Eastern DRC and the protests in Sudan

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes two distinct security and political crises: the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) involving the M23 rebel group and Rwandan influence, and the economic instability and civil unrest in Sudan under President Omar al-Bashir.

• The security crisis in North Kivu, eastern DRC, has been exacerbated by the formation of the M23 group in support of Bosco Ntaganda, a general indicted by the International Criminal Court. A UN Group of Experts interim report released on 13 June 2012 indicated that members of the Rwandan army entered the DRC to reinforce rebel positions and provided safe passage for Ntaganda and M23 forces.
• The violence in eastern DRC is rooted in long-term issues including colonial border negotiations, the failure to integrate Congolese people of Rwandan origin, and disputes over land, nationality, and natural resource exploitation. More immediate triggers include the 2006 establishment of the CNDP by Laurent Nkunda, mass rapes in July 2010, the contested 2011 elections, and President Joseph Kabila's focus on Kinshasa over other regions.
• The conflict in eastern DRC has created a severe humanitarian crisis, with approximately 400,000 people internally displaced and about 8,000 refugees fleeing the country at an average rate of 150 per day.
• Sudan is facing a severe economic crisis characterized by a budget deficit of approximately US$ 2.4 billion, inflation reaching 30 per cent in May 2012, and a sharp decline in the value of the Sudanese pound. This was driven by the loss of 80 per cent of oil wealth following the secession of South Sudan, a January 2012 oil shutdown by South Sudan, and clashes in Heglig in mid-April 2012.
• Economic hardship and government austerity measures, specifically the plan to lift fuel subsidies, triggered spontaneous protests in June 2012 starting at the University of Khartoum and spreading to towns such as Al-Obaiyd, Madani, Kassala, Port Sudan, and Gedaref. The government responded with violence and arrests, while the National Intelligence and Security Services restricted media coverage.

APA

Zena, P. N. (2012). Eastern DRC and the protests in Sudan. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/eastern-drc-and-the-protests-in-sudan

Chicago

Zena, Prosper Nzekani. Eastern DRC and the protests in Sudan. Institute for Security Studies, 2012. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/eastern-drc-and-the-protests-in-sudan.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zena |first1=Prosper Nzekani |title=Eastern DRC and the protests in Sudan |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2012 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/eastern-drc-and-the-protests-in-sudan |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zena2012eastern, author = {Zena, Prosper Nzekani}, title = {{Eastern DRC and the protests in Sudan}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/eastern-drc-and-the-protests-in-sudan}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }