Eastern DRC Under Military Rule

In the DRC, the government has placed two eastern provinces in “state of siege”. President Felix Tshisekedi has said Kinshasa is preparing radical measures for the mineral rich provinces of North-Kivu and Ituri, which has been haunted by armed groups and civilian massacres for over two decades. This, according to the Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, would involve replacing the provinces civil administration with a military one. The move seeks to have a decisive impact on the never-ending turmoil in the region, which has produced millions of refugees scattered throughout Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia and the Americas. The intervention has been welcomed by the governor of North-Kivu, Carly Kasivita, saying that the proposed intervention “responds to our expectations”, having himself repeatedly urged a radical mobilization to deal with attacks in the Beni region of North-Kivu, near the Ugandan border, which has been particularly wracked by unrest. The Congolese Association for Access to Justice has welcomed the move, but has urged parliament to come up with concrete measures to ensure the siege is not misused.