Since its independence from Belgium in 1960, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced armed conflicts and mutinies staged by rebels and pro-government forces leading to fragility situations manifested in the several incidences of forceful takeover of government. The Fund for Peace ranked the DRC 173rd out of 178 countries on the Fragile States Index of 2015.
The overall objective of this research was to establish the nexus between small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation and fragility situations and how both impact on human development and livelihoods. Fragility situation in the DRC are manifested by presence of armed groups (80%), peacekeeping forces (71%), IDP camps (70%), ungoverned spaces (69%) and humanitarian agencies (68%) while the drivers of fragility situations were identified as weak governance (89%), protracted conflicts (81%), proliferation of illicit SALW (79%), economic and social exclusion (70%) and porous borders (61%).
The minimal interventions put in place by government in partnership with regional and international actors have largely been inadequate. In order to build resilience, the study recommends strengthening of governance institutions, addressing proliferation of SALW, a comprehensive security sector reform, sensitization and awareness creation, provision of alternative livelihood interventions and post conflict reconstruction.
