Erik Kennes
Biography
Erik Kennes is Senior Research Fellow in the Africa Programme at the Egmont Institute and an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) of the University of Antwerp. He previously held teaching and/or research positions at the Grand Seminary in Kolwezi (DRC) (1986-88), the IDPM of the University of Antwerp (1992-1999), and the Africa Institute/Section for Contemporary History of the Africa Museum (1999-2008).
Erik worked as Political Affairs Officer for MONUSCO in Kisangani and Kinshasa (2009-2017), as Office Director and Program Manager of the Extractive Industries Governance Program (EIGP) in Lubumbashi (DRC) (2017-2019), coordinator of the consortium “Le Congo n’est pas à Vendre” (2019-2021) and finally as Senior Advocacy Advisor of the International Alert/Madini kwa Amani na Maendeleo project in Bukavu (DRC) (2021-2022). He is Associate Professor at the ISES (Higher Institute for Social Studies) in Lubumbashi (DRC).
He has a PhD in political science from the University of Paris I – Sorbonne / PhD Ethnology of Université Laval, Québec, Canada. He studied law, philosophy and political science at the University of Leuven and comparative politics at the University of Bergen, Norway.
His research interests include history, politics and security in Central Africa (DRCongo), the Central African and international mining sector, African political thought and philosophy. He is specialized in issues related to Katanga.
Publications
- Dead End for the Tshisekedi Regime? Commentaries
- The “Tigres,” Katanga and the DRC War Commentaries
- A Boomerang or a Turning Point for the EU in Central Africa? Commentaries
- Elections in DRC’s Masi-Manimba: Battle of Honour for the Electoral Commission? Commentaries
- What’s Wrong with the DRC Constitution? Egmont papers
- What does Rwanda want in the DRC? Commentaries
- Un Tourbillon de Conflits Sans Fin External publications
- A quoi servent les élections en RDC? Africa Policy Briefs
- Towards a Comprehensive Mining Strategy for the DRC? Africa Policy Briefs
- Elections in the DRC: A Glass Half Full or Half Empty? External publications
- D-Day in Kinshasa Commentaries
- Election Times and Murder in Kinshasa Commentaries
- New wine in old bottles? A New EU Regional Strategy for the Great Lakes External publications
- Broder des textes et des images pour s’affirmer citoyenne : la démarche de Lucie Kamuswekera External publications
- Decisive elections in the DRC Egmont papers
- Multi-Layered Violence in the DRC: Is History Repeating Itself? External publications