Fidel Bafilemba: “My Hope for Congo”
On May 1, the Raise Hope for Congo campaign launched “I Am Congo,” a new video series highlighting voices from the ground. The series profiles five inspiring Congolese individuals—Fidel Bafilemba, Amani Matabaro, Denise Siwatula, Petna Ndaliko, and Dominique Bikaba—who are making a difference in their communities. Enough Said will be highlighting each video profile over the coming weeks ...
North Kivu Civil Society for a Conflict-Free Minerals Supply Chain
Amid uncertainty and frustrations spurred by a looming insurgency by ICC-indicted Bosco Ntaganda, the coalition of civil society groups acting as the local conflict-minerals watchdog, known by its French acronym GATT-RN, is steadfast in ensuring that efforts toward legitimate minerals sourcing in eastern Congo do not lose momentum ...
In Congo, Lubanga Conviction Raises Questions About Bosco Ntaganda
Thomas Lubanga, the former leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots, or UPC, was convicted by the International Criminal Court last week for the conscription and use of child soldiers during the Ituri civil war from 2002 to 2003 in Congo’s Orientale province. The three-year long trial—the ICC’s first—garnered attention in eastern Congo not only because the region was the scene of Lubanga’s crimes but also because there are a handful of other rebel leaders who should face a similar fate ...
Conflict Minerals Funds Congo President’s Flawed Reelection?
When Rwanda returned about 90 metric tons of smuggled minerals to Congolese authorities early November last year, many took that as a sign of a growing commitment by the regional powers to fight illicit mineral trade. It went largely unnoticed until now that the returned minerals vanished on the Congolese side ...
Military Subversion in Congo?
While it is not clear how serious the threats are, recent developments within and around the Congolese military are making Kinshasa’s ruling power nervous and are worth keeping an eye on ...
Threat of Renewed Ethnic Conflict in Eastern Congo Rises Ahead of Vote Count
The announcement of legislative election results expected this Friday, January 13, may spark renewed ethnic violence in eastern Congo. Allegations of intentional destruction and falsification of ballots in favor of the presidential majority have intensified the already tense electoral climate in North Kivu ...
New Hope for Transitional Justice in Congo?
A couple of weeks ago, with elections fast approaching, some felt a renewed hope for transitional justice in Congo. A coalition of rights groups introduced “Justice Now for the DRC,” a countrywide campaign aimed at improving Congo’s justice system and securing government financial and political support for it. But the Justice Now initiative faces an uphill battle. The proposed Specialized Mixed Courts it advocates for have faced powerful opponents ever since the concept was suggested as a remedy to addressing significant shortcomings of the Congolese judicial system ...
Congo: Impunity on Display during Election Season
As electoral campaign violence flares in parts of Congo, officials and onlookers are becoming increasingly concerned about increased foul-play and violence threatening free and fair elections just over a week from now. Nothing could be a better illustration of such activity than the recent kidnapping of traditional Hunde singer Fabrice Masumbuko in Goma ...
Field Dispatch: Kabila after Five Years: A Personal Retrospective
With the Congolese elections just three weeks away Enough Project researcher in Goma, Fidel Bafilemba, considers President Kabila’s tenure and what the future may hold for the Congo ...
Field Dispatch: Insecurity across the Kivus
Violence is on the rise in eastern Congo, with attacks by the Rwandan FDLR rebel group increasing in recent months. Civil society representatives here in eastern Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces have continuously watched as the long-feared FDLR militia keeps a stranglehold on their villages, committing atrocities to hold their unwilling host communities subdued ...