Crisis in Congo: The way forward in 2017 and beyond

Despite being required to step down after his second term ended in 2016, Congo’s President Joseph Kabila, relying on a dubious reading of the constitution, remains in office, due in part to the failure to hold elections last year, which would have allowed the selection of a replacement. New elections are now set to take place by the end of 2017. In the interim, President Kabila was to lead a transitional government, but talks on that matter have since broken down. As protests of his continued rule surge, violence is also increasing. The United Nations, under heavy pressure from the incoming Trump administration, is now also considering decreasing its peacekeeping commitment to the country.

On April 10, the Africa Security Initiative, part of the Brookings Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, hosted an event focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Panelists included Dane Erickson, managing director of the Eastern Congo Initiative; Nita Evele, director of Congo Global Action; and Anthony Gambino, executive director of the Panzi Foundation USA and former USAID mission director for the DRC. Michael O’Hanlon, Brookings senior fellow, moderated the discussion.