The 2006 election in the Democratic Republic of Congo was supposed to usher in a new period of peace and stability for the beleaguered, exhausted Congolese people. Instead, it made one of the country's most intractable problems worse.
DRC: Curfew in Goma; NGOs anxious
Published October 11, 2008
It's becoming incredibly difficult to operate in North Kivu. It's not just the insecurity - tensions are so high between the government and the CNDP that aid groups are having a terrible time moving across front lines.
This means it's even worse for journalists - more than ever I need the aid groups to get around but they've become paranoid about transporting journalists for fear of jeopardizing their access and - more importantly - the safety of their staff. Before i move with aid workers i need to agree to a series of rules about what i can and cannot report on. This means that most of what I'm doing i can't write about here.
I just came home from several days in the field; when i turned on my phone again, i got a text saying there was a 6pm curfew for fear that UN vehicles would be attacked - at this point, it seems anyone who's not Congolese or driving in a white 4x4 is considered UN....
Contributor Michael J. Kavanagh reported for Worldfocus last year on the crisis in eastern Congo. He's currently based in the DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa.
Journalist Michael J. Kavanagh reported on the Crisis in Congo for Worldfocus last year.
Gateways
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Michael J. Kavanagh is a journalist based in Kinshasa and New York who reports on conflict and post-conflict development issues around the world, with a special focus on Africa. His radio and...
