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Protests are taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo over reports of a new security agreement under which police from Rwanda would be allowed to operate in the east of the country. Schools, shops, markets and petrol stations stayed closed in South Kivu province. Rwanda confirmed it had signed an initiative with Kinshasa to step up border cooperation, but denied there were plans to deploy Rwandan personnel on Congolese soil.

In recent weeks Ugandan and Congolese soldiers have been involved in a joint operation against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Professor John Mukum Mbaku, from Weber State University in the US told Newsday the central government needs to consult locally because, in his opinion, the region could provide security for itself with the right support.

"The government has denied鈥� that the agreement would involve bringing police from Rwanda into North Kivu, specifically Goma, to protect citizens. If true鈥� it would be a sad situation that a government is not able to protect its own citizens.鈥�

鈥淥ne possible problem is the central government has鈥� a top-down approach. There has not been a genuine effort to consult local civil society鈥� in order to do what is necessary to provide security.鈥�

(Pic: Government soldiers and UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo; Credit: Reuters)

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