Local knowledge and information initiatives in the conflict-affected eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

ABSTRACT

Research process in humanitarian crises requires a meticulous synthesis of different skills. Most humanitarian operations are, critically and contextually dependent on the local environment, with its unique capabilities and constraints. Western humanitarians often rely on local brokers to gain trust and legitimacy through their networks. This article presents cases of local news reporting from Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, evaluating two newsletters from a professional network for humanitarians (the SIDINL network). A positive interpretation of how these local news curators, acting as local brokers, could influence humanitarianism through the respect of subjectivity and sensemaking is suggested; however, the benefits of the local viewpoint could be substantially diminished if personal biases are not acknowledged properly through an honest and equal-as-possible relationship between locals and foreigners. The implications of these examples underscore the importance of ethical attention and respect in overcoming hostility towards any form of foreign intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• Humanitarian reporting
• newsletters
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Goma
• local subjectivity
• brokerage
• SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

Acknowledgements

We are thankful to all the curators for their invaluable information about the operational activity of the SIDINL network.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.