Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) The situation in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri August 2019 (COI between 1st January 2018 and 6th August 2019) Commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author. © Asylum Research Centre, 2019 ARC publications are covered by the Create Commons License allowing for limited use of ARC publications provided the work is properly credited to ARC and it is for non-commercial use. ARC does not hold the copyright to the content of third party material included in this report. Reproduction or any use of the images/maps/infographics included in this report is prohibited and permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder(s). Please direct any comments to
[email protected] Cover photo: © LN.Vector pattern/shutterstock.com Contents Explanatory Note 6 Sources and databases consulted 7 List of acronyms 11 1. Maps of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri Regions ........................................... 13 2. Political situation in the DRC: An Overview ....................................................... 13 2.1. The December 2018 General Election and the subsequent political landscape . 13 2.2. The March 2019 Senate Election ......................................................................... 19 2.3. Remaining opposition groups/parties ................................................................. 21 3. National Security Forces and the International Peacekeeping Mission ........... 23 3.1. Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) .................... 23 3.2. UN Organzation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) ..................................................................................................................... 25 4. Major Armed Groups in the Region ................................................................... 26 4.1.