Insights into the reasons provoking each nation that participated in DRC affairs and the Congo War that began in August 1998. The collection of essays make the first effort to study a number of different aspects of the war. 249pp, index. UK. PALGRAVE, 0312295502

Tribal clashes, dictators, famines, civil wars, overpopulation and utmost poverty form the dominant picture of the African continent. Causes are mostly explained by internal circumstances. This study argues that many developments in Africa are intricately linked to powerful international interests, much more difficult to discern, but profoundly manipulating political, social and economic processes within African states. Bib, 260pp, GERMANY. LIT VERLAG.

Ever since Stanley first charted its mighty river in the 1870s, the Congo has epitomised in the Western mind, the dark and turbulent history of a failed continent - from colonial cruelty under the Belgians to the kleptocratic chaos of Mobutu Seso Seko and the current post-apocalyptic riot of robber-baron politicians. However, its troubles only served to increase the interest of Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher, who was sent to cover Africa in 2000. He remembered his mother's stories of her own genteel river journey there in the 1950s and his connection deepened when he discovered that Stanley's expedition was funded by the Telegraph. Before long he became obsessed with the idea of recreating Stanley's original expedition but travelling alone. “Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy” - Thomas Pakenham. Index, bib, b/w photos, maps, 363pp, UK. CHATTO & WINDUS.

The Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement led to two main initiatives the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), and the Inter Congolese Dialogue (ICD). In September 2003 a workshop for UN agencies, NGOs and the various governments involved met to debate these peace mechanisms. This volume is an edited version of formal presentations and the discussions which followed. Themes include the politics of transition, human security (humanitarian assistance and human rights), MONUC's contribution, and ongoing security challenges. Glos, notes, maps, tables, diags, xiv, 277pp, SOUTH AFRICA. INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES.

A volume in the `Meridiens' series; aimed at students, business people and tourists, providing a full introduction to the country, its history, people, economy, culture and development prospects. Text in French. Index, bib, b/w illus, maps. 396pp, FRANCE. KARTHALA, 2845862334

Draws on the life histories of traders who work between the Congos and France and switch in and out of the law, eluding economic and political categorization. The authors follow the networks to examine the way in which the second economy has been extended transnationally, globally on the margins of the law. Index, bib, notes, gloss, xii, 190pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

The northeast corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to one of Africa's richest goldfields. This report documents widespread human rights abuses linked to ruthless efforts by foreign armies and armed groups to control two key gold mining areas: Mongbwalu and Durba. In their battles for gold, armed groups carried out widespread ethnic slaughter, torture and rape leaving more than 60,000 civilians dead in this remote corner of Congo. Armed group leaders together with their local business allies used the proceeds from the sale of gold to gain access to money, guns, and power. In 2003 alone nearly $60 million of tainted gold was smuggled out of Congo to Uganda, destined for the global gold markets in Europe and elsewhere. Focuses on the activities of multinational mining companies, such as AngloGold Ashanti, which launched a gold exploration program in Mongbwalu, an area controlled by an armed group responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 169pp, USA. AFRICA WATCH/HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH.

Looks at ways of resolving conflict in the eastern region of the DRC, where ongoing fighting has involved at least eight different African nations in the last two years. Notes, map, 340pp, UK. AFRICAN RIGHTS, 1899477365

Little research has been devoted to what the economic dimensions of armed conflict mean for peace operations and efforts to reconstruct war-torn states. Redressing this gap, this volume analyses the operational challenges that the war economy posed, and continues to pose, for policymakers and practitioners in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It traces the historical role of natural resource exploitation in shaping economic development and governance in Zaire, before turning to the 1998-2002 period, to assess how economic interests shaped both the peace process and the belligerents' attitudes toward resolution of the violent conflict that wracked the country. In subsequent chapters, they address the impact of the war economy on postwar reconstruction and identify strategies for more effective approaches to resolving - and even preventing - economically driven civil wars. Index, bib, 165pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

The education system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has proved remarkably resilient in the face of economic crisis and armed conflict. Enrolment has grown at all levels but has been most rapid in higher education. During this period of conflict, the education sector was financed almost entirely by household contributions. The DRC is now faced with critical policy choices as it moves to a more efficient and equitable balance between public and private financing and in expanding and upgrading the quality of the system. Tables, 146pp, USA. WORLD BANK PUBLICATIONS. 082136121X

A report compiled by RAPY (Reseau des Associatios Autochtones Pygmees) detailing evidence of crimes committed against the Bambuti and makes a series of recommendations for advancing justice and preventing further violence. App, 28pp, UK. Minority Rights Group, 1904584217

Traces the remote origins of Congo's current national predicament and protracted quest for social justice. The first part of the book provides an account of the political history of modern Congo which sets the context for the second part, an in-depth discussion of the interplay of internal and external forces in Congo and their impact on the politics of democratic transition in the country from 1990 through the early 2000s. Index, bib, 248pp, USA. EDWIN MELLEN PRESS.

