This study offers a longue durée analysis of the factors underpinning instability in northern Masisi and western Rutshuru, especially around the town of Kitchanga, a geographical pivot of armed politics in the Petit Nord-Kivu.
Proxy Wars and the Dawn of Godfathers
Despite significant stabilization efforts and analysis, the situation around Kitchanga – sitting on the edges of Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu – remains volatile. This report understands Kitchanga as part of a broader geographical and socio-political complex, including the Bwito and Bashali chieftaincies.
Violence and Instability in Ituri
This first report analyses the string of attacks in and around Djugu territory in Ituri since late 2017. Based on both historical and recent conflict analysis, it finds recent and concrete triggers of the ongoing crisis, nonetheless rooted in protracted tension over land, livelihood and territory, often framed in ethnic binaries.