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Eastern DRC: An air of change?

The Kivu regions are traditionally viewed as conflict-ridden, but the area is transforming.

A government army soldier reacts to shelling in Kanyarucinya, just north of Goma. The army pushed back M23 rebels.
By Phil Moore
Published On 17 Aug 2013

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo – North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been wracked by armed conflict for two decades, but a hint of change is in the air. The headlinegrabbing M23 rebel movement is, for the first time, apparently on a back foot against the government army who made military advances during operations this July. Popular support for the army is high, a drastic change from the despondency that gripped Goma at the end of last year when M23 caused the army to flee the city, resulting in occupation.

The United Nations, however, is experiencing a slump in popularity, amidst claims by civil society of inaction, and that they are limiting the army’s advance. In the province’s “Great North”, a Muslim rebel group originating from Uganda, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has caused thousands to flee their homes. Across the region, myriad armed groups roam the bush.
Winds of change are in the air of Goma, but the focus on M23 tells little of the large scale insecurity that still wracks the region.

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An injured M23 rebel lies on a stretcher at a government army position, where doctors were taking care of him. He claims to have been recruited by force.
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Col Mamadou Ndala, commander of the 42nd battalion who have been leading fighting against M23, has become a local legend in Goma.
As civil society protested the inaction of the UN, pelting vehicles with rocks, Col. Mamadou calmed the crowd.
In Beni in the "Great North", a UN armoured personnel carrier drives through the street. Beni has been threatened by ADF rebels.
Insecurity in the region has resulted in little development, despite the abundance of minerals and the potential of highly fertile arable land.
Beni(***)s Muslim community fears persecution due to alleged links between the ADF and al-Shabaab, Somali Islamic fighters.
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Shops in Beni closed early, before nightfall, as a result of the insecurity.
Civilian populations bear the scars of the decades of conflict. Neria suffers from mental health issues as a result of the kidnapping of her family.
When people with mental health problems are brought to a small clinic in Beni, they often arrived bound by rope or chains, leaving scars on their arms.
Due to myriad armed groups across the region, access to agricultural land is often limited, or risked with dangers such as sexual violence.
The Nyatura, a Hutu milita, occupy an area of North Kivu and clash with M23 rebels. The Nyatura say that they will not let M23 expand their zone.
Despite some development in Goma, much of the city(***)s population does not have access to mains water, relying on Lake Kivu, filling jerry cans every day.
Young men with few opportunities turn to armed groups as a result of desperation and despondency. They establish their authority via AK-47s and machetes.
Despite military losses, M23 is still recruiting and conducting ideology training sessions for civilians in their territory.