Eastern DRC Research Articles

Necessity or choice: women’s migration to artisanal mining regions in eastern DRC

ABSTRACTWomen have long remained invisible in representations of artisanal mining in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Based on original field data, this paper seeks to fill that gap. It shows how women come to mining sites with the hope of finding a degree of security, economic possibilities and the start of a new life. Contrary to what dominant discourses on the “resource curse” and sexual violence towards women have suggested, women may find a degree of protection in mining areas. We take the analysis beyond the “push” and “pull” factors with which migration is usually explained, to understand women’s motivation to move into mining areas as complex and changing. The study situates women’s movement to the mines within their life trajectories which are shaped by violence and various forms of insecurity. The notion of social navigation is brought in to understand how they cope with gender discrimination, challenges and risks in the mining economy. The paper shows how push and pull factors merge over time and how some women succeed in creating new sources of revenue and manage to mitigate the situation of vulnerability in which they find themselves.

The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade: Wither the SADC/ICGLR Synchronised Peace Support Efforts in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Recurring Conflict?

From the time it deployed in the eastern DRC in 2013 up to the first quarter of 2016, arguably no much tangible progress has been made by the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (UN FIB). The security situation in eastern Congo continues to be unstable. This instability has serious direct security threats and spillover effects on respective neighbouring countries that are either part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) or the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). There are certain constraints that the FIB has continued to encounter in the context of regional and international political and strategic dynamics surrounding eastern Congo recurring conflict. This paper argues that one of the contributing factors behind the challenges encountered by the UN Force is the fact that both the ICGLR and the SADC efforts at enhancing peace enforcement in the eastern DRC have been overshadowed by the self-interests of international actors. Arguably, this scenario has impacted negatively on the ICGLR/SADC synchronised efforts towards the effectiveness of the FIB. The paper makes some recommendations on how best to attain sustainable synergy between the ICGLR and SADC in order to enhance the strategic and operational efficiency and the effectiveness of the UN FIB in the eastern Congo conflict.

The Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Recurring Conflict: Whose Conflict Transformation Responsibility?

The recurring conflict in Eastern DRC has had devastating effects on civilians, mostly in Kivus. From the beginning of January 2002 till the end of May 2017, many conflict resolution efforts have been put together by regional and international communities. However, there has not been any sustainable mechanism to resolve the conflict. The situation regarding the security of Eastern Congo continues to be volatile. This paper seeks to identify the responsible party that would help mitigate the recurring conflict in Eastern Congo. Using the three distinct categories of actors in Conflict Transformation, the paper argues that the lack of coordination among these actors who constitutes the three Track levels have affected unity of purpose and the level of commitment as far as transforming the Eastern Congo Conflict. The divergent interests among the respective actors to outmaneuver one another when it comes to agenda setting regarding respective peace initiatives on conflict, could be the rationale behind the absence of a workable formula in transforming conflict in the Eastern DRC. The paper proffer strategic policy suggestions toward a workable Conflict Transformation mechanism that equitably addresses the root causes of the conflict and fairly incorporates the relevant stakeholders in an effort to find a sustainable solution.

Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak - Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 2018-November 2019.

On August 1, 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health (DRC MoH) declared the tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in DRC, in the North Kivu province in eastern DRC on the border with Uganda, 8 days after another Ebola outbreak was declared over in northwest Équateur province. During mid- to late-July 2018, a cluster of 26 cases of acute hemorrhagic fever, including 20 deaths, was reported in North Kivu province.* Blood specimens from six patients hospitalized in the Mabalako health zone and sent to the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (National Biomedical Research Institute) in Kinshasa tested positive for Ebola virus. Genetic sequencing confirmed that the outbreaks in North Kivu and Équateur provinces were unrelated. From North Kivu province, the outbreak spread north to Ituri province, and south to South Kivu province (1). On July 17, 2019, the World Health Organization designated the North Kivu and Ituri outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, based on the geographic spread of the disease to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and to Uganda and the challenges to implementing prevention and control measures specific to this region (2). This report describes the outbreak in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces. As of November 17, 2019, a total of 3,296 Ebola cases and 2,196 (67%) deaths were reported, making this the second largest documented outbreak after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which resulted in 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths.† Since August 2018, DRC MoH has been collaborating with partners, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization of Migration, The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Médecins Sans Frontières, DRC Red Cross National Society, and CDC, to control the outbreak. Enhanced communication and effective community engagement, timing of interventions during periods of relative stability, and intensive training of local residents to manage response activities with periodic supervision by national and international personnel are needed to end the outbreak.

