Congo's roadblock problem

Roadblocks are a ubiquitous phenomenon in Eastern Congo. In an effort to map the scope of this phenomenon as well as its significance in the political economy of conflict, Peer Schouten from DIIS has embarked on a collaboration with the Belgian International Peace Information Service.

The point of departure is that control over the circulation of people and valuable goods, including minerals, constitutes an important stake in Congo’s conflicts, and that the road figures among the sources of illicit revenue generation for different state and non-state actors. This phenomenon translates into the ubiquity of roadblocks.

As the first fruit of this collaboration, this report provides information about the presence of and actors operating roadblocks in the territories of Walikale and Masisi, both in the province of North Kivu. Based on an analysis of in total 134 mapped roadblocks, the report discusses the relative importance of roadblocks for the political economy of conflict in these two territories.