Internal disputes over jobs had held up the announcement of a new government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even after President Félix Tshisekedi won a second presidential term last December and his party achieved a wide majority in the legislature; the new cabinet includes fifty-four ministers, down from a previous fifty-seven (Reuters)
The announcement comes after the government said it foiled a coup attempt last week (Anadolu)
Close Ally of DRC President Becomes Legislative Speaker
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) legislature elected Vital Kamerhe as speaker, placing him in the country’s number two position of authority; the election came a day after Kamerhe’s home was attacked on Sunday in what Congolese officials called a failed coup attempt (Reuters)
Congo Army Says It Arrests Dozens of People, Including Americans, in Coup Attempt
Authorities arrested around fifty people, including three U.S. citizens, a spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) army told Reuters
Gunfire was heard early yesterday morning in the capital (Al Jazeera)
The U.S. ambassador to the DRC said she was “very concerned” by reports of alleged U.S. citizen involvement and pledged to cooperate with investigations “to the fullest extent” (BBC)
NYT: Washington Could Lift Sanctions on Businessman to Ease Copper, Cobalt Mining in Congo
U.S. officials are considering a deal to allow sanctioned Israeli businessman Dan Gertler to sell off his stakes in copper and cobalt mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the New York Times reported; some unnamed U.S. officials said the deal would offer the Congo a “clean slate” to help fight corruption and for Western firms to invest in the country’s mining sector, where there is a large presence of Chinese firms (NYT)
However, some human rights activists have criticized the plan (Bloomberg)
Gertler was sanctioned for corruption allegations, which he has long denied (Reuters)
Aistrikes in Eastern DRC Kill Eighteen People
At least five rockets hit displacement camps in the eastern city of Goma, killing eighteen and wounding thirty-two civilians, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); both the Congolese government and the United States indicated that the attacks originated from areas controlled by Rwandan troops and the M23 rebel group (Reuters)
UN Peacekeepers End Operations in DRC’s South Kivu Province After Twenty Years
South Kivu is the first province from which UN peacekeepers are withdrawing as part of a phase-out plan agreed upon with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last December; the Congolese government said the mission in the country failed to protect civilians from armed groups in the area (AFP)
UN Human Rights Leader Says Crisis in DRC Risks Being ‘Forgotten’
Volker Türk visited the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a group of aid agencies estimated that one million people have been displaced by fighting between armed forces and rebels in the last three months; the United Nations is currently winding down a peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo while a southern African regional bloc prepares to intervene (AP; AP)
Rebel Attack Kills Eleven in Eastern Congo
The Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic state-linked group, also set fire to vehicles and engaged in stealing in the North Kivu province (AP)
Islamic State-Linked Rebels Kill at Least Twelve People
The Congolese Army responded to the Islamic State-linked attackers’ raid in the eastern border area, killing four and rescuing four kidnapped civilians (AP)
DRC Names First Female Prime Minister
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi named Judith Suminwa, a former planning minister and UN official, as premier; in her first speech, Suminwa pledged to address conflict and insecurity in the country (Nation)
DRC, Rwandan Leaders to Attend Meeting on Conflict
Angola’s foreign minister said the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have agreed to discuss the conflict in eastern DRC; Angola is serving as a mediator for the African Union and will set the date for the discussion (AFP)
DRC Government Dissolves
Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde’s resignation triggered the dissolution of his government, an official dispatch said; President Félix Tshisekedi asked Lukonde to remain as a caretaker leader in a limited capacity as he forms a new government for his second term (East African)
Meanwhile, local authorities said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the Islamic State (IS), killed thirteen people in Ituri Province and at least eleven in a neighboring province of North Kivu, targeting most of the victims in their homes (AP)
Bombing Kills Two, Wounds Three South African Soldiers at Military Base
A bomb attack on a military base in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed two South African soldiers today, South Africa’s military said; another 2,900 South African troops will soon join its current contingent in the Congo to fight armed groups, Pretoria said earlier this week (Reuters)