The syntax and semantics of helping: Sociative causation in Kinande

Abstract We investigate the syntax and semantics of the sociative causative in Kinande (D42), a Bantu language spoken in eastern DRC. We present our discovery that Kinande, apparently unique among Bantu languages, grammaticalizes this type of causation with a specialized morpheme. In sociative causatives, the causer causes through social interaction rather than physical manipulation (direct causation) or words (indirect causation). We propose sociative causation in Kinande more exactly means ‘y carries out a subevent of P to help x do P.’ Helping here is by doing and is not comitative: rather, it is partitive – each actor does part of the action. This accounts for the classes of verbs that can undergo sociative causation. We establish that the construction is mono-clausal and note that the sociative morpheme is closely related to the benefactive applied morpheme. A second extension that occurs in this construction marks transitivity. We observe that the transitive extension can co-occur with the passive extension which tells us there is more than one voice projection in Kinande. Finally, we look more closely at the partitive reading of the caused event and note that the partitivity can be morpho-syntactically manifested either through partitive marking of the object of the caused event or through partitive marking of the caused event itself.

Organization of agricultural production unit seen as a family business in mountainous South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Agricultural extension actors in mountainous South Kivu in eastern DRC have been supporting producer’s increased efforts for decades. The adoption impact is still weak. This study determined and confirms the socio-economic factors for widespread adoption of the bean, cassava, maize and potato intensification technologies in this portion of the country. The qualitative and quantitative data from 360 file Managed were Households in Burhinyi Kabare Kaziba, Luhwinja, and Walungu Chiefdoms. The results of the discriminant factor analysis show that There are factors common to the wide-scale adoption of the use of improved varieties, the use of organic fertilization method, the use of the fertilizer, the fertilization method with GIFS, the use of the tractor thesis oven for crops in mountainous South Kivu.

Conservation as a social contract in a violent frontier: The case of (Anti-) poaching in Garamba National Park, eastern DR Congo

Protected areas located in areas of violent conflict are often conceived as spaces where the state has lost its control and parks are ‘dissolved’, to the point where poaching and violent extraction of resources run free. Our analysis of conservation in Garamba National Park, in eastern DRC, shows that forms of regulation of (anti-)poaching activities continue to exist within such spaces through the persistence of social contracts that bind different actors in and around the park around conservation. We show that these contracts have long histories and change substantially over time, and yet continue to function as reference points for populations and authorities with regards to (anti-) poaching activities, and the organization of social life in and around the park more broadly. Faced with insecurity, poverty and uncertainty, the population living close to Garamba National Park continues to refer to these social contracts, or seeks to devise new ones in search for predictability, livelihoods, security and the provision of basic social services. By focusing on the ‘contractual layer’ of conservation in a violent frontier, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the re-configuration of public authority in these spaces, and demonstrate the conceptual and empirical relevance of analysing social contracts for geographers. We do so by drawing a conceptual and empirical bridge between the literature that has conceived conservation as enclosures, and the literature that has focused more on the contractual dimension of conservation.

