United Nations Increases Food Aid for Refugees in Democratic Republic of Congo
The UN food agency announced it will expand the number of displaced people it assists in DRC’s Ituri province from 116,000 to 300,000. This development follows a resurgence of violence that killed over 160 people in recent weeks (Associated Press)
UN Security Council Extends Sanctions on the DRC
The UN Security Council unanimously passed a French-drafted resolution that extends sanctions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The sanctions include an arms embargo, which prohibits weapons sales to rebel groups located in the DRC, as well as asset freezes and travel bans on designated officials (Al Jazeera)
Thousands Flee Violence in Democratic Republic of Congo
Renewed violence between the Hema and Lendu groups on northeastern DRC is leading an average of 311 people each day to flee to Uganda, more than double the rate in May of 145 per day. Uganda has received 7,500 Congolese refugees this month (UN High Commissioner for Refugees)
Thousands Trapped by Violence in Democratic Republic of Congo
A surge of violence in recent weeks has killed at least one hundred people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and left more than 80,000 trapped in Ituri province (Al Jazeera)
Hundreds of Thousands Fleeing Eastern Congo
Violence in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has caused more than three hundred thousand people to flee their homes since early June, according to the UN refugee agency. The World Health Organization said the displacement is a risk factor for the growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s northeast (Reuters)
Ebola Cases Growing Rapidly in DRC
Over the past month, new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo increased at their fastest pace since the current outbreak began last August. Aid agencies warned that the crisis could grow to be as serious as the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa (Guardian)
Study: Mistrust Heightens Risk in DRC Ebola Outbreak
A new study based on interviews with hundreds of Congolese found that misinformation about the Ebola virus is widespread, with one-quarter of respondents believing the country’s current outbreak is not real. The researchers said mistrust in institutions is associated with a lower likelihood of getting the Ebola vaccine and seeking medical care (Lancet)
Over One Thousand Ebola Cases Reported in DRC
According to a report published by the International Rescue Committee, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed one thousand cases, with daily rates on the rise (Time)
DRC’s President Pardons Hundreds of Prisoners
President Felix Tshisekedi pardoned about seven hundred political prisoners jailed under former President Joseph Kabila, including several prominent opposition figures. Tshisekedi also called on political exiles to return home (NPR)
UN Report Details More Than 500 Killed in DRC Massacres
UN investigators found that more than five hundred men, women, and children were killed and more than one hundred others injured in massacres in Mai-Ndombe Province last December that appeared to have been triggered by a dispute over the burial of a local chief (UN News)
DRC Rebel Leader Sues ICC for Damages
Lawyers for former militia leader Jean-Pierre Bemba are seeking $75 million in damages from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after Bemba was acquitted on war crimes charges last year. The amount is equal to about half of the ICC’s annual budget (Reuters)
DRC Leader Agrees to Coalition Government
President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila announced in a joint statement yesterday that they will form a coalition. Kabila’s Common Front for Congo holds a large majority in the National Assembly (Agence France-Presse)
DRC Announces Decision to Release Prisoners
President Felix Tshisekedi announced that within ten days his government will release all prisoners held for their political views, particularly those arrested during protests before last December’s election (BBC)
Ebola Treatment Center Attacked in DRC
Amid increasing sentiments of distrust towards health agencies in the DRC, a second Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Ebola treatment facility in the country’s North Kivu province was set on fire this week. The current Ebola outbreak has killed nearly five hundred fifty people (Guardian)
DRC Political Parties Pledge Loyalty to Former President Kabila
The leaders of the eighteen political parties in the Common Front for Congo coalition, which holds a vast majority of seats in parliament, signed a loyalty pledge to former President Joseph Kabila (Agence France-Presse)
DRC Announces a Rise in Ebola Death Toll
A report published by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry noted that over five hundred people have died from the country’s most recent Ebola outbreak that started in the North Kivu region last August (Al Jazeera)
DRC President Sworn In
Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo today following calls from Western and African nations for an election recount (France24)
Candidate Martin Fayulu, who claims he won the vote, lost a challenge in the Constitutional Court last week; he has called Tshisekedi’s victory a “coup” arranged with outgoing President Joseph Kabila (Daily Nation)
Regional Bloc Calls for Vote Recount in DRC
The Southern African Development Community, a sixteen-member regional bloc, said a recount in the Democratic Republic of Congo would provide the “necessary reassurance to both winners and losers.” The body also recommended a unity government that would include representatives in support of outgoing President Joseph Kabila, as well as opposition figures Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu (Al Jazeera)
DRC Opposition Leader Named Election Winner
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission declared opposition figure Felix Tshisekedi the winner of the December 30 election, after earning nearly 40 percent of votes in the election involving more than twenty contenders (Washington Post)
Martin Fayulu, the other leading opposition candidate, called the result an “electoral coup,” and his supporters have suggested that outgoing President Joseph Kabila has brokered a power-sharing deal with Tshisekedi (Reuters)
Several European diplomats said vote tallies by the Catholic Church showed Fayulu as the winner (New York Times)
DRC Election Results Again Delayed
The electoral commission said it could not release the results of a December 30 election over the weekend due to delays in receiving tally sheets (Guardian)
The United States has deployed about eighty troops to nearby Gabon to assist U.S. citizens and diplomatic personnel in the case of violent protests (CNN)
Security Council to Meet Over DRC Election
The UN Security Council is holding a closed-door meeting today on the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the release of results of Sunday’s presidential election. The long-postponed election could mark Congo’s first democratic transition, though concerns remain about the country’s ability to ensure a free and fair vote (Agence France-Presse)
DRC Exodus Raises Fears of Ebola Outbreak Spreading
The Red Cross in Uganda said hundreds of Congolese have fled to the neighboring country since last weekend’s presidential election, raising fears that an Ebola outbreak in Congo’s northeast could spread (Associated Press)
DRC Cuts Internet Following Election
A top advisor to President Joseph Kabila said internet and text messaging services were cut to maintain public order after “fictitious results” of a Sunday election circulated on social media. Official results are expected to be released on January 6 (Reuters)
DRC Expels EU Ambassador Ahead of Vote
The government said the envoy’s removal was in response to the European Union’s renewal of sanctions on top Congolese officials, including the ruling party’s presidential candidate in the long-postponed election (Reuters)
Three Cities Excluded From DRC Election
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission said voters in three opposition cities will not cast ballots on Sunday, December 30, the date for a long-postponed general election, due to an ongoing Ebola outbreak (Reuters)