Democratic Republic Of Congo

Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels committed "horrific" violations that could amount to crimes against humanity, according to the UN.

Gunfire tore through the dark. Night after night, the 44-year-old physician from Guinea clung to the hope that the besieged city would hold somehow. Then, one morning in late January, the call came: he and the remaining international staff had to be evacuated immediately.

The move forms part of a series of measures aimed at ensuring adherence to the peace accord, also referred to as the Washington Accord, which commits the two states to work with regional and international partners to promote stability, security and development in the region, recognising that peace and prosperity are interdependent.

In a statement on Thursday, the DRC Ministry of Public Health reported 28 suspected cases, including four health workers who died while treating patients.

Mutamba vowed to come down hard on embezzlers. Now, he has been sentenced to three years, with hard labour, for allegedly stealing funds intended for the construction of a prison.

The Washington-brokered peace agreement signed with Rwanda in late June is in its implementation phase and the Qatar-mediated talks resumed on August 19 after Kinshasa and the rebels missed the August 18 deadline to sign a peace agreement.

Prosecutors argued that the money was diverted from a fund intended to pay reparations to victims of the 2000 clashes between Ugandan and Rwandan troops during the Second Congo War.

The conflict in eastern DRC has escalated, displacing over 7.8 million people and leaving 28 million more facing food insecurity, nearly four million of them at emergency levels.

Islamic State’s Central African Province may appear to be resurging after its latest civilian attacks, but the violence more likely reflects a rebound from years of military setbacks.

The two delegations had arrived in Doha to revive a truce signed earlier this year that had not been fully implemented.

As of May 2023, more than 208,000 Rwandan refugees were hosted in the DRC, while an estimated 81,000 Congolese refugees lived in Rwanda.

The charges also relate to alleged crimes against humanity, including massacres of civilians in eastern Congo.

The DRC is currently facing one of the most acute humanitarian emergencies in the world, with food insecurity on the rise and 5.9 million Congolese currently internally displaced.

According to M23, the allegations were neither new nor credible, having already been raised by the United Nations Human Rights offices earlier this month and dismissed in a separate document M23 released on August 7.

Kinshasa insists on M23’s full withdrawal and an end to external backing, while the rebels demand political and security guarantees before disarming, leaving both sides locked in mutual distrust.

The Mission also urged “the Congolese authorities to conduct thorough investigations to identify those responsible for the massacre of civilians and bring them to justice.”

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi emphasized that a presidential nomination does not in itself amount to a diplomatic posting.

According to the Regional Congolese Army spokesperson, Lieutenant Elongo Kyondwa Marx, ADF rebels, armed with machetes and other weapons, attacked the regions in retaliation after being defeated by Congolese forces.

The standoff follows years of failed negotiations in eastern Congo, where mistrust between the rebels and the government has repeatedly stalled talks.

Against this backdrop, the Congolese government warned that Nairobi's announcement risked conferring legitimacy on an "ongoing illegal occupation."

Ruto said the two leaders had resolved to consolidate previously separate initiatives into a unified structure for better results in the conflict-torn region.

The action comes amid a humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC, where M23 rebels and other armed groups have displaced millions.

Most returns have taken place in the volatile east, with over two million people going back to their villages in North Kivu province and more than 600,000 in neighbouring South Kivu.

M23 argued that the claim of massacres targeting farmers in these areas defies logic, pointing to a lack of proper verification in the UN’s findings.

After decades of exile, Congolese refugees cautiously return home -- only to find their villages changed, their land gone. But hope persists amid the ruins.

The leaders resolved to merge the existing EAC-SADC and African Union (AU) mediation frameworks into a unified structure, comprising the AU Mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators, which will report to both the Joint Summit and the AU.

The meeting followed a decision by EAC and SADC leaders to merge the Nairobi and Luanda peace initiatives into one platform, which was later endorsed by the African Union. The new process will bring together the EAC, SADC and African Union (AU) to oversee a single roadmap for dialogue, addressing the causes of the conflict.

AUC Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf praised President Ruto and Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa for their leadership, saying their dedication reflects a growing commitment by African leaders to resolve crises on the continent.

The meeting, held in the Washington DC, included observers from the United States, Qatar, the Republic of Togo (serving as the African Union facilitator), and the African Union Commission.

M23's advancement likewise triggered mass displacements, with residents reportedly fleeing before the attack. Two groups of displaced people have been reported; one fleeing to Waloa Yungu in Walikale territory and the other into nearby forests.

The new drilling plans could also affect around 39 million people living in the targeted areas, including indigenous communities, threatening their land, food sources and way of life.

According to the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), the official death toll from the attack currently stands at 43, including 19 women and children.

The assault, which occurred during a night mass, is believed to have been carried out by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group notorious for repeated atrocities in the region.

Joseph Kabila, who did not attend the hearing, is facing multiple charges, including treason, murder, rape, torture, participation in an insurrectionist movement, and the occupation of the rebel-held city of Goma.

The recent truce between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group — along with an earlier DRC-Rwanda peace deal — was expected to usher in new era of regional stability. Yet even the signatories show little hope.

The signing ceremony, attended by representatives from both sides, took place in Qatar following months of Qatari mediation after talks began in April.

There is no simple recipe for a good peace agreement, but research shows that four elements are important: a serious commitment from the parties, precise wording, clear timelines and strong implementation provisions.

Reports indicate that Tshisekedi signed the agreement with Blackwater in December 2024, officially to protect key mining sites in Katanga and Kivu rich in cobalt, coltan, and copper.

Further, the coalition decried that DRC's military actions amount to a blatant dismissal of ongoing diplomatic efforts, warning that such moves threaten to derail recent progress made through international mediation, including the US-brokered peace agreement between Kinshasa and Rwanda.

On June 27, the DRC and Rwanda signed a landmark peace agreement in the United States, sparking hopes of ending years of armed conflict and humanitarian crises in the eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.

The sanctions, first imposed years ago, include restrictions on arms transfers, financial assets and travel for individuals and groups linked to armed conflict and instability in the region.

While Kinshasa projected diplomacy, Goma staged defiance. M23's Corneille Nangaa and the Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 marked the day by planting a symbolic tree and asserting their grip on 34,000 square kilometres of territory.

A treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo comes as the United States tries to reassert its role as a global mediator under President Donald Trump. But it leaves many unanswered questions.

The peace agreement was initially expected to be signed by Rwandan and DR Congo Presidents in the White House in mid-June, according to the Declaration of Principles signed by the countries' foreign ministers on April 25.

Recent developments show that most of the bonds have not been structured properly. As a result, African countries are paying way over the odds relative to their sovereign risks.

The deal, quietly initialled by technical teams on June 18, is to be witnessed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and bears the fingerprints of both Washington and Doha.

According to Save the Children, over 65 per cent of these cases involved rape, while others included psychological and physical abuse.

According to the statement, M23 fighters stormed the village about 6:30 pm local time, killing at least 17 civilians and setting houses on fire.

On June 17, after more than a decade of investigation, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office requested that the case surrounding the assassination of Patrice Lumumba be referred to a Brussels criminal court.

DRC, the world's largest supplier of cobalt, instituted the initial ban on cobalt exports in late February, citing oversupply of the mineral after prices hit a nine-year low of $10 (Sh1,292) per 0.45 kg.