‘The role of youth organizations in peacebuilding in the African Great Lakes Region: a rough transition from local and non-governmental to the national and governmental peacebuilding efforts in Burundi and eastern DRC’

ABSTRACT The youth is generally considered as the pillar of society. However, over the last many years, the views, power and potentials of the youth in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) have not been effectively harnessed in peacebuilding initiatives. Despite their ever-increasing numbers and influence at community level; young people are frequently overlooked in programmes for the prevention, response and transformation of conflicts. In extremely difficult conditions, some youth organizations are constructively contributing to promoting the culture of peace at community level. However, initiatives of these youth organizations are limited by the prevailing resistance to the emerging youth culture, inadequate institutional support, financial constraints and the failing post-war transition to peace. Based on a broader empirical study on the role of youth organizations in peacebuilding in the GLR; this article critically examines the lack of a smooth transition for young people from efforts at the local and non-governmental level to the national and governmental level in Burundi and DRC. It also describes a diversity of conceptualizations of ‘peace’ shaping the different approaches of youth organizations for peace. The article also examines the challenges affecting youth constructive participation in peacebuilding and suggests some reflections for effectively harnessing youth’s power and potential for building sustainable peace and reconciliation in the region.

1663. Community Engagement for Ebola Prevention in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

BackgroundThe second largest outbreak of Ebolavirus in history is currently ongoing in Eastern DRC. The epidemic is characterized by social resistance to foreign-led response teams. Trusted local health practitioners, including medical students, may be valuable social mobilizers in this challenging context.MethodsWe report on a student-led educational campaign to increase community awareness and engagement in EVD control efforts. We evaluated student and community participant satisfaction using standardized questionnaires.ResultsThe outreach was conducted in November 2018, involving parades, speeches, branded banners and T-shirts, and interpersonal interactions in public spaces. Key messages, linked to previously identified resistant attitudes, included: “Ebola exists in Butembo,” “Bring infected family members to the Ebola Treatment Unit,” and “Leave burials to the official team.” Medical students (n = 355) and community participants (n = 319) evaluated the outreach campaign. Satisfaction was high: 320 (90%) students agreed that medical students could contribute to the EVD response effort, and 233 (73%) community members agreed that the students had helped them understand Ebola in the area. Lower satisfaction scores were associated with self-reported “resistant” attitudes (e.g., intention to hide infected family member from authorities, ρ = -0.25, P < 0.0001), denial of the existence of Ebola in the area (ρ = -0.17, P = 0.0018), and mistrust of the foreign response team (e.g., belief in mercenary motive, ρ = -0.11, P = 0.042). Higher satisfaction scores were associated with the view that local engagement was critical to ending the epidemic (ρ = +0.13, P = 0.017). Both students (77%) and community members (71%) agreed that they were more motivated to combat Ebola as a result of the outreach, suggesting that the activities fostered empowerment.ConclusionMedical students can lead satisfactory community engagement and educational activities during an EVD epidemic. As trusted local health agents, medical students may be valuable allies in building public trust and cooperation in this epidemic complicated by social resistance.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

The treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms and aggression in female former child soldiers using adapted Narrative Exposure therapy – a RCT in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

ObjectiveWomen and girls make up a sizeable proportion of armed groups in conflict regions. However, compared to males, research into the mental health of female combatants is limited and there have been no investigations into treatments. Psychological sequalae amongst predominantly male former combatants most prominently include PTSD and appetitive aggression indicating a need for trauma-focused therapy that also addresses violent behaviour with additional components that strengthen social behaviour and inclusion. The aim of this study is to research the effectiveness of a revised adaptation of Narrative Exposure Therapy in a sample of female former child soldiers. Methods92 female former child soldiers who had been forcibly recruited during the M23 insurgency (2012–2014) in Eastern DRC who were found to have PTSD were randomised into groups receiving a version of Narrative Exposure Therapy adapted for offenders (FORNET) or treatment as usual. Clinical outcomes for PTSD, appetitive aggression and depression were assessed, as well as social outcomes (current violent behaviour, guilt and perceived social acknowledgement). ResultsHigh levels of trauma, historical perpetration of extreme violence and ongoing violent behaviour were found within this group. The intervention was found to be superior to treatment as usual at 3–4 month and 9 month follow up for all clinical and social endpoints. Moderate to large effect sizes were found for PTSD, aggression and depression. ConclusionsThis study investigates the effectiveness of psychotherapy for former female child soldiers, and includes long term follow up. It demonstrates that FORNET combined with group therapy can effectively reduce mental health problems as well as ongoing acts of violence in female former child soldiers within post conflict communities. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02992561.

