Streaming
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n January 27, the March 23 (M23) rebel movement in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo entered Goma and took control of major parts of the city. The M23’s movement into Goma, the capital and largest city in the DRC’s province of North Kivu that also sits at the northern end of Lake Kivu and directly next to the border with Rwanda, is a drastic escalation in what has been cycles of violence, rebellion, and international engagement in the region.
The Wilson Center Africa Program’s peace and security work has spotlighted the important peacebuilding and governance work that has been ongoing in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region more broadly since the program’s origination. Over the past 25 years, the program has focused on peacebuilding and social cohesion opportunities, governance, disarmament of militias and rebel groups, the political economy prolonging the conflict, and the role of environment and critical minerals.
As the conflict continues, we share these important resources to provide a long-term perspective informed by African-led research of the cycles of violence, the history of the conflict drivers, and the efforts to establish lasting peace in the region, which are essential to informing responses today and into the future.
Additionally, be sure to check out our interview with Father Rigobert Minani of Centre d’Etudes Pour l’Action Social on the recent escalation of violence in North Kivu.
Select Resources from the Africa Program on the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Mandates and Mixed Success: The EACRF’s Enigmatic Pursuit of Peace in Eastern DRC – October 30, 2023
- The Transient Refugee Trend in the Great Lakes: Could This Call for a Shift in Policy? – October 6, 2023
- Former Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) Scholar Fr. Rigobert Minani Bihuzo Testifies Before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on Child Labor and Human Rights Violations in the Mining Industry of the Democratic Republic of Congo – July 14, 2022
- Tensions Rise in the DR Congo with Credibility of Next Elections at Stake – October 22, 2021
- Peacebuilding as State Building? Lessons from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – November 3, 2020
- DRC: Do Not Lose the Gains of 20 years of UN Investment in Peace in a Rush for the MONUSCO Mission to Leave – September 18, 2020
- Security Sector Reform Challenges to Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo – July 17, 2020
- The DRC’s Legitimacy Crisis and its Impact on Peace, Security, and Stability (Report) and (Event) – March 24, 2020
- Building Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Beyond the United Nations Toolkit – March 23, 2020
- Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo – March 9, 2020
- Exasperated, the People of Beni Demand the Departure of the United Nations Troops (MONUSCO) from the Democratic Republic of Congo – February 18, 2020
- DRC: No luck for an agreement in Kampala between the Congolese government and the M23 – November 14, 2013
For even more resources focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo, you can search our publications.
Africa Program
The Africa Program works to address the most critical issues facing Africa and US-Africa relations, build mutually beneficial US-Africa relations, and enhance knowledge and understanding about Africa in the United States. The Program achieves its mission through in-depth research and analyses, public discussion, working groups, and briefings that bring together policymakers, practitioners, and subject matter experts to analyze and offer practical options for tackling key challenges in Africa and in US-Africa relations. Read more
