Watching the Congo (DRC) 2018 onwards
A new thread for this forlorn country, with insurgencies (mainly in the East), a dire government and a long running UN peacekeeping mission. Not as regularly updated as a few years ago, in part as one member has a job that does not allow posting and two African "hands" have retreated from SWJ.
The previous thread has now been closed, it was:Gazing in the Congo (DRC): the dark heart of Africa (2006-2017) with 808 posts and 218,765 views since 2006.
There is a separate thread in the Historians arena that helps to explain why:Second Congo War 1998-2003 Africa's world war
The Allied Democratic Forces: the DRC’s most deadly jihadist group?
An IISS blog piece on the ADF by Eleanor Beevor. Sub-titled:
Quote:
Known for its violent attacks, the Allied Democratic Forces is hampering vital Ebola relief efforts in the DRC. Just how much is the group driven by Islamist beliefs and does it pose a serious threat?
Link:https://www.iiss.org/blogs/analysis/...dist-group-drc
Militarizing the Peace: UN Intervention Against Congo’s “Terrorist” Rebels
Hat tip to Lawfare for this critical article on the UN's mission in the DRC; with an Editor's opening:
Quote:
The civil war in Congo remains one of the world's bloodiest and most intractable conflicts. In response, the United Nations has authorized a large, and militarily aggressive, campaign to target rebel forces. Rachel Sweet, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, argues that this intervention is not working. The UN effort often ignores the dynamics of conflict in Congo, and as a result the use of force fails or even backfires.
Link:https://www.lawfareblog.com/militari...rrorist-rebels