Effect of Organo-mineral Fertilization on the Growth, Yield and Economic Profitability of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Eastern DRC

In the face to low fertility existing in tropical soils, farmers in the Eastern Congo need cost-effective Soil Fertility Management (SFM) technologies to address the problem of low crop yields, which are particularly pronounced in grain legumes. This study assessed the financial returns associated with different SFM trials conducted on common bean grain in eastern Congo. Benefit-cost ratio analysis based on experimental data identified organic and mineral fertilizer technologies for common bean production. Two fields experiment were conducted at the Crop Research (INERA/Mulungu) and Walungu district (Ikoma). The experimental design was split plot with four replications. The main plot was the different time of application (2, 3 and 4 weeks after sowing) and the sub plot were the organic and inorganic fertilizers (40 N kg ha-1, 60 P2O5 ha-1 and 5 t Fumier ha-1) compare to an absolute control (0:0 N:P kg ha-1 and 0 t manure ha-1). The RWR21-54 was the variety used. N was applied as urea, P was applied as triple superphosphate (TSP) and organic fertilizer was applied as cow manure. Plant height was significantly (p&lt;0.05) influenced by N and P application in the two locations throughout the growing season. N, P and manure application significantly (p&lt;0.05) increased total dry matter (TDM, kg ha-1), nodulation and leaf area (LA) of both locations in late vegetative and reproductive stages. Kabare site consistently had higher TDM and LA compared to Walungu site throughout the growing season. Average seed yield in fertilized plot was 2 times higher than the control (averaged over all N, P and manure levels) in both experiments. The highest seed yield was obtained with with 40:60 N:P2O5 kg ha-1 and 5 t ha-1 fertilization (1781.23 kg ha-1 «Kabare» and 1641.39 kg ha-1 «Walungu») which was not economic dose. Significantly higher net returns (1637.50 ha-1«Kabare» and 1641,67 kg ha-1 «Walungu») and its benefits cost ratio (2.82 «Kabare» and 2.87 «Walungu») were also obtained with application of 60 P2O5 kg ha-1 in the both locations.

Artisanal or industrial conflict minerals? Evidence from Eastern Congo

• This study investigates how ASM and LSM affect local conflict in Eastern DRC. • We exploit variation in conflict, mineral prices and LSM across space and time. • Rising mineral prices increase conflict around ASM, but not around LSM. • The expansion of LSM production activities decreases battles but increases riots. • When LSM production expands in ASM areas, violence against civilians rises. Existing research suggests a strong link between mining and local conflict but makes no distinction between artisanal and industrial mining. We exploit variation in mineral prices and the granting of industrial mining concessions to investigate how the mode of extraction affects conflict in Eastern Congo. Rising mineral prices increase battles over artisanal mines, indicating competition between armed groups. This effect is much less pronounced for industrial mining. Moreover, the expansion of industrial mining decreases battles, suggesting that companies can secure their concessions. Such expansion does, however, trigger riots, and, when it crowds out artisanal mining, also increases violence against civilians and looting. In line with case-study evidence, these negative effects only materialize when industrial mining companies expand their activities from the research to the production phase.

Recurrent Cholera Outbreaks, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2008-2017.

In 2017, the exacerbation of an ongoing countrywide cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo resulted in >53,000 reported cases and 1,145 deaths. To guide control measures, we analyzed the characteristics of cholera epidemiology in DRC on the basis of surveillance and cholera treatment center data for 2008–2017. The 2017 nationwide outbreak resulted from 3 distinct mechanisms: considerable increases in the number of cases in cholera-endemic areas, so-called hot spots, around the Great Lakes in eastern DRC; recurrent outbreaks progressing downstream along the Congo River; and spread along Congo River branches to areas that had been cholera-free for more than a decade. Case-fatality rates were higher in nonendemic areas and in the early phases of the outbreaks, possibly reflecting low levels of immunity and less appropriate prevention and treatment. Targeted use of oral cholera vaccine, soon after initial cases are diagnosed, could contribute to lower case-fatality rates.

