Pericopsis elata is an African forestry species commercialized under the vernacular names afrormosia or assamela. It is one of the principal species commonly exploited for timber in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in a lesser extent in Cameroon and Congo. In view of its sustainable resource exploitation, the species is in centre of numerous polemics notably in the European Union. It is one of the rare commercialized species that produce wood, since 1992, as listed in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) annex II specifying that “the exploitation of afrormosia necessitate the deliverance and a prior presentation of exploitation permit”. The most important reserves of afrormosia are found in DRC. This doctoral thesis presents the ecology of this particular tree and its behaviour regarding forestry exploitation. It allows to inform the international organisms such as CITES as well as the national policy-makers on the vulnerability of afrormosia and to propose appropriate measures that can avoid future unsustainable/unregulated exploitation activities/Pericopsis elata est une espèce forestière africaine commercialisée sous les noms d’afrormosia ou d’assamela. Elle est une des principales espèces exploitées pour le bois d’œuvre en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) et dans une moindre mesure au Cameroun et au Congo. Elle est au centre de nombreuses polémiques, notamment dans l’Union européenne, en ce qui concerne la durabilité de son exploitation. C’est une des rares espèces commerciales productrice de bois d’œuvre listée, depuis 1992, dans l’Annexe II de la CITES (Convention sur le commerce international des espèces en danger d’extinction) qui spécifie que « L'exportation d'un spécimen d'une espèce inscrite à l'Annexe II nécessite la délivrance et la présentation préalables d'un permis d'exportation ». Les plus grandes réserves d’afrormosia se trouvent en RDC. Cette thèse de doctorat porte sur l’écologie de cet arbre et sur son comportement vis-à-vis de l’exploitation forestière. Elle permet d’informer les organismes internationaux comme la CITES et les décideurs nationaux sur la vulnérabilité de l’afrormosia et de proposer des mesures à prendre pour que l’espèce ne soit pas menacée par une exploitation mal conduite et non régulée / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Introduction<p><p>La drépanocytose, affection génétique concernant 1 à 2% de la population en Afrique sub-saharienne, est une maladie chronique dont l’un des traitements essentiels est la transfusion sanguine. Kisangani, une ville du Nord-est de la République Démocratique du Congo, compte environ un million d’habitants et près de 30 000 naissances par an. Elle est caractérisée entre autre par l’endémie malarienne, la fréquence élevée dans la population des virus de l’immunodéficience humaine (VIH), des virus des hépatites B (VHB) et C (VHC) et la carence d’autosuffisance en sang. Le don de sang est fait par des donneurs volontaires et par des donneurs de remplacement. Les tests VIH et VHB sont réalisés chez les donneurs depuis les années 80, celui de VHC depuis fin 2004. Dans ce contexte, définir des actions prioritaires pour assurer, en général et en particulier pour les patients drépanocytaires, la sécurité transfusionnelle la plus optimale possible est essentiel. <p><p>Méthodologie<p><p>Afin de déterminer les prévalences d’infections virales, les marqueurs sérologiques du VIH, VHB et VHC ont été recherchés chez 4637 donneurs de sang (2236 volontaires et 2401 de remplacement) du Centre Provincial de Transfusion et des hôpitaux de Kisangani. Chez 140 patients drépanocytaires suivis dans un centre médical de Kisangani, 127 ont été transfusés. Parmi eux, 79 sont « polytransfusés » et 94 ont été transfusés avant 2004. Outre la sérologie VIH, VHB et VHC, l’allo-immunisation anti-HLA et anti-érythrocytaire ont été recherchées et les indications de transfusion déterminées. Afin d’estimer la prévalence de la drépanocytose à la naissance, l’HbS a été identifiée systématiquement par focalisation isoélectrique sur du sang du cordon ombilical de 520 nouveau-nés suivis dans cinq maternités de Kisangani. Afin de déterminer les indications transfusionnelles dans la drépanocytose à Kisangani, un relevé de ces indications a été réalisé pour ces mêmes 127 patients drépanocytaires transfusés. Afin de comparer l’usage de la transfusion à Kisangani et à Bruxelles pour des complications non liées