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[Project] Small arms survey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• In cooperation with GRIP (Groupe de Recherche et d’Information sur la Paix et la Sécurité) and the National Commission on Small Arms Control in the DRC, BICC has composed the probably most comprehensive study on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the east of the DRC. For this, more than 10.000 households were interviewed as well as group discussions and single interviews conducted to obtain information on the population’s threat perception as regards SALW. 
• Small arms survey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

[Publication] Figurations of Displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Empirical findings and reflections on protracted displac...

• Figurations of Displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Empirical findings and reflections on protracted displacement and translocal connections of Congolese IDPs (TRAFIG working paper 4). Bonn: BICC.
• This working paper is based on empirical research on translocal figurations of displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It contains methodological reflections, central findings, and reflections on these findings. Drawing on the conceptual framework that was developed in TRAFIG working paper no. 1, this paper explores TRAFIG’s central question: “How are protractedness, dependency and vulnerability related to the factors of local and translocal connectivity and mobi...

[Publication] From resource war to ‘Violent Peace’: Transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

• From resource war to ‘Violent Peace’: Transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• The first section of the paper provides an assessment of the current state of the ‘peace’ process: Political and security-related developments of the past years are analyzed with a special focus on continuities and changes of politico-economic structures and networks of its former war economy. This analysis provides the framework for two case studies that focus on the developments in two cities and their surroundings in North and South Kivu, Goma and Bukavu. The case studies give a more in-depth...

[PDF Document] paper50.pdf   (1.07 MB)

[Publication] Bolstering resilient connections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (TRAFIG Practice Note No. 4)

• Bolstering resilient connections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (TRAFIG Practice Note No. 4)
• Due to prolonged conflict, millions of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have fled their homes to seek refuge elsewhere, especially in the east of the country. The majority of these Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) flee to cities and other local communities rather than to displacement camps. Bukavu, the capital of the South-Kivu province, is a case in point. In recent years, Bukavu grew rapidly due to the influx of IDPs and other migrants – mostly from the near...

[Publication] Forced, coerced, and voluntary recruitment into rebel and militia groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Forced, coerced, and voluntary recruitment into rebel and militia groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Why do non-state armed groups forcibly recruit civilians? To address this question I develop a conceptual framework distinguishing voluntary, coerced and forced recruitment. I then compare the recruitment tactics employed by ‘Mai-Mai’ militias and the RCD-Goma rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to inductively develop a theory explaining why groups with different initial economic and social endowments resort to force. This comparison draws on interviews wi...

[Publication] Troop retention in civil wars: Desertion, denunciation, and military organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Troop retention in civil wars: Desertion, denunciation, and military organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• This article investigates the link between the organizational structure of nonstate armed groups and the ability of low-level combatants to desert without recapture. Throughout, I show that nonstate armed groups can adopt organizational structures that mimic those found in national armies and that are designed both to detect wannabe deserters and to facilitate the denunciation and recapture of those who manage to escape. The odds of a successful desertion are increased when territorial safe have...

[Publication] Mobility dynamics in protracted displacement: Eritreans and Congolese on the move

• Mobility dynamics in protracted displacement: Eritreans and Congolese on the move

[Project] Artisanal miners in developing countries

• The economic and financial crisis has boosted the demand for gold. High gold prices are encouraging hundreds of thousands of small-scale miners throughout the world to turn to gold mining and to extract this precious metal using the simplest of tools. Against this background, BICC and the Südwind Institute have launched a joint project which uses the examples of Peru and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to study the question of what measures can be taken to improve conditions fo...

[Publication] Débrouillardise: certifying ‘conflict-free’ minerals in a context of regulatory pluralism in South Kivu, DR Congo

• Débrouillardise: certifying ‘conflict-free’ minerals in a context of regulatory pluralism in South Kivu, DR Congo