Resources and Rape: Congo’s (toxic) Discursive Complex

Abstract:In the last decade, the rapes (of women) in, and the metaphoric raping (of natural resources) of, the Democratic Republic of Congo have received unprecedented attention from media, donors, and advocacy groups. Beginning in the early 2000s, these two narratives (the involvement of armed groups and state forces in illegal resource exploitation and the widespread prevalence of sexual violence in eastern DRC) merged to form a direct cause-consequence relationship, in which rape is framed as a tool for accessing mineral wealth. Through an analysis of media articles and reports of human rights organizations, this study traces the making of this rape-resources narrative, juxtaposing it with wider academic debates and critical scholarship. The narrative effectively focuses attention on a narrow set of actors and spaces in Congo’s conflicts, highlighting each of those actors/spaces in particular ways while obscuring the role of others. Because of this, key dynamics are missing from the narrative, such as historical context, gendered conflict dynamics, and armed group/civilian activity and mobilization, which are critical to understanding the scale and scope of violence in the region more broadly and the perpetration of instances of rape more specifically. The unraveling of the rape-resources narrative reveals its toxicity in limiting effective interventions and in closing down alternative narratives.

Drugs and Sexual Violence in the Conflict-Affected Region of Eastern DRC

This study entitled “Drugs and Sexual Violence in the Conflict-Affected Region of Eastern DRC” analyses the relationship between the use of the cannabis drug and the commission of sexual violence in the Eastern region of the DRC affected by armed conflicts and gives an overview of the existing legal norms that regulate these problems, while proposing ways to eradicate these scourges. Indeed, it has been found that the abusive use of drugs (cannabis) in armed conflicts in Eastern DRC is one of the determining factors in the mass crime commissions of sexual violence. Likewise, it is assumed that the avowed objectives of destroying, annihilating, weakening, relocating the families of the victims, as well as the entire societies, have been the basis of the motives of the armed groups and of the other belligerents in order to gain military advantages on their enemies, by creating fear and mass leakage of the inhabitants before the insurgents. The magnitude of the atrocities has been commensurate with the need to conquer the territories in order to control the resources therein and to demand more conditions for the political negotiations. In order to understand this reflection, we have used two methods: on one hand, the empirical method is used to examine different random cases of the commission of sexual violence, thanks to the misuse of drugs, and on the other hand, we use an interdisciplinary approach to better understand this phenomenon, which saddens the population in eastern DRC. As the first pillar of all efforts to prevent sexual violence in armed conflict, we suggested strengthening the management of victims (medical and psychological monitoring, judicial assistance and empowerment of women and girls) and raising awareness of the population. Secondly, the prosecution of all the perpetrators (for detention and use of cannabis drugs as well as for commission of Sexual Violence) and the compensation of victims are considered as the second pillar. It is thus the responsibility of the Congolese Government to ensure the security of all its citizens, especially those in the conflict zones in East part of the DRC.

A Seasonal Change in Physicochemical, Bacteriological Parameters and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure and Composition in Mikeno Sector, Eastern DRC

A Seasonal Change in Physicochemical, Bacteriological Parameters and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Structure and Composition in Mikeno Sector, Eastern DRC

Occurrence of aflatoxin in agricultural produce from localmarkets in Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic ofCongo.

Aflatoxins are noxious secondary metabolites, of certain fungal species, found in food and feed. Contamination of a commodity with aflatoxins is associated with production and storage losses, and subsequently less food availability. Aflatoxins can also pose human health risks and represent a barrier to the development of trade, in both domestic and international markets. In this study, samples of cassava, maize, groundnut, beans, soybean, sorghum and milk, and their processed products were collected from local markets in Burundi and Eastern DRC. In order to investigate the levels of aflatoxin, crop samples were analyzed using a single step lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (Reveal Q+), while enzyme‐linked immune‐sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze aflatoxin‐M1 in milk, yogurt, and cheese samples. The results revealed the presence of aflatoxins in all samples from both countries, with levels ranging from 1.3 to 2,410 μg/kg. Samples collected from Burundi contained relatively higher (p > 0.0.5) levels of aflatoxins. In 51% of all the crops samples, total aflatoxin contamination was above the EU maximum tolerable level of 4 μg/kg. Processed products, particularly from groundnut, maize, and sorghum, had the highest levels of aflatoxin contamination when compared to unprocessed grain. With regard to milk and dairy products, the level of aflatoxin‐M1 ranged from 4.8 to 261.1 ng/kg. Approximately 29% of milk and yogurt samples had aflatoxin‐M1 higher than the EU regulatory limit of 50 ng/kg, whereas 20% of cheese samples were found to be contaminated at levels higher than the maximum limit of 250 ng/kg. These results can serve as the basis for pre‐ and postharvest approaches to reduce aflatoxin contamination in agricultural commodities in Burundi and Eastern DRC in order to reduce health risk, avoid reduced production in livestock, and open up export markets.

