People protest against the conflict in eastern DRC during an African Union assembly in Addis Ababa on 17 February 2024.
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Protests in Kinshasa are an indictment of the lack of attention to the Congolese crisis.
M23 rebels in Kibumba in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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The new intervention force must be sizeable, and have proper air cover as well as transport and air elements. None are guaranteed.
Kenyan soldiers from the East African Community Regional Force leave the Democratic Republic of Congo on 3 December 2023.
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Chances of longer term peace are small because of the DRC’s assumption that it can achieve peace through sheer military force.
Residents of Bambo in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, flee after M23 attacks in October 2023.
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The international effort to address three decades of violence in eastern DRC has drawn in the UN, east African troops and now a southern African force.
A soldier guards a camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2023.
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Central to the DRC’s politics is a broken relationship between the seat of government in Kinshasa and underrepresented groups in the eastern region.
Soldiers on patrol in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in November 2022.
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A comprehensive strategy does not seem to be an immediate priority for Congolese authorities with an eye on elections.
South Sudanese soldiers prepare for deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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The region’s forces are seen as important in addressing the long-running conflict in the DRC – but their involvement is complicated.
Burundian military personnel arrive at Goma airport in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on 5 March, 2023.
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Insecurity, especially in the DRC’s South Kivu, is considered a serious threat by Burundi’s army.
Kenyan troops fly the flags of the East African Community and Kenya in Goma, eastern DRC.
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There are advantages to a regional force overseen by the East African Community – particularly as the bloc is leading new political talks.
Troops drive through Goma in eastern DRC in November 2022.
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Consolidating peace efforts across the vast territory has proved difficult for close to three decades. Scholars explain why.
Men hold up protest signs in front of the coffins of DRC refugees killed in August 2004 in Gatumba, Burundi.
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Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is used to win a place in government, not to overthrow it. And it keeps working.
A Congolese soldier in Goma during protests against the UN peacekeeping mission in July 2022.
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Protests are likely to continue over the coming months, particularly in the run-up to the Congo presidential elections next year.
Congolese in Goma protest against the UN peacekeeping mission on 26 July 2022.
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The UN mission is being held responsible for something the Congolese state should be doing.
Displaced people arrive in Pemba, Mozambique, after fleeing Palma following a brutal attack by Islamist insurgents in March.
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The Southern African Development Community does not have a remarkable record of military interventions in civil conflicts in the region.
Some of the thousands of people displaced by the killings in the Cabo Delgado province.
EFE-EPA/Joas Relvas
Intervention in Cabo Delgado is a potentially dangerous move with far-reaching consequences for SADC if its efforts fail, or it becomes a protracted intervention.
Peacekeeper with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC
MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti
The independent strategic review, now before the Security Council, recognises many of the challenges ahead. But it appears overly sanguine about what can be achieved within a three-year period.
DRC President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa.
Kenny Katombe/Reuters
The Democratic Republic of Congo desperately needs a peaceful election but with the UN threatening to scale back its DRC mission, the likelihood of a successful poll is being threatened