Analysis of the Democratic Republic of Congo's ongoing attempts to find a peaceful settlement and a consideration of the recent elections. 217pp, BELGIUM. IN FRENCH. GRIP.

A plea for recognition of the legal rights that the Twa of the South Kivu Province in Eastern Congo are entitled to as an indigenous people. Illustrated with b/w photo-graphs. Refs, 142pp, DENMARK. IWGIA, 8790730313

Examines the issue of urban poverty and survival strategies in the Congo. The book analyses the extent of economic decline throughout the country and criticizes proposed Western development strategies before suggesting new strategies for the promotion and articulation of local and native practice of development that are adapted for use in urban Congo. 312pp, USA. EDWIN MELLEN PRESS.

A collection of reference, analysis and interviews. This study looks at how humanitarian workers function in war zones and how they maintain peace in a complex and unstable political climate. TEXT IN FRENCH. 185pp, BELGIUM. GRIP.

A study of the changes in women's education and livelihoods from 1950s Kinshasa to modern times, tracing the impact of massive urbanisation and economic changes on women's lives and especially their fertility. Index, refs, maps, notes, tables, 279pp, USA. CHICAGO U P, 0226750574

Despite the ambitions of multiple leaders to create a truly democratic republic, the Republic of the Congo is still afflicted by corrupt leaders and an exclusive political system. The author has written this book as an open letter to his fellow Congolese to take part in recognising the mistakes of history and forming a truly democratic country. French text. Bib, 128pp, SWITZERLAND. AFRIQUE NOUVELLE, 2950457169

A survey of Kabila and prospects for the future in the new Congo - contents: origins, capture and reconstruction of the state, Kivu, outside pressures, Kivu again, possible future trajectories, 250pp, annotated, French text. FRANCE. KARTHALA, 2865379264

Provides a summary of the most recent research on African conflicts, an analysis of their causes and an outline of their key economic characteristics, exemplified by the DRC. 327pp, USA. INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.

Revised edition -explorations of ways in which the Congo is remembered in Belgium, the way past and present events are evaluated, and the way supposed knowl-edge is held onto. 4 b/w photos, 2 b/w maps, notes, bib, index, 256pp, UK. BERGHAHN BOOKS, 1571813209

A social anthropology of Kinshasa in the context of state collapse. The contributors look at the development of survival strategies for dealing with death, sickness and shortages, negotiations of informal economies, and how young Kinois understand and respond to decolonisation, globalisation and warfare. Index, bib, notes, 222pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842774913

A precise and sober study of conflicts in Central Africa, from Mobutu to Kabila, and the complex politics that have fuelled them. TEXT IN FRENCH. 264pp, BELGIUM. GRIP.

Proceedings of a symposium held in Tshwane, South Africa, on 30-31 May 2005, with contribu-tions from Aziz Pahad, David Moore, Mwesiga Barego and Rok Ajulu.83pp, SOUTH AFRICA. INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DIALOGUE.

2006 1919697861 Paperback

A detailed history of change in the 1990s as Mobutu's Zaire mutated into Kabila's DR of Congo, told through the lives of important political figures, 366pp, appendices: political documents, notes, bib, FRANCE. KARTHALA, 2845862059

Report on the 1997 mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo by CODESRIA to understand the political crisis in the Congolese state. App, 41pp, SENEGAL, 2869781032

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide continues to have serious repercussions for peace and stability in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The contributors to this volume make the connection between the Genocide and the continuation of the conflict onto the territory of Zaire which finally culminated in the overthrow of Mobotu Sese Seko's regime. They also look at refugee warriors, the infiltration of the armed militia and former Rwandan Army into the Refugee population, and the limits and justification of humanitarian intervention. Index, notes, x, 360pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 1592211313

A collection of essays focusing on the possibility of sustainable peace building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The authors look at the issues such as demilitarisation, the electoral system, relations with neighbouring states and constitution making, among others. Notes, refs, maps, 178pp, SOUTH AFRICA. AFRICA INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICA, 0798301392

2000 Paperback