African Defence Review’s Richard Stupart discusses the current situation in Mali, Cairo and the Eastern DRC with a mix of analysts and journalists currently on the ground.

The podcast includes includes John Ashbourne, Sub-Saharan Analyst for Business Monitor, talking on the Malian situation and the run-up to the elections. Freelance journalist Jonathan Kalan reports out of Cairo on recent developments and the dynamics of the stand-off between supporters of deposed president Morsi and the Egyptian military. Finally, Christophe Vogel and Joseph Kay discuss the new security zone being established by the MONUSCO in the DRC and its implications for security in Eastern Congo.

Listen to the podcast below, or subscribe to our iTunes Podcast to get the ADR Roundup delivered to your device.

Events moving as fast as they did, we’d like to add some caveats to the original discussions over the situation in Goma:
  • The situation has moved on as well because the 48hrs passed and the UN effectively rescinded the ultimatum. So what seemed like the UN being tough did not actually translate into anything.
  • The sentiment of local groups towards the UN is primarily based on conversations with local people, motards and street vendors, rather than a statistically observable phenomenon.
  • Anti-MONUSCO feeling among the FARDC has increased notably in the last couple of days and FARDC soldiers have expressed their annoyance at MONUSCO, saying (inter alia) “they are only here for the money and they want the war to last as long as possible. They do not want us to defeat the M23”.
  • Reports of looting in Kanyarucina should be treated as unconfirmed.
  • Reports of the population being supportive of the national army should not be read as overly exceptional.