THE SPREAD OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE

The Republic of Congo has witnessed two recent waves of majorviolence, in 1993–4 and in 1997. Party militias foughtone another in the streets of Brazzaville, causing massive lossof life and widespread damage. This article briefly recountsthe history of this violence and analyses the activities andsocial origins of the militiamen. The process of democratictransition of the early 1990s had a marked effect in disseminatingthe use of political violence throughout a large section ofsociety, notably among young people frustrated in their expectationsof social and economic advancement.