Clashes Between DRC and Rwandan Soldiers Kill Five
Five soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo army were killed, and six were injured, in a clash with the Rwandan army. The clash took place along the disputed border and could risk inflaming tensions between DRC and Rwanda (Reuters)
Haley Calls on DRC to Respond to UN Killings
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has called on Congolese President Joseph Kabila to pursue individuals the United States believes were involved in the killings of American and Swedish human rights investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year (Voice of America)
Six Killed in Clashes With DRC Forces
At least six people were killed and dozens injured when security forces fired on anti-government protesters in the capital of Kinshasa yesterday. The demonstration, organized by the Catholic Church, called on President Joseph Kabila to step down (Deutsche Welle)
UN Launches Funding Appeal to Address ‘Dramatic Deterioration’ in DRC
UN agencies and relief partners launched an appeal for $1.68 billion, aiming to reach 10.5 million vulnerable people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where over 13 million are in need of assistance. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for DRC said that the country is grappling with one of the world’s largest, most acute, and complex humanitarian crisis (UN News Center)
UN Chief Urges DRC to Uphold Election Schedule
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there is a “real risk” that the Congolese government will continue to delay a long-awaited presidential election, which was rescheduled for December 2018 (Voice of America)
UN Peacekeepers Killed in DRC
At least fifteen UN peacekeepers were killed and more than fifty wounded in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province yesterday. UN officials said they suspect the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group was behind the attack (Washington Post)
U.S. Commends DRC on New Election Schedule
The U.S. State Department said it “notes the importance” of an announcement this week by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission that a long-awaited election to replace President Joseph Kabila will be held December 2018 (Africa News)
Thousands of Refugees Flee DRC for Zambia
At least 3,360 people have fled since August 30 to Zambia from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where security forces and militias are fighting in the southeast, according to the United Nations (Voice of America)
DRC Claims Preparations for Elections
President Joseph Kabila said in a speech to the UN that the publication of an electoral calendar should be “forthcoming” (Bloomberg)
DRC Begins Conference on Kasai Violence
President Joseph Kabila opened a peace conference yesterday to address a year of conflict between government forces and militia groups in the country’s Kasai region, which has killed more than 3,300 people, according to the Catholic Church. Kabila blamed the loss of life on “terrorist militia” (Associated Press)
Dozens of Refugees Shot Dead in DRC
At least thirty-six refugees from Burundi were shot dead by security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a protest over the detention of other refugees. One soldier was also killed and 117 people were injured in the altercation (New York Times)
UN: Congolese Armed Group Likely Killed Two Investigators
A UN probe found that an armed group in central Congo was likely responsible for the deaths of two UN investigators. However, the UN will not rule out the possibility that other groups were involved (Al Jazeera)
Congolese Police Arrest Over One Hundred Anti-Kabila Protesters
More than one hundred protesters demanding that President Joseph Kabila relinquish power by the end of 2017 were arrested by Congolese police, according to Amnesty International (Al Jazeera)
UN Accuses Congolese Army of Digging Mass Graves
A UN report accused elements of the Congolese army of digging mass graves in the central region of Kasai of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Journalist Abducted in DRC Found Alive
An American journalist has been freed and five park rangers have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 14 in a joint operation by rangers and soldiers, according to the Mambasa Territory administrator (AP)
Thirty-Eight Probable Mass Graves Found in Democratic Republic of Congo
The UN announced that it has found another probable thirty-eight mass graves, bringing the total up to at least eighty (Al Jazeera)
United States Threatens Sanctions Against DRC Officials
The deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations said the United States is ready to impose additional sanctions on anyone who further delays a presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and called on the government to announce an election date (ABC News)
DRC Council Says 2017 Election Unlikely
The head of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral council said an election to replace President Joseph Kabila is unlikely to happen in 2017 for logistical reasons (Al Jazeera)
Congo Discovers Ten More Mass Graves in Kasai
Congolese authorities have now discovered a total of fifty-two mass grave in the country’s Kasai region since the start of an uprising by a local militia in August 2016. The Catholic Church says some three thousand people have been killed in the fighting (Voice of America)
South Africa Pledges Support for DRC Government
South Africa’s minister of international relations pledged support to the government of President Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of Congo as it faces “external pressure” for a political transition. President Jacob Zuma congratulated Kabila for “progress achieved thus far” (eNews Channel Africa)
DRC Army Kills Twelve Rebels
A new rebel coalition launched several attacks in Beni in eastern Congo. The military killed twelve and captured seven rebels. The coalition is composed of several groups, including rebels who escaped in a June 11 prison breakout (ABC News)
Four Arrested in Connection to March Killings of UN Experts in DRC
The justice minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that the government had arrested four people as part of an investigation into the killings of American and Swedish-Chilean UN experts. He expressed opposition to an EU resolution to create an independent mission to investigate rights violations (Voice of America)
Nine Hundred Inmates Freed During an Attack on a Jail in the North Kivu Province
Militants attacked a jail in North Kivu province, freeing some nine hundred inmates and killing at least eleven people, including guards. Some four thousand inmates were freed in a similar attack in the capital of Kinshasa last month (BBC)
UN Security Council Meets to Discuss Killing of UN Experts in DRC
The UN Security Council met to discuss the killing of two UN experts in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March. The DRC said it opened an investigation into a former government minister one of the experts had accused of possible involvement with militia violence (New York Times)
DRC Shows Video of UN Experts’ Deaths
The Congolese government screened for journalists a video that appears to show the killings of U.S. and Swedish UN investigators. A DRC government spokesman said the screening was meant to disprove allegations that government forces were complicit in the murders (Reuters)