High Stakes: New Reports on the Democratic Republic of Congo

This is a year of high stakes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO)  is due for renewal by the end of June and elections will be held before the end of this year.  Meanwhile, a new report has documented that sexual violence in the DRC is occurring at much higher rates than previously reported and is less concentrated in North and South Kivu and other conflict affected areas.  Moreover, elections preparations are worryingly behind.  With human security at such low levels and uncertainty about the upcoming polls, recent reports state that the DRC could face renewed political crisis.  What are the underlying reasons for these problems and how should the United States and the international community respond to such high stakes in the DRC?

Moderator:

• Laura Seay
  Professor, Morehouse University
  Blogger, TexasinAfrica

Speakers:

• Joshua Marks
  Central Africa Program Officer, National Endowment for Democracy
• Tia Palermo
  Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University

Explore Further

• Listen to an audio recording of this event.
• Countries and Regions: Democratic Republic of Congo
• Managing Political Transitions in Africa