Livelihoods (DRC)

Article published on 28th February 2013, The Huffington Post

The latest agreement for peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offers a fresh and much needed glimmer of hope for ordinary Congolese citizens suffering from two decades of violence.

Location

This project, carried out by a consortium composed of CARE, FAO and International Alert, provides a combined response to the problems of poverty and instability in eastern DRC.

Since 1996, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in particular the provinces of North and South Kivu, have been the scene of internal and international armed conflict. This violence has its roots in the country’s political history and is fuelled by a particularly unstable regional context.

Full report

This study identifies disputed control over land as a root cause of conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The report focuses on conflicts between customary and state-run land tenure systems, as well as claims by some communities to “indigenous” status which are used to relegate others to “migrant” or “foreigner” status. Waves of population displacement have created overlapping claims to land, and an ongoing process of refugee return is currently increasing tensions over these claims in parts of Eastern DRC.

Full report