DRC Offers United States Exclusive Access to Critical Minerals in Exchange for Security Assistance
The DRC’s government has reportedly contacted the Trump administration regarding a potential minerals deal, whereby the United States would receive “exclusive extraction and export rights” in exchange for security assistance in the war it is fighting against the M23 rebel group (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, Germany announced it was suspending development aid and reviewing existing commitments as a result of Rwanda’s participation in the ongoing war between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group (Reuters)
DRC Prime Minister Tuluka Refuses Talks with M23 Rebels
The DRC’s Prime Minister Judith Tuluka has reiterated her government is not prepared to participate in ceasefire negotiations with representatives of the M23 rebel group, despite recent international calls for an “inclusive dialogue” between the two sides; Tuluka insists the DRC will only mediate with Rwanda, which it continues to identify as the true “aggressor” in the conflict. (BBC)
The United Nations Human Rights Office revealed that M23 rebels had abducted at least one hundred thirty patients from two hospitals in Goma during the night of February 28; most of the patients were males, likely soldiers in the DRC’s national army or the pro-government militia Wazalendo (Reuters)
Additionally, Canada announced it would suspend the issuance of new export permits, trade missions, and business development activities to Rwanda; the country cited the Rwandan government’s backing of the M23 rebel group as the reason for its decision (Reuters)
Ugandan Army Deploys to Northeastern DRC
The Ugandan army has moved troops into the northeastern town of Mahagi at the request of the Congolese army; it claims it is there to protect civilians against the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, a militia the DRC claims has recently carried out several massacres (VOA)
Meanwhile, the army of the DRC has accused Rwanda of faking the capture of fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a militia complicit in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, to justify its support for the M23 rebels (BBC)
Five Hundred Monkeypox Patients Flee Clinics Amid Looting by M23 Rebels
Over five hundred monkeypox patients have fled clinics in Goma and Bukavu, raising fears of regional outbreaks; the patients were forced to flee after M23 rebels looted and set fire to the clinics (BBC)
At Least Eleven Killed in Blasts at M23 Rally in Bukavu
At least sixty-five others were injured in the two bomb explosions, which the DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi called a “terrorist attack,” while M23 rebels accused the Congolese government of orchestrating the attack (DW)
Unknown Illness Kills Fifty-Three in Northwestern DRC
Individuals reported fever, vomiting, body aches, and fatigue; the WHO said the disease has a fatality rate of 12.3 percent (Reuters)
Health officials called for high-level intervention to contain the disease in an area with weak health infrastructure (WaPo)
DRC Halting Cobalt Exports for Four Months Due to Oversupply
Cobalt is a main ingredient in electric car batteries, and DRC is the world’s largest producer; officials said they will review their stance in three months (FT)
Global prices in real terms for standard-grade cobalt have fallen to their lowest level in a century, a top pricing agency said (FastMarkets)
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom suspended financial aid to Rwanda and announced it would pause its attendance of events hosted by the Rwandan government; London threatened to potentially impose sanctions as well (Guardian)
Death Toll Since January Escalation Reaches Seven Thousand
Prime Minister Judith Tuluka Suminwa added that the recent escalation has also displaced 450,000 people (Guardian)
United States Sanctions Rwandan Government Minister for M23 Support
The U.S. Department of Treasury levied the sanctions against Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe, targeting him for supporting M23 operations and human rights abuses in DRC; the Treasury also imposed sanctions against Lawrence Kankuya, a spokesperson for M23 and owner of overseas companies in Europe (BBC)
Meanwhile, at least seventy Christians were found decapitated in a Protestant church in the town of Kasanga; local news and human rights organizations suspect the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)—which has ties to the Islamic State—of committing the attack (Newsweek)
UN Cites Targeting of Children in Bukavu, Thousands Fleeing to Burundi
