Fidel Bafilemba's blog

When Rwanda returned about 90 metric tons of smuggled minerals to Congolese authorities early November last year, many took that as a sign of a growing commitment by the regional powers to fight illicit mineral trade. It went largely unnoticed until now that the returned minerals vanished on the Congolese side  Read More »

While it is not clear how serious the threats are, recent developments within and around the Congolese military are making Kinshasa’s ruling power nervous and are worth keeping an eye on.  Read More »

The announcement of legislative election results expected this Friday, January 13, may spark renewed ethnic violence in eastern Congo. Allegations of intentional destruction and falsification of ballots in favor of the presidential majority have intensified the already tense electoral climate in North Kivu.  Read More »

A couple of weeks ago, with elections fast approaching, some felt a renewed hope for transitional justice in Congo. A coalition of rights groups introduced “Justice Now for the DRC,” a countrywide campaign aimed at improving Congo’s justice system and securing government financial and political support for it.

But the Justice Now initiative faces an uphill battle. The proposed Specialized Mixed Courts it advocates for have faced powerful opponents ever since the concept was suggested as a remedy to addressing significant shortcomings of the Congolese judicial system.  Read More »

As electoral campaign violence flares in parts of Congo, officials and onlookers are becoming increasingly concerned about increased foul-play and violence threatening free and fair elections just over a week from now. Nothing could be a better illustration of such activity than the recent kidnapping of traditional Hunde singer Fabrice Masumbuko in Goma.  Read More »

Yesterday, more than 50 armed men, some wearing army uniforms, attacked the Presidential Palace and a Congolese military installation in the capital of Kinshasa.  Read More »

The media blackout surrounding the recent incident linking Congo army commander and wanted war criminal Bosco Ntaganda to a gold smuggling operation and $1 million in counterfeit bills has enabled him to try to dictate the narrative.  Read More »

A private jet plane registered in the U.S. under license plate number N886DT was grounded at the Goma airport recently for the most unusual conflict minerals business. The crew consisted of an American, a Frenchman, and two Nigerians who carried a whopping sum of $6.8 million in cash destined for General Bosco Ntaganda, dubbed “The Terminator."  Read More »

President Kabila’s successful effort to revise the electoral law in the Congolese constitution last week sparked controversy, prompting opposition and human rights groups to warn that the changes are a threat to national unity.  Read More »

An attempted bribing incident by a Congolese soldier escalated into an incident that left 33 women raped and many people displaced.  Read More »