à l’environnement, les 140 patients drépanocytaires suivis à Kisangani ont été comparés à 195 patients suivis à Bruxelles ;parmi eux, 71 patients ont pu être appariés pour l’âge. <p><p>Résultats<p><p>La prévalence des marqueurs viraux chez les donneurs de sang est de l’ordre de 4% pour le VIH, de 5% pour le VHB et de 4% pour le VHC. Les séroprévalences de VIH (2,2 vs 4,1%) et VHB (3,0 vs 4,6%) sont moindres chez les donneurs bénévoles par rapport aux donneurs de remplacement. La prévalence du VIH et du VHB observée chez les donneurs bénévoles était plus élevée en 2006 qu’en 2004. Treize patients drépanocytaires non transfusés ne sont pas porteurs des marqueurs viraux. Six pourcent des patients qui ont une sérologie VHC positive sont des polytransfusés ;1% chez ceux qui avaient reçu une ou deux transfusions. Suite au retard d’introduction du dépistage VHC chez les donneurs, une séroprévalence pour le VHC de 7 % des malades pour seulement 0,7% pour celle du VIH et de 1,4% pour celle du VHB a été démontrée. Le fait qu’aucun patient transfusé après 2004, n’a été trouvé positif au VHC alors que 10 % l’ont été parmi ceux transfusés avant 2004 montre le bénéfice de l’introduction de moyens simples et peu coûteux. Deux (1,6 %) patients étaient porteurs d’anticorps anti-HLA et 13 (10%) des anticorps anti-érythrocytaires (2 anti-C-D, 1 anti-E et 1 anti-C-D-E). Aucun des patients n’étaient porteurs des anticorps anti-Kell (K), anti-Kidd (Jka et Jkb) ou anti-Duffy. La prévalence de la drépanocytose chez les nouveau-nés de Kisangani est d’environ 1 %. A Kisangani, outre l’anémie liée à la malaria (46 %), un facteur environnemental, 34 % des transfusions ont été administrées pour des crises douloureuses simples. En comparaison, aucun patient suivi à Bruxelles n’a été transfusé pour cette indication. Cette attitude est probablement à mettre en relation avec la méconnaissance de la maladie par le personnel médical et par les familles des malades. L’anémie chronique de ces patients est souvent mal connue et interprétée comme une anémie aiguë. <p><p>Conclusion<p><p>Un encouragement des dons bénévoles sans exclure les donneurs de remplacement est nécessaire pour continuer à accroître l’approvisionnement en sang. Afin d’améliorer la sécurité transfusionnelle, la généralisation des tests simples de dépistage des donneurs de sang comme ceux du VHC devrait constituer une priorité dans les centres de transfusion. Avec une prévalence d’environ 1%, la drépanocytose est une affection fréquente à Kisangani. Pour ces patients drépanocytaires, établir des recommandations concernant les indications transfusionnelles permettrait de leur éviter des transfusions inappropriées. <p><p>Abstract<p><p>Introduction <p><p>Sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic disorder that affects 1% to 2% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, is a chronic disease in which blood transfusion is one of the essential treatments. Kisangani, a town in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has about one million inhabitants and nearly 30 000 births per year. It is characterized among others by the endemic malarial, a high frequency in the population of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus, but also a lack of self-sufficiency in blood. Blood donation is given by volunteers and replacement donors. HBV and HIV screening tests are performed in donors since the 80s, while for HCV it is available only since late 2004. In that context in view to ensure blood transfusion safety, it is essential to define priority actions, in general and especially for patients with sickle cell disease.<p><p>Methodology <p><p>To determine the prevalence of viral infections, serological markers for HIV, HBV and HCV were investigated in 4637 blood donors (2236 volunteers and 2401 replacement) of the Provincial Center of Transfusion and hospitals in Kisangani. Among 140 SCD-patients followed in a medical centre in Kisangani, 127 were transfused; 79 were considered as “multiple-transfused” and 94 were transfused before 2004. HIV, HBV and HCV seroprevalences, alloimmunization anti-HLA and against red blood cells were determined as well as the indications for transfusion. <p>To estimate the prevalence of SCD at birth, HbS was identified by isoelectric focusing on umbilical cord blood of 520 newborns in five maternities of Kisangani.<p>To determine the indications for transfusion in SCD patients at Kisangani, these indications were recorded for the 127 SCD transfused patients.