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Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo

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)

East African Regional Force Increases Patrols of DRC Supply Routes

  • The patrols aim to keep routes open for goods, humanitarian aid, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning home; the bloc’s chief said the security situation remains complex as sporadic violence among various armed groups continues in North Kivu (East African)

Nine Dead, Sixteen Wounded in Eastern DRC Explosion

  • A bomb reportedly inadvertently detonated after a civilian picked it up in a field and handed it over to a militiaman; multiple armed groups operate in North Kivu, where the blast occurred (Al Jazeera)

UN: Congo Violence Killed Over Forty Civilians in Three Days

  • A UN spokesperson warned that violence in northeastern DRC has escalated and called on all parties to respect humanitarian law; a report released last month by the international medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders said that humanitarian relief in the area has been slow and lacks transparency (AP)
  • Meanwhile, some U.S. firms are allegedly failing to disclose ties to Central Africa’s illegal mineral trade, violating a law that requires companies to file reports on products that contain minerals from the region in an effort to cut ties between the illicit mineral trade and violence in the DRC (Bloomberg)

UAE Signs Mining Deal with DRC

  • Under the $1.9 billion deal with the DRC’s state mining company, the UAE will develop four mines in eastern DRC’s turbulent South Kivu and Maniema provinces (Al Jazeera)

M23 Rebels Accused of Killing at Least Eleven Civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • According to a civil society leader, the rebels, who have seized sizeable territory and displaced about a million people since re-emerging in 2021, battled with self-defense groups and forced residents to leave with them carrying luggage (AFP)

Uganda’s President Accuses Former Democratic Republic of Congo President of Supporting Allied Democratic Forces Militia

  • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Joseph Kabila’s government provided the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which formed in opposition to Museveni in 1995, sanctuary and access to mining proceeds in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; the group pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State in 2019 and has regularly attacks civilians and security forces (Al Jazeera)

Opposition Spokesperson Killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Cherubin Okende, a member of parliament and former transportation minister, was shot on a major road in Kinshasa; the government condemned the murder and opened an investigation (East African)

Former Kenyan President in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Assess Peace Process

  • Uhuru Kenyatta, who has facilitated talks between the Congolese military (FARDC) and M23 rebels, will try to cool tensions amid a fragile ceasefire that has begun to falter (East African)