The elections of November 28th 2011 in the DR Congo took place with many and under strict control of the government. The non-acceptance of the official results of both the presidential and parliamentary elections means that there is still political

Read the rest of ‘If Mugabe is the only invitee who turns up in person at your party, you have a problem’: DRC beyond the elections – By Kris Berwouts »

‘Congo is on the move, but where is it going?’ asked Dr Theodore Trefon (author of the African Arguments book Congo Masquerade) at an international conference, hosted by the Royal African Society in London earlier this week. It was hoped

Read the rest of Congo is on the move, but where is it going? Reflections on elections in the DRC – By William Townsend »

A recent EU Trade and Development Communication  contains some welcome news: a commitment to make company supply chains more transparent. This provides an excellent basis for an EU strategy to help prevent natural resource-fuelled conflict in countries like the Democratic

Read the rest of Congo: Due diligence can help efforts to end resource-fuelled conflict – By Fred Robarts and Gregory Mthembu-Salter »

DR Congo: Beyond  the 2011 elections Date/Time: February 14th – Panel 1: 16:00 – 17:30 -Panel 2: 18:00 – 19:30 Venue: School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Lecture Theatre G2, Russell Square Campus The official results of the recent

Read the rest of RAS/African Arguments Conference: DR Congo: Beyond the 2011 elections »

One of the peculiarities of African governments with long-serving leaders is that whereas they are led by aging men and women, their public institutions are pubescent. Like minors everywhere, these institutions tend to be easy to abuse and harder to

Read the rest of Uganda: oil and succession plans combine in Kampala – By Angelo Izama »

Infrequent observers of central Africa are startled and appalled to learn that the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel group that emerged in the late 1980s, is still killing. Forced into the border zones of the Democratic Republic of

Read the rest of Ending the LRA: reason for optimism and political commitment – By Ned Dalby, International Crisis Group »

Songhai Advisory LLP is a bespoke business intelligence consultancy providing critical insight on market opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is an African proverb which says that if you adopt a name, you must also inherit its affairs. In the Democratic

Read the rest of DRC election ‘too flawed to be credible’ – civil society and Congolese diaspora speak out – By Kissy Agyeman-Togobo, Songhai Advisory »

Last week, the Supreme Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo upheld the result of what was by all accounts a deeply flawed election, marred by widespread irregularities, violent incidents, and reports of fraud. Despite calls from the international community

Read the rest of The International Community Must Not Turn Their Backs On Democracy In The DR Congo – By William Townsend, Free Fair DRC »

African Arguments writer Theodore Trefon has a new analysis piece on the BBC website: Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila’s victory in the 28 November election is fragile and contested. His swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday. But main

Read the rest of BBC Analysis: DR Congo elections open new wounds – By Theodore Trefon »

There is one thing which unites the people of Democratic Republic of Congo today.  Men and women, rich and poor, go about their daily lives with their left thumb dyed a deep indigo.  It is a sign they have stood

Read the rest of Observing the Congo elections 2011 – an account by Victoria Crawford, Africa APPG »