<p>To compare the use of transfusion in Kisangani and in Brussels for clinical events unrelated to the environment, the 140 SCD-patients followed in Kisangani were compared with the 195 SCD-patients followed in Brussels and 71 patientsin both groups could be matched for age. <p><p><p>Results <p><p>The prevalence of viral markers among blood donors is around 4% for HIV, 5% for HBV and 4% for HCV. The seroprevalence of HIV (2.2 vs. 4.1%) and HBV (3.0 vs. 4.6%) were lower among volunteer donors compared to replacement donors. The prevalence of HIV and HBV infection observed among blood donors was higher in 2006 than in 2004.<p>Thirteen non-transfused sickle cell patients were not carriers of any serological viral marker. The SCD-patients HCV(+) were “multiple-transfused” patients (6%) or those who received one or two transfusions (1%). Following the delayed introduction of HCV donor screening, a HCV seroprevalence of 7% of patients for only 0.7% for the HIV and 1.4% for the HBV was demonstrated. The fact that no patients transfused after 2004 were HCV(+) compared to 10% of those transfused before 2004 shows the benefit of the introduction of a simple and inexpensive screening test. Two (1.6%) patients had anti-HLA antibodies and 13 (10%) red blood cells antibodies (2 anti-CD, 1 anti-E and an anti-C-D-E). None of the patients displayed Kell (K), Kidd (Jka and Jkb) or Duffy red cells antibodies.<p>The prevalence of sickle cell disease in newborns of Kisangani is about 1%. In Kisangani, in addition to anaemia due to malaria (46%), an environmental factor, 34% of transfusions were administered for uncomplicated painful crises. In comparison, no patient followed in Brussels were transfused for that indication. This attitude is likely to be related with the ignorance of the disease by the medical staff and patients’ families. The chronic anaemia of those patients is often poorly understood and interpreted as acute anaemia.<p><p>Conclusion<p><p>Encouragement of voluntary donations without excluding the replacement donors is needed to pursue to increase the blood supply. To improve blood safety, the generalization of simple tests for screening blood donors as those for HCV should be a priority in transfusion centres. With a prevalence of about 1%, the SCD is a common disease in Kisangani. For those SCD-patients, establish guidelines for indications of transfusion would avoid inappropriate transfusion.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences médicales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

La participation active des enfants aux conflits armés affectant de manière endémique les territoires de la République du Congo et de la RDC est une réalité indéniable. Cette participation des enfants est dûment constatée par les organismes des Nations Unies, le CICR, les ONG de défense des droits de l’Homme, les médias internationaux. Elle est dénoncée par eux comme violation grave des droits de l’Homme et comme crime de guerre. La théorie du choix rationnel et le paradigme interactionniste sont les outils qui permettent le mieux d’appréhender et de comprendre les logiques des recruteurs d’enfants dans les deux Congo.Les seigneurs de la guerre, les leaders des groupes politico-militaires et certains chefs des armées régulières sous-estiment volontairement le phénomène de militarisation des enfants qui n’a cessé de prendre de l’ampleur avec la résurgence des conflits à l’Est de la RDC. Bien que le phénomène ait des origines anciennes, la militarisation de l’enfant dans les deux Congo lui a fait connaître une évolution considérable au cours des deux dernières décennies. Cette évolution a engendré des modifications profondes de l’image et de la fonction de ces enfants, passés du statut de victimes civiles, à celui d’enfants-soldats, indissociablement victimes et bourreaux.L’histoire des deux Congo, depuis longtemps émaillée de conflits sporadiques, semble être désormais entrée dans un cycle continu de guerres larvées ou déclarées, civiles, régionales, ethniques, sociopolitiques, économiques, voire vivrières, que seul l’enrôlement des enfants permet d’entretenir. L’enfant-soldat est devenu un acteur central des conflits actuels de la région. Comment évaluer et comprendre cette évolution fondamentale des conflits congolais ? Quelles perspectives de solution à ce phénomène ? Quelle prophylaxie?Pour éviter que perdure l’enrôlement des enfants, et obtenir la démobilisation