These different decisions in the mining and security sectors have affected the nature and volume of minerals production and export and have reconfigured the security situation in the region. The consequences of these actions are discussed and illustrated with the use of the most important and well-known cassiterite mine in North Kivu called Bisie.

“Véhicules civils militarisables” and the EU arms embargo on Sudan | September 2011 | IPIS | TA-R | ASER
In this case study we will focus on the use of European manufactured trucks in the Darfur region, and more specifically what the defence industry calls “véhicules civils militarisables” – commercial vehicles that can be militarized. All armed actors in the conflict require vehicles to transport combatants through the vast Darfur deserts. Japanese Toyota (Landcruisers) pick-up trucks are the most common vehicles that are spotted in the region. Usually they are mounted with machineguns, and as such compose an important assault instrument. Furthermore, a wide array of military trucks or civilian trucks modified for military purposes are being used in Darfur, e.g. anti-aircraft guns are mounted on a variety of trucks to function as support and/or attack vehicles. Some of these trucks are European models, assembled by a local company: GIAD Automotive Industry Company.

Conflict motives in Kenya’s North Rift region | September 2011 | IPIS intern series
Kenya’s North Rift Region continues to suffer from violent conflict in which a series of actors are involved. Armed groups perform widespread and devastating raids against neighbouring communities. The strength of these warrior groups varies regionally and from case to case. Security operations are often characterised by their disproportionate brutality. Power figures are known to instigate violence or organise and finance armed militias. Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia bore the brunt of the post-election violence in 2007 and 2008. The violence mainly pitted Kalenjin warrior groups against Kikuyu communities in a struggle over political injustices and power but also over economic discrepancies and feelings of ethnic antagonism.

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