Kabila Meets Face-to-Face with Civil Society Leaders in North Kivu
On his way back to Kinshasa after attending Kagame's swearing-in, President Kabila spent a few days in the eastern region, and announced some reforms that, if carried out, could have a positive impact here ...
Field Dispatch: Conflict Minerals Windfall for Armed Forces in Eastern Congo
Senior commanders continue to benefit from Congo’s lucrative mineral trade. Striking examples of this trend are the staggering lifestyle and investments of some Congolese army officers here in the Kivus. Although official army salaries top out at 90,000 Congolese francs per month, less than $100, many Congolese generals and colonels own gas stations, run minerals exporters or ‘comptoirs’, and new buildings are sprouting up like mushrooms throughout cities of Goma, Bukavu, Butembo, Bunia and Kinshasa ...
North Kivu: Controversy as Refugee Returns Exacerbate Land Conflicts
The return of Congolese refugees from neighboring Rwanda remains a particularly contentious issue here in North Kivu, eastern Congo. This Dispatch presents a closer look at some of the patterns of returns and specific types of land disputes that have emerged during the past months, and their potential to further destabilize the region ...
