DRC President Compares Rwandan Counterpart to Hitler
While speaking at a campaign rally in eastern DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi said Paul Kagame “will end up like Hitler” due to his support for rebels in the DRC; a Rwandan government spokesperson said the comment was “a loud and clear threat” (BBC)
East African Force Begins Withdrawal From DRC
The East African Community regional bloc started pulling out its troops today following Kinshasa’s refusal to renew its mandate; the bloc first sent troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2022 in response to the resurgence of the M23 rebel group (AFP)
Election Campaigning Begins in DRC
Twenty-six candidates, including incumbent president Félix Tshisekedi, are running for the top office, and more than one hundred thousand are running in provincial and municipal elections that are scheduled for December 20 (AFP)
DRC Signs Deal for SADC Force Deployment
Under the agreement, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will send troops to support the Congolese military in fighting M23 and other groups in the east of the country (East African)
ADF Militants Reportedly Kill Nineteen Civilians in Eastern Congo
Civil society leaders said the attackers tied up and killed civilians in a village in Beni territory, sending other residents fleeing across the Lamia River, where some may have drowned; the Congolese military blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group that has pledged allegiance to the self-declared Islamic State (Al Jazeera)
DRC and UN Launch Joint Operation to Secure Area Around Goma
In Operation Springbok, government troops and peacekeepers are patrolling the area around the North Kivu capital to reinforce security after M23 and other armed groups stepped up attacks in the province (AP)
IOM: Record 6.9 Million People Internally Displaced in the DRC
The intensified conflict between rebels and government-aligned militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to one of the largest internal displacement and humanitarian crises in the world, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said; since October 1, nearly two hundred thousand people have fled their homes in eastern Congo (AFP)
Rebels Kill Two Ugandan Soldiers and Two Civilians in Eastern DRC Attack
The Allied Democratic Forces, backed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack in North Kivu province; Congolese and Ugandan forces have undertaken joint operations to destroy rebel strongholds in the area since 2021, but attacks continue (AFP)
Residents Flee as M23 Rebels Take Eastern DRC Town in New Offensive
The rebel group captured the town of Bambo, which lies sixty kilometers north of Goma in North Kivu province, as it continues to battle pro-government forces (AFP)
Kenyan Soldier Killed in DRC Rebel Attack
A DRC government spokesperson blamed M23 rebels for an ambush on the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF); M23 did not comment on the incident but accused the government of violating a cease-fire (BBC)
Meanwhile, a Chinese mining company disputed the revocation of a permit to develop a lithium mine by the DRC mining ministry (Reuters)
Twenty-Six Civilians Killed in ADF Attack in North Kivu, Eastern DRC
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group affiliated with the self-proclaimed Islamic State, attacked the town of Oicha in Beni territory, while clashes between the government and M23 rebels reportedly moved closer to the city of Goma (AFP)
The Congolese government again accused Rwanda of supporting M23, publishing drone footage of alleged Rwandan security forces in North Kivu (Africa News)
Fighting Continues in DRC’s North Kivu Province
Clashes with the M23 rebel group broke out around the strategic town of Kitshanga, which lies at a crossroads and has changed hands several times in recent months, as well as in Rutshuru (AFP)
Meanwhile, the presidents of Angola and Kenya jointly called on the M23 to join a military garrison in eastern DRC to facilitate peace (Africa News)
UN Warns Risk of ‘Direct Confrontation’ Between DRC and Rwanda
The UN envoy to the region said the two states “continue to accuse each other of supporting armed groups,” making the threat of direct clashes “very real” (AFP)
UN Detains Peacekeepers Accused of Sexual Exploitation in DRC
The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) said it is taking “strong measures” against the suspected “systematic, widespread violation” of UN rules by a group of eight South African peacekeepers (AFP)
UN: Clashes in DRC’s North Kivu Province Have Displaced 85,000 Since October 1
The clashes took place in Masisi between M23 rebels and government-backed militias, leading to restricted road access and prompting a pause in the provision of humanitarian assistance; the displacement brings the total number of displaced people in North Kivu to two million (Crisis 24;UN)
Twenty-Four Candidates Register for DRC’s Presidential Election
The number suggests the opposition vote to unseat President Félix Tshisekedi, who is seeking a second term in December elections, could be divided (Reuters)
DRC Hands Death Sentence to Colonel Responsible for Anti-UN Protest Deaths
He stands accused of issuing the order to fire on protesters during an August demonstration in Goma, where security forces killed at least fifty people (BBC)
DRC President Calls for Swift UN Peacekeeping Withdrawal
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, President Felix Tshisekedi lambasted the peacekeeping mission for failing to bring about peace or prevent human rights violations in its decades of operations and asked his government to fast-track the mission’s departure from the country (Al Jazeera)
DRC Presidential Candidate Jailed for Criticizing President
Presidential candidate Jean-Marc Kabund was sentenced to seven years in prison on twelve charges, including “spreading false rumors” and insulting President Felix Tshisekedi (WaPo)
Settlements Evicted For Mine Expansion
Entire settlements of people were forcibly evicted near the town of Kolwezi in southeastern Democratic of Congo (DRC) to make way for mine expansions, a new report by Amnesty International and Congolese rights group L’Initiative Bonne Gouvernance et Droits Humains (IBGDH) found (AFP)
East African Community Extends Regional Troop Deployment in DRC
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s criticism of the force, in place since November 2022, raised questions about its future, but regional leaders agreed to extend its mandate to December 2023 (Al Jazeera)
Two Chinese Citizens Killed in Ambush of Mining Convoy in South Kivu, DRC
This attack is the latest in a series of confrontations between locals and the international mining companies that dominate mineral extraction in eastern DRC (AFP)
Soldiers Kill Almost Fifty People While Disrupting a Protest
The protest on Wednesday opposed UN peacekeepers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (AFP)
United States Sanctions Six Individuals for Human Rights Abuses in Eastern Congo
The Rwandan and Congolese individuals belong to militias or armed forces and are accused of exacerbating violence and human rights abuses along the DRC-Rwanda border (AP)
DRC Claims to Repel Rwandan Army Border Incursion
A DRC military spokesperson said Rwandan troops crossed into North Kivu province north of Goma; other sources said fighting killed one Rwandan soldier, but the DRC denied those reports (AFP)