Recent turbulence in the financial market is a reminder that economic stability is heavily reliant on collective perceptions and ‘market confidence’. So it is with security, and nowhere is this more evident than in a so-called fragile state like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is plummeting into a different kind of recession.
The seemingly endless crisis in North Kivu is making a rare foray into the international news agenda. (Recent reports from The New York Times and the BBC.) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that “the intensification and expansion of the conflict is creating a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions and threatens dire consequences on a regional scale”.
Here’s some of the recent background:
Continue reading ‘Crisis in North Kivu’
Having endured the ignominy of having to hack into my own blog, I’m pleased to wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful 2008, wherever you live, and notwithstanding the grim news from Pakistan.
News from eastern Congo is mixed. A conference on ‘peace, security and development’ is to be held in Goma from January 6th. It’s better to talk than fight, but Congolese commentators are sceptical, and ongoing forced recruitment of children by armed groups suggests that they are not about to change their ways.
Hotel owners will certainly profit from the conference, as 500 or more delegates plus press and entourage descend on a town that boasts, I believe, around 250 hotel rooms. Ironically, many of the smartest hotels in Goma pay ‘taxes’, willingly or unwillingly, to Laurent Nkunda’s rebels.
The merry-go-round continues.
