Nineteen years after the beginning of the Congo wars, armed conflict still affects millions in the east of the country. This essay by CRG director Jason Stearns and our senior fellow Christoph Vogel accompanies a map of armed groups, compiled by researchers across North and South Kivu, in which we catalogue over seventy groups. This is far from a static picture, and we highlight key shifts that have emerged over the past two years: a decline of regional involvement, a fragmentation of armed groups, and a modest drop in the political manipulation of armed groups.
ICC Convicts Former Congo Vice President Bemba of War Crimes
The International Criminal Court found Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader and presidential candidate in the Democratic Republic of Congo, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“The chamber finds that Bemba is criminally responsible for murder, rape, pillage and war crimes” in the Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003, Judge Sylvia Steiner said in a ruling read at The Hague-based court on Monday. Bemba had faced two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes related to murder, rape and pillaging committed by his troops in the country.