What are the key factors influencing consumers' preference and willingness to pay for meat products in Eastern DRC?

Dietary patterns for consumers among the elite and middle‐income classes in developing countries are shifting rapidly toward the consumption of more animal‐based products. Although this shift presents opportunities, there are significant market failures affecting their preferences and willingness to pay (WTP). This study used a multistage sample survey of 309 consumers from three different communities of Bukavu, Eastern DRC, to examine the effect of socioeconomic/socio‐demographic characteristics and quality attributes on consumers’ purchasing decisions and WTP for meat products. The results suggested that about 53% of the respondents were dissatisfied with meat products in the market due to their high price, low quantity, unhealthiness, and harmful effects. Older female respondents living in urban areas were more likely to purchase meat products. Their WTP was significantly determined by attributes such as color, in‐mouth texture, and availability. Nutrition, harmful effects, and availability of meat products are the important factors that influence purchasing decisions among higher income groups. Addressing these market failures could have an impact on the meat market, improving the nutrition of low‐income consumers and ensuring food safety standards in DRC and other developing countries with similar challenges.

Incidence and farmers' knowledge of aflatoxin contamination and control in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite efforts to reduce aflatoxin contamination and associated mycotoxin poisoning, the phenomenon continues to pose a public health threat in food and feed commodity chains. In this study, 300 samples of cassava, maize, and groundnut were collected from farmers’ households in Eastern DRC and analyzed for incidence of aflatoxins. In addition, the farmers’ level of knowledge of the causes and consequences of contamination and the measures for prevention were also examined by administering questionnaires to a cross section of 150 farmers. The results showed the presence of aflatoxins in all samples, with levels ranging from 1.6 to 2,270 μg/kg. In 68% of all samples, total aflatoxin contamination was above 4 μg/kg, the maximum tolerable level set by the European Union. Farmers ranked high humidity, improper storage practices, and poor soils as potential causes of aflatoxin contamination and changes in color, smell, and taste, and difficulty in selling crops as consequences. They identified crop management practices as the most effective way to control contamination. The results also revealed that most farmers apply preharvest crop management practices as a means of controlling contamination. More educated households were more knowledgeable about aflatoxins. Female‐headed and married households were less likely to be willing to pay for aflatoxin control. About 28% of farmers claimed to be willing to allocate resources to seed intervention while a smaller proportion agreed to pay for training and information services. The result further suggests that an adoption of pre‐ and postharvest technologies together with awareness creation is still required to reduce aflatoxin contamination in the country.

Brokers of crisis: the everyday uncertainty of Eastern Congo's mineral négociants

ABSTRACTEastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) artisanal mining sector is often linked to the violent conflicts that have beset Central Africa for over two decades. While many analyses emphasise its ‘criminal’ and ‘illegal’ nature, less attention has been paid to the ambiguity of this economy, most prominently incarnated by the intermediate mineral traders callednégociants. Focusing on their entrepreneurship, networks and everyday activities, this essay offers a more nuanced understanding of local mineral trade in the context of a ‘crisis economy’ framed by competing governable orders. It investigates the uncertainty along eastern DRC's mineral supply chains, that are undergoing major regulatory changes to curb the trade of so-called ‘conflict minerals’. Drawing from extensive fieldwork, this essay demonstrates how this uncertainty shapes the négociants’ role as brokers of socio-economic life in the provinces of North and South Kivu.