de ceux qui servent déjà dans les rangs des armées régulières et des groupes armés de tous bords, l’implication réelle des responsables politiques nationaux et internationaux dans le processus « Désarmement, Démobilisation et Réinsertion » de l’ONU et l’Union Européenne, ainsi qu'une action concertée, rapide et efficace de la Communauté Internationale, sont indispensables. Il s’agit notamment de lobbying sur les Chefs des Armées Nationales et sur les seigneurs de la guerre, pour qui la perspective d’éventuelles poursuites de la Cour Pénale Internationale, et leurs conséquences, constitue une des rares menaces crédibles. / It has become an undeniable reality that the active involvement of children in armed conflict is an endemic problem affecting the countries of the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The participation of children has been condemned by the United Nations Organisation, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), international human rights Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and the international media, because of the human rights violations involved and war crimes perpetrated. Rational choice theories and interactionist paradigm can be used to analyse the logic of the forced recruitment of children in the two Congos. The war barons, the leaders of the politico-military groups and some of the chiefs of the national armies underestimate the phenomenon of the participation of children in armed conflict, which is on the rise with the re-emergence of fighting in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the recruitment of child soldiers is nothing new, the role of children in combat has evolved considerably over the past two decades. This evolution has brought about profound changes in the way these children are perceived and used; from being seen as civil victims of the conflicts to being seen as child soldiers -concomitantly victims and perpetrators.The history of the two Congos, which have been beset over a long period with sporadic fighting, seems to have entered into a cycle of simmering conflicts and all-out war having civil, regional, ethnic, socio-political, and economic dimensions. The armies would be, without the forced recruitment of children, too thinly spread to continue these conflicts. The child soldier has therefore become a principal actor in the region. How can we evaluate and understand this fundamental evolution of the Congo conflicts? What solutions can be envisaged to this phenomenon? What can be done to prevent it? Which counter-measures can be undertaken?Real commitment from the national and international political leaders in the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process of the United Nations and the European Union, as well as quick and efficient concerted action from the international community is required to prevent the continued enrolment of children, and to obtain the demobilisation of those who served in the armies and the armed groups in both countries. This involves lobbying the army chiefs and the war barons, for whom the prospects of being arrested and appearing before the International Criminal Court, and the consequences of subsequent sentencing constitute a real threat.

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This master's thesis deals with the potential impact of natural resources on intrastate conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa. The major aim is to investigate the general validity of the resource curse theory and of Ross's hypothesis about selling booty futures in civil wars. The presumed negative influence of both theories is tested on the cases of recent intrastate conflicts in the region, namely in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. However, the main contribution of the thesis is probably the analysis of another case, namely Botswana, which, unlike other countries, appears to be out of the generally valid standards of the resource curse theory, as the only one experiencing long-term positive economic growth. The partial aim of the thesis is also to analyze the Botswana's success in managing natural resources and then to suggest some possible recommendations for other states in the region. The thesis is written in the qualitative approach, particularly in the form of thorough work with academic literature. The research method is the Method of Difference by John Stuart Mill, in its revised form of the Most Similar Systems Design.