The United Nations (UN) condemned M23 following reports of the group’s executions of children and targeting of hospitals and warehouses during their offensive in Bukavu; the UN added that up to fifteen thousand refugees have fled to Burundi, with many coming from areas around Bukavu (UN News)
Uganda sent a new deployment of troops to join soldiers already present near the town of Bunia in Eastern DRC; meanwhile, Burundian troops began to withdraw after aiding Congolese forces fighting M23 (DW)
M23 Rebels Seize Second-Largest City in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
They reportedly encountered less resistance from Congolese forces in Bukavu than in the nearby city of Goma (DW)
The rebel advance is increasing the risk of a regional war, analysts say; Bukavu lies near the border with Burundi (NYT)
UNICEF Reports DRC Sexual Violence Spike
Health facilities in a conflict-torn region of the Democratic of Congo (DRC) reported 572 rape cases during the week ending February 2, 170 of which involved children, a top United Nations Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF) official said; that’s up from an average of 95 cases reported per week last year (WSJ)
Armed men, suspected to be from both sides of the conflict, were responsible, the official said, calling for fighters to “immediately cease and prevent grave rights violations against children” (AP;UNICEF)
DRC Announces Closure of Airspace to Rwandan Aircraft
The decision will ban any aircraft from flying over or landing in the country’s airspace, should the aircraft be registered or based out of Rwanda (Anadolu Ajansi)
Meanwhile, Formula 1 stated that it is “closely monitoring” conflict in the DRC after Rwanda put forth a bid to host a racing grand prix; this comes with greater criticism from Kinshasa against Rwandan partnerships with prominent soccer clubs (BBC)
South Africa Sends Additional Troops to Fight Against M23 Rebels
A Congolese army spokesperson did not immediately confirm or deny the deployment (Reuters)
South Africa has reportedly reinforced its support for the DRC, even though some neighboring countries, such as Malawi, recently announced withdrawals (BBC)
East African States Meet to Discuss Ending Conflict in DRC
Member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC) met on Saturday in Tanzania, calling for a ceasefire in eastern DRC and the opening of humanitarian aid into Goma; both Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi attended the summit (DW)
Current United Nations estimates place the death toll at around 2,900, with over 700,000 displaced (BBC)
UN: Over 150 Female Inmates Raped and Killed During Goma Prison Break
A United Nations spokesperson said that male inmates escaped and set fire to the prison in Goma on January 27 while M23 rebels and Congolese security forces fought over control of the city; most of the 165 female detainees were raped by the male prisoners and died in the fire (CNN)
Separately, the World Health Organization drew specific attention to the heightened risks of mpox in Goma and eastern DRC due to obstructed vaccine rollout and overwhelmed hospitals, while 90 percent of all mpox patients in isolated care fled the city (Reuters)
M23 Rebels Seize Mining Town Despite Declaring Unilateral Ceasefire
Malawi, meanwhile, said it would withdraw its troops from a multinational security force in the DRC due to the truce (Reuters;Reuters)
Rwanda-backed M23 fighters Declare Unilateral Cease-fire in Goma
Last week’s fighting killed more than nine hundred people, UN health officials said (AP)
The Congolese army, which has been fighting the rebels, did not immediately say if it would also observe a truce (CNN)
Meanwhile, sixty-four nongovernmental organizations—most from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—joined calls for the European Union (EU) to cancel a critical minerals pact with Rwanda, which facilitates EU access to metals and rare earth elements; beyond objections to Kigali’s backing of the M23 rebel group, multiple UN reports say Rwanda also uses the rebels to extract minerals from within the DRC (Bloomberg)
Some EU member states, such as Belgium, have already called to end the agreement (Guardian)
Death Toll Rises to Over 770 in Goma
The United Nations (UN) provided this estimate after a week of fighting in the DRC’s east (The Guardian)
Rwandan President Paul Kagame claimed that he did not know whether Rwandan forces are in the DRC, despite UN estimates of up to four thousand soldiers currently supervising M23 (CNN)
President Félix Tshisekedi Pledges “Vigorous” Campaign to Recover Territory Lost to Rwanda-Backed Rebel Fighters in Eastern DRC
Tshisekedi skipped a regional summit convened by Kenya to address the conflict earlier yesterday, which Rwandan President Paul Kagame attended (BBC)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed M23 rebels, who are funded by Rwanda, for the deaths of thirteen South African soldiers in Goma; Ramaphosa added that further killings of troops, who were deployed as part of a peacekeeping force, would be treated as a “declaration of war” (BBC)
