The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): The Situation in the East: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

The document reports on a seminar held in Addis Ababa on July 14, 2009, which assessed the instability in eastern DRC. Key discussions focused on the role of armed groups like the FDLR and CNDP, the effectiveness of military operations such as Kimia II and Umoja Wetu, and the normalization of relations between the DRC and Rwanda. The seminar highlighted systemic challenges including a weak national army, land tenure disputes, corruption, and the limitations of MONUC's bureaucratic structure and troop levels. Recommendations emphasized strengthening democratic processes, building army capacity, and pursuing political dialogue for the disarmament of FDLR members not involved in the 1994 genocide.

• Instability in South Kivu is primarily driven by active armed groups and ongoing joint military operations involving the Congolese army and MONUC. Additional systemic barriers to sustainable peace include issues regarding nationality and minorities, land tenure, impunity, a weak national army, and the proliferation of small arms, which are available for approximately 30 US$.
• The Congolese army suffers from a lack of cohesion, ill-discipline, and insufficient training, which has been exacerbated by the recent integration of combatants from various armed movements.
• Relations between the DRC and Rwanda normalized starting in late 2008, leading to the establishment of a 4+4 committee of diplomats in October and a joint military operation called Umoja Wetu in early December. While Umoja Wetu was characterized more as a political operation than a military one, it succeeded in destroying several bases and weakening the command structure of the FDLR.
• MONUC's effectiveness is hindered by a bureaucratic decision-making process that prevents immediate civilian protection, a shortage of soldiers (approximately 6,000 out of 17,000 staff), and a lack of commitment from member states regarding troop and equipment contributions.
• The 2006 elections, while the first since independence, may have contributed to current problems in North and South Kivu because they failed to address the political participation of minorities and the root causes of conflict.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): The Situation in the East: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/DRCADDISREP.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): The Situation in the East: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/DRCADDISREP.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): The Situation in the East: Taking Stock and Looking Forward |date=14 July 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/DRCADDISREP.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009democratic, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): The Situation in the East: Taking Stock and Looking Forward}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/DRCADDISREP.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }