Violent conflict and ethnicity in the Congo: beyond materialism, primordialism and symbolism

This paper investigates the nexus between ethnicity and violent conflict in the Congo. We make three interlocking arguments. First, that ethnicity is a defining political resource in the Congo’s politics and violent conflicts, which we call ‘ethnic capital’. Second, that the high political value of this ethnic capital is sustained by engrained discourses and practices of ethnicity. These discourses and practices permeate the Congo’s political order, shape people’s understanding of politics, conflict and political identities, and have contributed to the formation of an unstable, centrifugal, and fragmentary political order. Third, that conceptualising ethnicity as capital dismantles the artificial dualism between the symbolic realm of identities and the material realm of the economy and makes it possible to move beyond primordialist, instrumentalist and purely symbolic understandings of the nexus between conflict and ethnicity.
Ultimately, what is at stake in this competition is the distribution of symbolic and material resources.

Forced Displacement and Youth Employment in the Aftermath of the Congo War: From Making a Living to Making a Life

This paper explores what it means to be young, displaced and looking for a job in a war-affected town of the DRC. It considers the livelihoods of young displaced migrants in Butembo, and integrates more critical views on the life making perspectives of these African youngsters, who are affected as much by problems of daily survival as by a lack of access to decent jobs. The barriers these youngsters face in their quest for a decent living not only illustrates the explicitly political nature of Butembo’s job market in the aftermath of war, but also supports the claim that stories of daily survival and political categorization/marginalization remain inherently connected.
The fact that this connection is often explicitly made in these youngsters’ imaginations about a better life forces us to rethink the relationship between armed violence, livelihoods and economic markets in the aftermath of protracted conflicts.

Armed mobilisation and the nexus of territory, identity, and authority: the contested territorial aspirations of the Banyamulenge in eastern DR Congo

The closely intertwined notions of territory, identity, and authority are at the heart of conflict dynamics in the eastern DR Congo. Focusing on the territorial aspirations of the Banyamulenge community in South Kivu, this article looks at the ways in which the nexus of territory, identity, and authority shapes and is shaped by armed mobilisation. Excluded from a customary chiefdom in the colonial era, the Banyamulenge, a community framed as ‘migrants’, have been striving for a territory of their own for decades. These aspirations have fed into armed activity by both Banyamulenge and Mai-Mai groups linked to opposing communities, providing deeply resonating mobilising narratives that are employed to justify violent action.
Yet, as this article demonstrates, the links between armed mobilisation and the nexus of territory, identity, and authority are both contingent and reciprocal, as violent conflict also impacts the meanings and boundaries of identities,

Armed groups and the exercise of public authority: the cases of the Mayi-Mayi and Raya Mutomboki in Kalehe, South Kivu

Some argue the Congolese state remains mostly irrelevant outside its capital or even that there is no such thing as Congo. Others contend there is no lack of state order, but that it is characterised by predatory rule and (privatised) extortion. This paper puts both claims into perspective and assesses how different actors re-deploy various rationalities and practices of statehood. Based on fieldwork in South Kivu, it considers the making of public authority in the territory of Kalehe (eastern DRC), where numerous armed and other actors have claimed and exercised power.
The paper stresses these actors’ competing claims to public authority are intimately linked to struggles of territory and resemble and reproduce previous state practices and norms. The idea of the state seems to be a principal object of reference deployed by these actors to legitimate their claims, as it still resonates with the social imaginaries of public order.

The ‘marketplace of post-conflict assistance’ in Northern Uganda and beyond

A diverse body of different actors and stakeholders offers a multitude of services and assistance for conflict-affected communities in Northern Uganda. There are relational and interactional dynamics between providers of services and intended beneficiaries, where there are often a variety of different ways to conceptualize and manage problems stemming from years of armed conflict.
This article reports on one in-depth case study of a family who have struggled for years with mental illness/spiritual problems in the years during and after the armed conflict in Northern Uganda. It uses a ‘marketplace metaphor’ to gain a more holistic and dynamic understanding of the ways in which people try out different options to manage issues related to years of armed conflict and seek healing.

A Double Stress: The Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among People Living with HIV in Rakai, Uganda

The COVID-19 pandemic presents complex, multidimensional challenges to maintaining the health and wellbeing of individuals worldwide. Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for people living with HIV are poorly understood, especially in low-income settings.
The study team conducted qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews among people living with HIV (n = 16) and health workers (n = 10) in rural Rakai, southcentral Uganda to understand the mental health impacts of the pandemic for people living with HIV.

Healthworker preparedness for COVID-19 management and implementation experiences: a mixed methods study in Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts

How health systems have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has received some attention; however, less is known about healthcare for refugee populations during this period. The negative impact of COVID-19 on population health outcomes raises critical questions on health system preparedness and resilience, especially in resource-limited settings.
This study examined health worker preparedness for COVID-19 management and implementation experiences in Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts.

Gendered care at the margins: Ebola, gender, and caregiving practices in Uganda’s border districts

In July 2019, Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was declared a public health emergency of international concern and neighbouring countries were put on high alert. This paper examines the intersections of gender, caregiving, and livelihood practices in Uganda’s border districts that emerged as key factors to consider in preparedness and response. This paper is based on an anthropological study of the Ebola context among Bantu cultures.
The authors report on data from focus group discussions and key informant interviews with various sectors of the community. The study identified intersecting themes reported here: (1) women as primary caregivers in this context; and (2) women as providers, often in occupations that increase vulnerability to Ebola.

The ‘good life’, personal appearance, and mental health of Congolese refugees in Rwanda and Uganda

Research into mental health and wellbeing recognises the role of positive mental health to enable people to lead healthy and emotionally fulfilling lives. Mental health difficulties continue to be associated with high levels of disability worldwide, and refugees fleeing conflict are known to suffer from poor mental health for years after their forced migration.
Informed by Sen’s Capability Approach and as part of a wider research project, the authors used semi-structured interviews to engage with 60 men and women in two refugee communities in Uganda and Rwanda to explore their aspirations and what a ‘good life’ meant to them.

In the face of war: examining sexual vulnerabilities of Acholi adolescent girls living in displacement camps in conflict-affected Northern Uganda

Adolescent girls are an overlooked group within conflict-affected populations and their sexual health needs are often neglected. Girls are disproportionately at risk of HIV and other STIs in times of conflict, however the lack of recognition of their unique sexual health needs has resulted in a dearth of distinctive HIV protection and prevention responses.
This study sought to deepen the knowledge base on this issue by qualitatively exploring the sexual vulnerabilities of adolescent girls surviving abduction and displacement in Northern Uganda.

Family dynamics and implications for young people’s ‘struggles’ in rural areas of post-conflict northern Uganda

The Acholi region in northern Uganda experienced two decades of armed conflict and forced displacement. Based on qualitative field research, this article analyses the role of family dynamics for the educational and livelihood trajectories of Acholi youth in rural areas, during and after the war.
The article demonstrates how young people’s opportunities during the war were directly affected by insecurity, and indirectly through the disruption of family life. At present, young people are still ‘struggling’: they work hard to respond to family obligations, which ultimately undermines their chances to progress.

Changing perceptions about COVID-19 risk and adherence to preventive strategies in Uganda: Evidence from an online mixed-methods survey

As the pandemic drags on and prevention policies double down in the more deadly second and third waves, change in risk perceptions will be expected as economic and social anxiety increase.

This study assesses the determinants of changes in perceptions of COVID-19 risk and the determinants of adherence to preventive measures in Uganda. First, the authors studied the correlates of adherence to preventive strategies set by the government. Secondly, they assessed the correlates of change in risk perceptions of COVID-19. Using an internet survey, they qualitatively and quantitatively highlight the extent of mostly negative perception changes and adherence to preventive strategies.

Qualitative results show that risk perceptions are also influenced by economic stress, citizens’ level of confidence in the government, local political climate and the extent of proliferation of misinformation about COVID-19.

Going viral – capacity strengthening in the context of pandemic(s)

The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed focus on the importance of increasing momentum in addressing global health challenges, including the unacceptable burden of avoidable foetal and newborn mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Group on Stillbirth Prevention and Management of Stillbirth in sub-Saharan Africa (2017–2021), was a 4-year research partnership between the UK and the Lugina Africa Midwives’ Research Network (LAMRN) in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This paper shares experiences from a midwife-led research partnership between Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, the UK, Zambia and Zimbabwe in sustaining and enhancing capacity strengthening activities remotely. The authors identified key learning around identifying needs and the importance of involving partners and participants to achieve buy-in.

COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda’s story

Uganda adopted its own model taking into consideration its culture, values, environment, socio-economic activities, beliefs, previous successful epidemic experience, and appears a hybrid policy to the Norwegian model. This model of response is perhaps based on Uganda’s long experience in successful control of many previous epidemics which afflicted it and the neighboring countries, e.g, HIV and AIDs in the 1980s, Measles in the 1990s, Hepatitis B in the 2000s, Ebola in 2000, 2017 and 2018 and Marburg in 2018.

This article describes Uganda’s national COVID-19 pandemic response, which adapted public health guidance to local context. It discusses the country’s model of centralised leadership and coordination, multiple channels of communication, community engagement, and integration at the district level.

Wartime Captivity and Homecoming: Culture, Stigma and Coping Strategies of Formerly Abducted Women in Post-conflict Northern Uganda

The women formerly abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda find that achieving meaningful reintegration into their communities is a distant prospect despite being the home culture they once shared. The stigmatisation of formerly abducted persons by the home community members who have never been abducted renders them ‘outsiders’ upon return to their home communities. Meaningful relationships with fellow community members and access to cultural, social and economic systems are hampered by stigma about the women’s traumatic past episode as abductees.

This research included interviews with formerly abducted women in the Acholi region. The study describes the importance of meaningful relationships with fellow community members. Women’s access to cultural, social and economic systems is hampered, however, by stigma because of being formerly abducted.

COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions and Older Adults’ Well-being in Uganda: Psychological Impacts and Coping Mechanisms

In Uganda, as in most LMICs, older adults (aged 60+) are amongst the poorest members of society, mostly relying on their children for food and income. Healthcare services can be difficult to access for everyone, causing inequalities, with mental healthcare provision being inconsistent and not reaching each person. This is further amplified by the rural settings of many parts in Uganda.

Impact of COVID-19 public health restrictions on older people in Uganda: “hunger is really one of those problems brought by this COVID”

In Uganda, older adults (aged 60 and above) form 2.7 percent of the population and are amongst the poorest members of society without a steady income or state pension system. Most older people in Uganda (and generally in sub-Saharan Africa) are living with family members in multi-generational households with their children and grandchildren, with younger generations looking after their elderly. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 public health restrictions (including social distancing, curfew, increased hand washing and face masks) on the lives of older adults in Uganda.

Anxiety, Anger and Depression Amongst Low-Income Earners in Southwestern Uganda During the COVID-19 Total Lockdown

On 18th March 2020, the President of Uganda announced the first total national lockdown which included the international border closures; the closing of schools, private offices and banned public gatherings at places of worships/social events, initially for a period of 32 days. Efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, effectively closed off most sources of income for the majority of low-income earners, who were forced to stay at home.
Low-income earners are particularly vulnerable to mental health, consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions, due to a temporary or permanent loss of income and livelihood, coupled with government-enforced measures of social distancing. This study evaluates the mental health status among low-income earners in southwestern Uganda during the first total COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda.

RCCE in the 2022 Ebola Outbreak Response in Greater Kampala, Uganda

This brief details how Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) activities and approaches can be adapted to reach people living in Greater Kampala to increase adoption of preventive behaviours and practices, early recognition of symptoms, care seeking and case reporting.

Supporting Better Governance of Flood Relief Efforts in Pakistan

The 2022 Pakistan Floods are a climate change disaster. Getting the governance of disaster and crisis management right is critical for relief, rehabilitation, and recovery and to prepare for future climate emergencies. This SSHAP brief highlight 5 actions to tackle bottlenecks and enable effective interventions.

Social Science Perspectives for Emergency Response to the Conflict in Northern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is currently experiencing several intersecting humanitarian crises including conflict, climatic shocks, COVID-19, desert locust infestation and more, affecting nearly 30 million people. This brief outlines important contextual factors and social impacts of the Northern Ethiopian crisis and offers key considerations to improve the effectiveness of the humanitarian response.

Localisation of Polio Vaccination Efforts in the Newly Merged Districts (Tribal Areas) of Pakistan

This brief draws on evidence from academic and grey literature, data on polio vaccine uptake, consultations with partners working on polio eradication in Pakistan, and the authors’ own programme implementation experience in the country. The brief reviews the social, cultural, and contextual considerations relevant to increasing polio vaccine uptake amongst vulnerable groups in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Tackling language-based exclusion in the Horn of Africa hunger crisis: Lessons from Somalia

Facing the worst droughts in over 40 years, more than 37 million people in the Horn of Africa are experiencing acute hunger. They need urgent humanitarian aid – healthcare, food, water supplies, and lifesaving information in the right language. CLEAR Global and REACH studied how language affects effective humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa hunger crisis.

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