Challenges of Administering an Ebola Vaccine in Remote Areas of the DRC
No one said tracking the movements of a patient, suspected to be a carrier of the deadly Ebola virus, through the dense forests of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was going to be easy. With no discernible roads, only dense bush, we were forced to travel on three motorbikes to […]
Former DR Congo Child Soldier Works to Normalize Peace Not War
Michel Chikwanine is a long way from where he grew up in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, but not from the memories of war. They haunt him every night — ever since he was captured by rebels in the city of Beni at the age of five. Chikwanine’s father had an imposed an early-evening curfew, […]
ICC Acquittal of Form DR Congo VP Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo a Blow to Victims
Following the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s decision to acquit Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, the former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Solomon Sacco, Head of the International Justice team at Amnesty International, said: “The decision to acquit Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo is an important reminder that international justice is only possible if all suspects receive […]
What We Need to Learn for This Year’s Polls in Zimbabwe, Cameroon and DR Congo
As Zimbabwe, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepare to hold historic polls in July, October and December respectively, concerns around violence, intimidation and credible electoral processes are rising. In Zimbabwe, incidents of intimidation and threats of violence have been reported ahead of the 30 July election, which will be a test for […]
Congo-Kinshasa: Alarm Bells Ring As the World Hits the Snooze Button
The Democratic Republic of the Congo tops several lists that would make any nation proud. It is the largest sub-Saharan African nation. It is regularly listed as one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. But there is one list we, at NRC, wish the Congo was not a part […]
Wanted – Honorary Consuls For ‘Cash-Strapped’ African Nations
Honorary consuls occupy a little-known niche in the global elite. Many work to rigorous standards, but for others their avowed love for their adopted country is not always reflected in their tax filings. On an overcast afternoon in September 2009, Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi raised a pair of golden scissors above a ribbon at […]
Africa’s mountain gorilla population now exceeds 1,000
A new survey shows Africa’s critically endangered mountain gorillas have exceeded 1,000 after conservation efforts, making them the only great ape in the world considered to be growing in number. The WWF says mountain gorilla numbers have increased to 604 from an estimated 480 in 2010 in the Virunga Massif, a hilly area encompassing parts […]
Thousands Central African Republic Displaced By War Seek Refuge in DR Congo
The U.N. refugee agency reports an uptick in fighting in south-eastern Central African Republic has driven more than 7.000 people to abandon their homes and seek refuge in a remote area in DR Congo over the past week. The U.N. refugee agency describes the refugees as desperate, weary and in urgent need of assistance. UNHCR […]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Launches Principles for Global Action to Tackle Stigma Associated with Sexual Violence with UN, UK Partners
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Personal Representative on Sexual Violence and Child Recruitment, Madam Jeanine Mabunda, launched the Principles for Global Action to tackle the stigma of sexual violence in conflict at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York, at a program organized by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Preventing Sexual […]
DRC-South Africa Talks – Zuma Unlikely to Pressure Kabila to Go to the Polls
Observers and many of the Congolese diaspora in South Africa are hoping that President Jacob Zuma will tell DRC President Joseph Kabila it is time to go when they meet in Pretoria on Sunday. But this is unlikely. Kabila’s constitutionally-mandated second term expired last December but he remained in office, insisting that the DRC couldn’t […]