Rwandan President Paul Kagame rejected the accusation (Reuters)
Global Warnings About DRC Conflict Grow as Rebels Take Crucial City
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels seized the airport in the largest eastern city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) yesterday; their sweep into Goma—which was a humanitarian hub—marks the worst escalation since 2012 in an ongoing insurgency (Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to leaders of both DRC and Rwanda on the phone this week, urging a cease-fire and saying the U.S. is “deeply troubled” by events there (Reuters)
Kenya had planned to host a crisis meeting to help mediate today, but the DRC’s president declined to attend, Congolese state media reported (France 24)
The violence in Goma has prompted hundreds of thousands of people to flee, the UN deputy special representative in Congo said (UN)
When M23 rebels took over the city in 2012, Rwanda was hit with international sanctions, and the rebels were defeated the following year; so far, countries have largely held back from similar threats this time (NYT)
In just three days of fighting, local hospitals tallied more than one hundred people killed and almost one thousand wounded (AFP)
Romanian private security contractors, who provided technical and military assistance to the Congolese military, were captured by M23 and brought to Kigali by Rwandan authorities for deportation to Romania (AFP)
In the DRC capital of Kinshasa, demonstrators attacked a UN compound and foreign missions—including those of its former colonizer Belgium, France, and the United States—in anger over the international community’s failure to stop the rebel advance (NYT)
DRC Conflict Prompts Kinshasa Protests as Two More Peacekeepers Killed
Demonstrators in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital of Kinshasa yesterday protested against the Rwandan government’s backing of M23 rebels as Congolese forces tried to push back a rebel advance in the eastern city of Goma; a rebel attack killed three South African peacekeepers yesterday, Pretoria said (AP)
Fighting in Goma has killed 25 people and wounded over 400 as thousands of civilians flee the violence (BBC)
M23 Captures Goma as Fighting Escalates
On Monday, M23 militants announced their capture of Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the Rwandan border; Kinshasa disputed M23’s claim to have taken full control of the city as fighting raged into the night (BBC)
In advance of the armed group’s unexpected announcement, Congolese officials accused Rwanda—the primary funder and backer of M23—of sending increased troops across the border into Goma, amounting to a declaration of war by Rwanda against the DRC (NYT)
Kigali said that five Rwandan civilians were killed and more were wounded by Congolese bombs and bullets on the Rwandan side of the border during Monday’s fighting (The EastAfrican)
The UN confirmed that Rwandan troops acted in support of M23 in Goma during the offensive; thousands of civilians, many of whom are already internally displaced, fled the city on Monday (AP)
Kinshasa promptly halted diplomatic relations with Kigali as M23 advanced on Goma; the UN relocated nonessential personnel while the United States and its European allies have called on their nationals to leave DRC in anticipation of potential border closures (Al Jazeera)
Thirteen soldiers serving in multinational peacekeeping missions were killed in the past two weeks of fighting; East African Community Chair and President of Kenya William Ruto announced that he called on the Congolese and Rwandan presidents to cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table (VOA)
UN Security Council Calls for Rebels to Stop DRC Military Push
M23 rebels claimed they took over the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Goma, a humanitarian hub, which the Congolese government denied; the DRC foreign minister said Rwanda had declared war by sending troops over the border to support the M23 (BBC)
Increased fighting around the city over the weekend prompted the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting and African neighbors to plan a regional meeting about the summit in the coming days (Reuters)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres Warns Current Escalation Between M23 Rebels and Congolese Government Forces Is “Heightening the Threat of Regional War”
The Rwanda-backed rebels surrounded the eastern city of Goma; they briefly captured it in 2012 before withdrawing over intense international pressure (NYT)