Bombing Attack on Zaina Displacement Camp Kills Three People
The rebels also injured eight others at the camp in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, only sixteen miles from the country’s humanitarian hub, Goma; the M23 rebel group did not claim responsibility for the attack (AP)
Protesters Target Embassies, Burn U.S. and Belgian Flags in DRC
Demonstrators gathered near Western embassies and UN offices in the capital of Kinasha to protest Western support for Rwanda, which is believed to be backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group; demonstrators also attacked UN staff and vehicles before being dispersed by the police (Reuters)
South Africa to Deploy Nearly Three Thousand Troops to DRC
The yearlong deployment of 2,900 troops will help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) battle armed groups; the deployment will supplement the South African troops already in the DRC as part of efforts to battle the M23 rebel group and comes at a time when UN peacekeepers are preparing to withdraw from the region (Bloomberg)
DRC Government: M23 Launches Indiscriminate Bombings on Goma
Goma is a major humanitarian hub; the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations called on M23 to “immediately cease its offensive in eastern DRC” after a trip to the region this week (AP)
M23-Launched Rocket Lands Near University
The strike by a Tutsi-led rebel group left an explosion crater in the Congolese city of Goma but no casualties, pointing to further possible threats to the city of two million (Reuters)
Attack on UN Helicopter Injures Two Peacekeepers in Eastern Congo
A United Nations spokesperson said they assume the M23 rebel group is responsible for the attack; the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo asserted it would not spare any effort to bring responsible parties to justice for the possible war crime (AP)
Rwandan Forces Report Killing, Arrests of Congolese Soldiers
The Rwandan military said that its forces killed one soldier and arrested two others from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after Congolese soldiers crossed into Rwandan territory and one shot at a Rwandan patrol; tensions between the countries have run high in recent years as the DRC has accused Rwanda of backing DRC rebels (Reuters)
DRC Court Certifies Results of Vote That Reelected President
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) constitutional court certified (AFP) President Félix Tshisekedi’s election victory on December 20 with 73.5 percent of votes, despite nine opposition candidates calling the election a “sham” and asking for a re-run (AFP)
Congo Election Invalidates Votes Cast for Eighty-Two Candidates in December Race
Election authorities have still not released full results for the December 20 election, but they announced that a probe into alleged fraud and other irregularities led to the votes being suspended (Reuters)
President Félix Tshisekedi won the presidency in a landslide victory; the opposition has contested the vote and has asked for a re-run (VoA)
DRC Opposition Protests Election Results Despite Government Ban
Opposition protesters violently clashed with security forces in the capital, Kinshasa, after the government banned a planned demonstration alleging irregularities and attempted vote rigging in last week’s presidential election; incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi has a strong lead, according to a preliminary count (Bloomberg)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi is facing off against some eighteen challengers in today’s presidential and legislative elections; reports of incomplete voting lists and long lines at the polls have prompted concerns that candidates could challenge the credibility of the vote (NYT)
Tshisekedi’s own election in 2018 was marred by allegations by opposition candidate Martin Fayulu that official results were doctored; official results could take several days (Economist)
Amid an ongoing conflict in the country’s east that has displaced around 7 million people, at least 1.5 million Congolese are not expected to vote (Al Jazeera)
The polls opened after the UN Security Council agreed yesterday to start withdrawing its peacekeeping force in the area and transferring responsibilities to the country’s government by year’s end; the results are being closely watched by DRC’s neighbors and worldwide, in part because the country is rich in both cobalt, a critical mineral for the energy transition, and tropical rain forests (AP)
Congo Government, Rebel Groups Agree to Cease-Fire Ahead of Election
The United States announced the deal for a three-day truce between government forces and rebel groups occupying part of Eastern Congo; it comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo prepares to hold a presidential vote on December 20 (AP)