The Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Role of Courts

2010 ◽  
pp. 167-200
Author(s):  
Vera Gowlland-Debbas
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Republic Of The Congo

scholarly journals Revisiting Konzo Risk Factors in Three Areas Differently Affected by Spastic Paraparesis in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Discloses a Prominent Role of the Nutritional Status—A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2628
Author(s):  
Marius Baguma ◽  
Espoir Bwenge Malembaka ◽  
Esto Bahizire ◽  
Germain Zabaday Mudumbi ◽  
Dieudonné Bahati Shamamba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cyanide Poisoning ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Republic Of The Congo

This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to better understand the respective contributions of protein malnutrition and cassava-derived cyanide poisoning in the development of konzo. We compared data on nutritional status and cyanide exposure of school-age adolescent konzo-diseased patients to those of non-konzo subjects of similar age from three areas in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our results show that konzo patients had a high prevalence of both wasting (54.5%) and stunting (72.7%), as well as of cyanide poisoning (81.8%). Controls from Burhinyi and those from Idjwi showed a similar profile with a low prevalence of wasting (3.3% and 6.5%, respectively) and intermediate prevalence of stunting (26.7% and 23.9%, respectively). They both had a high prevalence of cyanide poisoning (50.0% and 63.0%, respectively), similar to konzo-patients. On the other hand, controls from Bukavu showed the lowest prevalence of both risk factors, namely chronic malnutrition (12.1%) and cyanide poisoning (27.6%). In conclusion, cassava-derived cyanide poisoning does not necessarily coexist with konzo outbreaks. The only factor differentiating konzo patients from healthy individuals exposed to cyanide poisoning appeared to be their worse nutritional status. This further suggests that, besides the known role of cyanide poisoning in the pathogenesis of konzo, malnutrition may be a key factor for the disease occurrence.

scholarly journals Violence, Well-Being and Level of Participation in Formal Education among Adolescent Girls in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Role of Child Marriage

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Landis ◽  
Kathryn Falb ◽  
Ilaria Michelis ◽  
Theresita Bakomere ◽  
Lindsay Stark
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Marriage ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Republic Of The Congo

Child marriage is a well-recognized barrier to education, and exposes girls to an increased risk of violence along with other negative health and developmental outcomes. A quantitative survey was conducted with girls selected from 14 communities in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Data from 350 girls (ages 13-14) were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regression models. Findings revealed that child marriage was associated with lower levels of participation in formal education as well as higher rates of physical, sexual and emotional violence. In particular, when adjusting for age and girls’ level of participation in formal education, being married was associated with more than a three-fold (OR: 3.23) increased risk of experiencing sexual violence (p<0.001). Married girls were also significantly more likely to affirm the belief that they would be forced to marry their perpetrator in the event that they were raped (p=0.017), suggesting that a portion of girls within this sample may have experienced this occurrence. Although higher levels of participation in formal education were associated with a reduced risk of violence among non-married girls, these differences were not observed for girls who were married. Findings reveal that child marriage has a significantly negative effect on the relationship between girls’ level of participation in formal education and experiences with violence. Taken cumulatively, findings from this study suggest an overall harmful relationship between child marriage and girls’ safety, education and well-being, and that efforts to prevent its occurrence in the DRC and beyond are urgently needed.

Criminal groups hinder international peacebuilding

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
International Peacebuilding ◽  
Criminal Groups

Subject The role of criminal organisations in conflicts. Significance Criminal organisations operate in conflict zones in and across countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Colombia, Mali, Libya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have come to shape conflicts and the states involved in them. Impacts Corruption and penetration by criminal organisations undercut governments' legitimacy. This makes it difficult for them to attract private investment that would provide legal economic opportunities. Criminal organisations reduce the profit margin of legal business activities, making many unviable. Local communities then can gradually turn to illicit economic opportunities, indirectly helping to fuel conflict.

scholarly journals Major Place Harmony in ABC and the (Reduced) Role of Representation: Evidence from Ngbaka

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Danis
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Additional Process ◽  
Constraint Ranking

Ngbaka (Ubangi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, [nga]) contains place co-occurrences that are best analyzed as instances of major place harmony, a previously unattested process. In roots, labials cannot co-occur with labial-dorsals, and initial dorsals cannot co-occur with medial labial-dorsals. Using the framework of Agreement by Correspondence, labials (and certain dorsals) correspond, and agree for place. These processes interact with an additional process where homorganic segments agree in voicing. Asymmetries in place interaction is captured through constraint ranking and definitions, thus simplifying the representation of complex segments. These processes are supported by a statistical analysis of newly-digitized dictionary data.

scholarly journals Role of gene drives in malaria elimination strategy: modeling impact and cost-effectiveness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Metchanun ◽  
C. Borgemeister ◽  
J. von Braun ◽  
M. Nikolov ◽  
P. Selvaraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Malaria Transmission ◽  
Malaria Elimination ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Gene Drives

AbstractThe tremendous burden of malaria has led to renewed efforts on malaria elimination and the development of novel tools for application where existing tools fall short. Gene drive mosquitoes, where transgenes and their associated phenotypes are efficiently propagated to future generations, are under development to suppress vector populations or render vectors incapable of malaria transmission. However, the role of gene drives in an integrated elimination strategy is underexplored. Using a spatially explicit agent-based model of malaria transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we describe the impact of integrating a population suppression driving-Y gene drive into malaria elimination strategies. We find that as long as the driving-Y construct is extremely effective, releases of gene drive mosquitoes can eliminate malaria, and we identify a cost ceiling for gene drive to be cost-effective relative to existing tools. Vector control via gene drive is worth considering as a supplemental intervention when the construct parameters and costs are suitable.One-sentence summaryWe estimate the impact and cost-effectiveness of gene drive mosquitoes, relative to existing interventions, in malaria elimination strategies

scholarly journals Cows and guns. Cattle-related conflict and armed violence in Fizi and Itombwe, eastern DR Congo

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Verweijen ◽  
Justine Brabant
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The Other ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Armed Violence ◽  
The One ◽  
Conflict Narratives

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses the role of cattle in the entwined dynamics of conflict and violence in the Fizi and Itombwe region of South Kivu province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. On the one hand, agropastoral conflict intensifies armed mobilisation, allowing armed groups to draw upon particular conflict narratives that generate popular and elite support. It also creates incentives for armed actors to engage in cattle-looting, or the defence against it, for both symbolic and material reasons. On the other hand, the presence of armed forces and the use of violence profoundly shape agropastoral conflicts. Importantly, they change the perceived stakes of these conflicts, and hamper their resolution. By showing that the relations between cattle-related conflict and armed activity are indirect, complex and mutual, the paper refines both theories on agropastoral conflict and those highlighting the role of local conflicts in fuelling violence in the eastern Congo.

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