The basic problem in this study is to determine whether the electoral management body (EMB) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is sufficiently independent and whether it complies with most of the criteria of an ideal independent EMB in order to conduct free and fair elections in the promotion of democracy in the DRC. However, an ideal type of an independent EMB is not easily realizable but Ghana’s electoral commission (EC) is widely regarded as a model of an independent EMB in Africa. Therefore, this study uses the EC as a workable ideal type of independent EMB that informs this study in assessing the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI)’s level of independence. The study discovered that while the formal legal framework guarantee the independence of the CENI, it lacks practical independence due to certain factors which include the mode of appointment and composition of the body, the unstable security of tenure of its members, the negative influence of the judiciary, executive and the parliament over the functioning of the CENI, and the lack of adequate funding. The study argues that the composition of the CENI has to be depoliticized; its members should enjoy a strong security of tenure and the issue of political parties funding should be effective and handled by the CENI in order to enhance political competitiveness in the electoral process. An adequate funding should be timely realized so that the CENI carries out its work with autonomy. The judiciary, the parliament and the executive should support the growth of democracy in the DRC by allowing the CENI to work without the interference of any quarter. / African Centre for Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies / M.A. (African Politics)

As the global demand for natural resources grows, conflicts and instability surrounding minerals and resources continue to mark the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operation MONUSCO has been deployed in the DRC since 2010, and that same year, the United States (US) established the Dodd-Frank Act with its Section 1502 concerning conflict minerals originating from the DRC. These actors play a crucial partin the effects foreign aid and support has on the Government of the DRC’s efforts to act autonomously in order to mitigate conflicts and create peace, yet research on the matter mainly focuses on the impact the Dodd-Frank Act has on American companies and the Congolese population, as well as the challenges of MONUSCO. This study therefore aims at investigating how the involvement of these actors have affected the Government of the DRC’s ability to act autonomously in peacekeeping, through a qualitative content analysis based on 22 UN Security Council Resolutions on the extension of MONUSCO and Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act. These documents have been analysed through the theoretical framework of neo-colonialism, dependency theory and aid dependency. The results of this thesis show that the involvement of MONUSCO and the establishment of the Dodd-Frank Act has increased the DRC’s dependence on their support, as previous research points out how violence has increased after the Dodd-Frank Act’s entry into force. The results further show that the conditions created by these actors have left the Government of the DRC in a state of dependence instead of strengthening their sovereignty and ability to act autonomously in creating peace.

In Congolese society, heterosexual marriage is a highly regarded institution that is viewed as contributing significantly to the true identities of women. In this study, I use Masenya’s terminologies, “idolization of marriage” and “marriage at all costs”, as springboards to re-read the story of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible in light of the experiences of Congolese women who tend to regard marriage as a norm. I have analysed and critiqued patriarchy as it has shaped the lives of biblical women (cf the Ruth character in the Hebrew Bible) as well as it continues to shape the lives of many Congolese women. Although in some sense, the Ruth character can be emulated in terms of her sense of independence, in terms of her commitment to seeking marriage at all costs though, Ruth, cannot be a helpful model to the lives of many poor Anamongo women who today trapped in poverty, continue to regard heterosexual marriage as the norm in their search for survival, security, and value. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M. Th. (Old Testament)

In Congolese society, heterosexual marriage is a highly regarded institution that is viewed as contributing significantly to the true identities of women. In this study, I use Masenya’s terminologies, “idolization of marriage” and “marriage at all costs”, as springboards to re-read the story of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible in light of the experiences of Congolese women who tend to regard marriage as a norm. I have analysed and critiqued patriarchy as it has shaped the lives of biblical women (cf the Ruth character in the Hebrew Bible) as well as it continues to shape the lives of many Congolese women. Although in some sense, the Ruth character can be emulated in terms of her sense of independence, in terms of her commitment to seeking marriage at all costs though, Ruth, cannot be a helpful model to the lives of many poor Anamongo women who today trapped in poverty, continue to regard heterosexual marriage as the norm in their search for survival, security, and value. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M. Th. (Old Testament)

No description available.