DRC Army and M23 Rebels Both Used Explosive Weapons in Densely Populated Areas Between Last January and July,
Amnesty International said the actions “likely constitute war crimes;” an uptick in fighting has displaced more than 237,000 people since the start of this year, the UN refugee agency said (AP)
President Félix Tshisekedi Replaces Head of Armed Forces and Several Senior Military Officials
State media announced the reshuffle late last night but did not provide a reason (AP)
It comes days after peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda over armed conflict in the eastern DRC were canceled, and clashes broke out immediately after (VOA)
DRC Files Criminal Complaints Against Apple’s Subsidiaries in Belgium and France Alleging They Rely on Conflict Minerals
Apple rejected the accusations and said it holds its suppliers to “the highest standards in industry” (BBC)
Angola-Mediated Peace Talks Between DRC and Rwanda Unexpectedly Canceled
The Congolese presidency said it refused a Rwandan demand for direct dialogue with M23 rebels as a condition for signing a peace deal (AP)
Angola Says DRC, Rwanda Advance in Peace Talks
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a document yesterday naming the terms by which Rwandan troops will disengage from DRC territory, mediator Angola said; the details of the document were not immediately made public (AFP)
Rwanda backs the M23 rebel group which has seized large swaths of eastern DRC since 2021 (Al Jazeera)
Southern African Development Community Troops Will Remain in DRC for Another Year
The mission was deployed in December 2023 with a one-year mandate to help the government fight against rebel groups (Reuters)
DRC President Considers Constitutional Reform
President Felix Tshisekedi announced plans to establish a commission to amend the country’s constitution, potentially eliminating term limits; opposition leaders voiced concern over Tshisekedi’s move towards constitutional reform as an attempt to “prolong his tenure” as president (Reuters)
United States Has Conducted Unusual Secret Intelligence-Sharing With Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda
Washington’s “intelligence diplomacy” has so far produced a temporary cease-fire in the ongoing conflict between the DRC and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group, but it has not stopped the group from expanding its territory; Rwanda denies supporting M23 (Bloomberg)
International Criminal Court (ICC) to Reopen Investigation Into Potential War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Committed in North Kivu Province
Last May, the DRC requested an investigation into the systematic pillaging of its natural resources by the Rwandan military and rebel groups (Reuters)
U.S. Watchdog Says Rules on Conflict Minerals Has Not Reduced DRC Violence
The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that a 2010 law requiring companies to report using minerals connected to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not reduced violence in the country; armed groups have increasingly fought for control of gold mines since gold is less traceable than other metals, the report noted (Bloomberg)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it disagreed with some of the findings (Reuters)
Doctors Without Borders Treats at Least Two Sexual Violence Victims Per Hour in DRC
Teams from the humanitarian organization helped treat more than two victims and survivors of sexual violence every hour in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year, totaling more than 25,000—the highest number it ever recorded in the country; the trend heightened further upward in the first part of 2024, it said, calling on national and international stakeholders to respect international humanitarian law and improve conditions for displaced people (MSF)
Angolan Presidency: Congolese and Rwandan Officials Agree to Cease-fire in Eastern DRC Beginning August 4
The statement did not make clear which groups were parties to the deal or how long a truce would last; DRC forces have been battling rebels in the area, and Rwanda has previously denied accusations that it backs the rebels (Reuters).
UN Security Council Says Uganda’s Army Has Bolstered M23 Rebel Group
In a report seen by Reuters, the United Nations Security Council expert group found that the M23 was able to use Ugandan territory for transit and meetings; the report also reaffirmed previous assessments that Rwanda backs the rebel group (Reuters)
A Ugandan army spokesperson denied any cooperation with M23; Uganda is one of the countries that makes up a regional force overseeing peace negotiations with the rebel group (Al Jazeera)
World Health Organization Calls for Urgent Action to Address Spread of Mpox in Africa
A scientist from the University of Rwanda said in a separate briefing that an extremely dangerous strain is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province; it has fatality rates of around 5 percent in adults and 10 percent in children (Reuters)
Kagame: Rwanda “Ready to Fight” DRC
In an interview with France 24, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Rwanda is “ready to fight” the DRC; his declaration follows accusations from Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi that Rwanda is organizing a genocide in Eastern DRC (Africanews)
Recent Rebel Attacks Prompt Deadly Protests in Eastern Congo
At least seven people have died in an outbreak of protests in the North Kivu province of Eastern Congo this week; the protests erupted as the ADF was suspected of carrying out two attacks in the past two weeks that killed forty and eighty, respectively (Reuters)
Following the week of deadly protests, Pope Francis appealed to national and international authorities to end the bloodshed in the country (Africanews)
Outbreak of ADF Attacks in Eastern DRC Kills Over Eighty
More than eighty people have been killed in the eastern provinces of the DRC this week in a slew of attacks carried out by men using guns and machetes against civilians in the villages of Masala, Keme, and Mahini; the army said that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were responsible for the attacks (Africa News)
DRC Names Cabinet After Months of Delay
Internal disputes over jobs had held up the announcement of a new government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even after President Félix Tshisekedi won a second presidential term last December and his party achieved a wide majority in the legislature; the new cabinet includes fifty-four ministers, down from a previous fifty-seven (Reuters)
The announcement comes after the government said it foiled a coup attempt last week (Anadolu)
Close Ally of DRC President Becomes Legislative Speaker
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) legislature elected Vital Kamerhe as speaker, placing him in the country’s number two position of authority; the election came a day after Kamerhe’s home was attacked on Sunday in what Congolese officials called a failed coup attempt (Reuters)
Congo Army Says It Arrests Dozens of People, Including Americans, in Coup Attempt
Authorities arrested around fifty people, including three U.S. citizens, a spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) army told Reuters
Gunfire was heard early yesterday morning in the capital (Al Jazeera)
The U.S. ambassador to the DRC said she was “very concerned” by reports of alleged U.S. citizen involvement and pledged to cooperate with investigations “to the fullest extent” (BBC)
NYT: Washington Could Lift Sanctions on Businessman to Ease Copper, Cobalt Mining in Congo
U.S. officials are considering a deal to allow sanctioned Israeli businessman Dan Gertler to sell off his stakes in copper and cobalt mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the New York Times reported; some unnamed U.S. officials said the deal would offer the Congo a “clean slate” to help fight corruption and for Western firms to invest in the country’s mining sector, where there is a large presence of Chinese firms (NYT)
However, some human rights activists have criticized the plan (Bloomberg)
Gertler was sanctioned for corruption allegations, which he has long denied (Reuters)
Aistrikes in Eastern DRC Kill Eighteen People
At least five rockets hit displacement camps in the eastern city of Goma, killing eighteen and wounding thirty-two civilians, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); both the Congolese government and the United States indicated that the attacks originated from areas controlled by Rwandan troops and the M23 rebel group (Reuters)
UN Peacekeepers End Operations in DRC’s South Kivu Province After Twenty Years
South Kivu is the first province from which UN peacekeepers are withdrawing as part of a phase-out plan agreed upon with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last December; the Congolese government said the mission in the country failed to protect civilians from armed groups in the area (AFP)
UN Human Rights Leader Says Crisis in DRC Risks Being ‘Forgotten’
Volker Türk visited the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a group of aid agencies estimated that one million people have been displaced by fighting between armed forces and rebels in the last three months; the United Nations is currently winding down a peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo while a southern African regional bloc prepares to intervene (AP; AP)
Rebel Attack Kills Eleven in Eastern Congo
The Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic state-linked group, also set fire to vehicles and engaged in stealing in the North Kivu province (AP)