Malheureusement, ce numéro de la revue de presse n’est actuellement disponible qu’en allemand et en anglais.
(Inter-)continental reactions to the situation in eastern Congo
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) is meeting today to discuss the crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, who arrived in Germany yesterday evening for the Munich Security Conference and is being represented by his Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, is not present. The meeting of the AU Security Council is one of a series of meetings in the wake of growing fears of a regional escalation of the conflict.
Last weekend, the first joint summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (press review CW 6/2025). At the meeting, the two regional organisations called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and a diplomatic settlement of the conflict within the next five days. In addition, humanitarian corridors should be opened for the recovery of the dead and evacuation of the injured. In the final declaration, the defence ministers of all EAC and SADC Member States were called upon to meet within five days for further negotiations and to provide technical guidelines for the implementation of the ceasefire. The EAC and SADC are also calling for direct negotiations and dialogue with all parties involved in the conflict, both state and non-state actors – a formulation that met with cautious reactions in Kinshasa in particular.Tshisekedi consistently rejects direct negotiations with the M23 rebels and has so far been strengthened in this stance by the SADC. The lack of condemnation of Rwanda for its role in the conflict and the failure to call on the M23 militia to leave Goma also caused displeasure. The Rwandan government, on the other hand, welcomed the agreement reached at the meeting.
The states of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) also met last Friday for a summit in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. In a final document, the group condemned all violence and called on the M23 and Rwandan troops to leave DRC territory and ensure the reopening of Goma airport in order to prevent an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
Meanwhile in the DRC, a delegation from the Catholic and Protestant church met for the first time on Wednesday with Corneille Nangaa, who is positioning himself as the leader and spokesperson of the rebel alliance Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), to which the M23 militia also belongs. Meanwhile, the situation in the east of the DRC continues to deteriorate and the rebels are making significant territorial gains in the province of South Kivu. There were also attacks by the CODECO militia (Coopérative pour le développement du Congo) this week in the province of Ituri, which borders North Kivu, in which at least 50 people were killed.
In addition to regional pressure, international pressure is also growing: on Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the EU Commission to freeze direct budget support for Rwanda and to suspend the agreement on critical minerals between the EU and Rwanda until the country cuts its ties with the M23 rebels. In addition, military aid to Rwanda should also be frozen and an arms embargo imposed on the country and the M23. Other demands include the tightening of EU sanctions against leaders of the M23 and other armed groups as well as against Rwandan and Congolese officials held responsible by the UN for serious crimes. In addition, the cancellation of the Road Cycling World Championships, which are due to take place in Rwanda’s capital Kigali next year, was proposed. The resolution was adopted by 443 votes to 4, with 48 MEPs abstaining. Thereby, the EU Parliament is increasing the pressure on the EU Commission, which had spoken out against the suspension of the minerals agreement just one day earlier. However, as the resolution is not binding, it remains to be seen how the EU Commission and the EU Heads of Government will position themselves.
Division of the largest civilian coalition in Sudan
On Monday, Sudan’s largest civilian coalition to date, the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Taqaddum), split into two factions. The reason for the split was months of disputes over the controversial proposal to form a government in exile parallel to the military government currently based in Port Sudan. Before its split, Taqaddum, which was formed in 2023 a few months after the outbreak of the war between the government army Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was considered a central, neutral and unarmed actor that also tried to mediate between the two parties to the conflict on the international stage.
Taqaddum was headed by the former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. He now temporarily took over the leadership of the newly founded Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Forces (Sumoud) and spoke out resolutely against a government in exile. Sumoud, but also the second faction of the former Taqaddum, announced that they would continue to work for lasting peace in Sudan under separate political and organisational structures and visions.
The break came after the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, recaptured several parts of Greater Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, on Saturday. Previously, the RSF under the leadership of General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, controlled these areas. If al-Burhan and the SAF succeed in regaining full control of Khartoum, an end to the war and the early formation of a transitional government could be in sight, the general and a military spokesman said. On Sunday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced a corresponding plan to form a transitional government, which includes a civilian prime minister, the drafting of a constitution and a National Dialogue with civil society, and which should lead Sudan to free and fair elections. The RSF could also be involved in the National Dialogue if it laid down all weapons and withdrew from the capital and the state of West Kordofan and the Darfur region, which it occupies.
Although the SAF has been able to make enormous territorial gains in recent months, the RSF still controls large parts of western Sudan and is currently conducting an intensive campaign to further consolidate its control over the Darfur region. In this context, al-Burhan rejected the call for a humanitarian ceasefire from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the upcoming month of Ramadan until the RSF ceases its attacks. In addition, the relationship with the UAE is strained. Al-Burhan and his military government regard the UAE as an aggressor in the war and accuse it of being the main financier and arms supplier to the RSF. The UAE denies all accusations.
Since the outbreak of fighting in April 2023, there have already been numerous attempts at peace and mediation talks (press review CW 34/2024 and press review CW 28/2023). At the time, the fighting was triggered by the failed transition to a civilian government. Disagreements over the timetable for integrating the RSF into the Sudanese military were a particular point of contention between the actors involved (press review 15/2023). The subsequent negotiations and attempts at de-escalation between the SAF and RSF were unsuccessful (press review 16/2023).
Since the start of the fighting, around 15 million Sudanese have been displaced and two thirds of the population are currently dependent on emergency humanitarian aid to survive. In July 2024, a famine according to the international definition was declared by UN experts for the first time. It remains to be seen whether the SAF’s rise to power in Khartoum will actually lead to a stabilization of the political and improvement of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
In other news
On Saturday evening, Namibia’s first president, Dr. Sam Nujoma, passed away at the age of 95 in the capital Windhoek after being treated in hospital for several weeks. This was announced by President Nanglo Mbumba in a press statement on Sunday morning. As the founding president of the Republic of Namibia, Nujoma had shown the nation the highest level of leadership and spared no effort to motivate each and every Namibian to build a country that will stand tall and proud among the nations of the world, Mbumba said. Sam Nujoma was one of the key figures in Namibia’s struggle for independence against South Africa’s apartheid regime, having co-founded the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) in 1960 and led it for 47 years. After years of resistance to the apartheid regime and intensive negotiations under international mediation, Nujoma led Namibia to independence in 1990 and was elected the republic’s first head of state. Nujoma dedicated his time in office to the reconciliation process, the unification of the country and the reduction of inequalities after apartheid and the war of independence had left a deep social divide between the different population groups. Nujoma ruled the country for a total of 15 years after being confirmed in office in the 1994 and 1999 elections. The death of Sam Nujoma marks the end of an era of great African leaders who fought for the liberation and awakening of their nations.
Note on the MA and PhD programme ‘Global Studies with a Special Emphasis on Peace and Security in Africa (GSPSA)’
Since 2012, the Global and European Studies Institute (GESI) at Leipzig University and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) at Addis Ababa University have offered a joint MA and PhD program in Global Studies with a Special Emphasis on Peace and Security in Africa (GSPSA). We are currently accepting applications for the 2025 intake. The application deadline for both programs is 28 February 2025.
These transnational study programs specifically attract students from all over the world who have finished their first academic degree in sociology, anthropology, political science, history, international relations, law, or economics, as well as related disciplines, with good or very good results. Students applying for this program should have an interest in conflict prevention, peace and security, and global affairs.
For further details on the programs and the application form, click here for the MA and here for the PhD.