Special online seminar – the current conflicts in Eastern DR Congo
Join us for an in-depth seminar on the ongoing crisis in Eastern DRC, featuring expert insights on humanitarian conditions, security dynamics, environmental impacts, and psychological trauma. | Rejoignez-nous pour un séminaire approfondi sur la crise actuelle dans l'est de la RDC, avec des perspectives d'experts sur les conditions humanitaires, la dynamique de la sécurité, les impacts environnementaux et les traumatismes psychologiques.
Schedule
🕚 11:00 – 11:45 | Mise à jour de la situation humanitaire (FR)
🔹 Speaker: Emmanuel Lampaert (MSF)
🔹 Depuis janvier 2025, l’Est de la RDC connait une escalade de la violence sans précédents, avec l’intensification de différents conflits : celui opposant le groupe rebelle M23 soutenu par le Rwanda contre les FARDC et alliés dans le Nord et Sud-Kivu, mais aussi, les conflits intercommunautaires dans la Province d’Ituri. MSF fait le point sur la situation humanitaire, fournissant des informations sur les pertes civiles et les blessés, les populations déplacées à l'intérieur du pays, l'état des infrastructures sanitaires, l'approvisionnement en matériel médical ainsi que les déficits de financement.
🕦 11:45 – 12:30 | VDP/Wazalendo and the proxy war against M23: a blessing or a curse for (future) security and stability in Eastern DR Congo? (ENG)
🔹 Speaker: Erik Gobbers (IPIS)
🔹 The present study aims to better understand the rapidly changing landscape of Eastern DRC’s non-state armed groups in the context of the M23 crisis, and to explore more specifically the phenomenon of Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie (VDP) /Wazalendo by investigating motives for alliance formation (between armed groups as well as between armed groups and FARDC) and means of financing (including mineral extraction and trade), and by assessing local perceptions of VDP/Wazalendo. In addition, the study seeks to examine potential effects of the decision to create an ‘official’ volunteer force from existing non-state armed groups on the effectiveness of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) processes. Qualitative data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and focus groups, in the territories of Masisi (North Kivu) and Shabunda (South Kivu) in the period of November-December 2024, and by document analysis.
🕧 12:30 – 13:00 | BREAK
🕐 13:00 – 13:45 | A silent victim: the environmental toll of the M23 conflict in Eastern DR Congo (ENG)
🔹 Speakers: Dr. Fergus O’Leary Simpson, Lara Collart (IOB)
🔹 The resurgence of the M23 rebel group has once again drawn global attention to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the humanitarian crisis—millions displaced, thousands killed, an accelerating public health emergency—rightly dominates headlines, the conflict is having another significant yet overlooked impact: on the region’s ecosystems and biodiversity. This presentation addresses this urgent issue through an in-depth analysis of two UNESCO World Heritage sites in eastern DRC: Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks. Drawing on satellite imagery and the latest insights from on-the-ground fieldwork, it provides empirically grounded answers to three pertinent questions: How has the recent conflict with M23 affected the environment in eastern DRC? What role do different armed actors play in conservation and resource extraction? And what are the (geo)political dimensions of conservation in this context? Ultimately, the forests, wildlife, and protected areas of eastern DRC remain silent victims of a conflict with no end in sight.
🕜 13:45 – 14:30 | Security challenges and pathways to peace and inter-African cohesion in the Great Lakes: the case of the DRC (FR)
🔹 Speakers: Dr. Crispin Katamb’a-Yav and Dr. Liévain Mwangal Mpalang’a-Maruv (Université de Lubumbashi)
🔹 The Great Lakes region, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), faces severe security challenges, including persistent armed conflicts, foreign interference, and weak security institutions. The eastern DRC is most affected, with violence, displacement, and humanitarian crises escalating instability. We argue that addressing these issues requires a multidimensional approach: fostering dialogue among stakeholders, strengthening security institutions, enhancing regional cooperation, and securing international support. Sustainable peace and inter-African cohesion depend on a collective response, where local, regional, and global actors collaborate to neutralize threats and build lasting stability in the region.
🕜 14:30 – 15:15 | Facteurs psychotraumatiques durant le conflit au Nord-Kivu (FR)
🔹 Speaker: Dr. Polepole Maheshe (UGoma)
🔹 We determine the psycho-traumatic factors (PTSD, Depressions) in the pre- and post-conflict periods in the North Kivu province. The data collected supports and directs clinical treatment methods towards the clientele of young people in the region who are affected by psychotraumatic and psychosomatic factors. The collected data are also helpful for governmental and church organizations as well as NGOs, which offer educational and vocational services to the affected youth in order to stabilize their life situation.