DRC creates a reserve force to fight the M23 – why this may backfire

After nearly three decades of warfare, armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) seems only to intensify. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion has been at the centre of attention in recent years. However, eastern DRC is home to...

Congo conflict: Why a US peace initiative faltered

M23 rebels are steadily advancing toward Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On Tuesday, M23 captured the eastern city of Minova, one of the main supply routes for Goma. Other...

Minerals and sanctions: Trump’s terms, conditions to aid Congo peace process

The US peace bid in the Democratic Republic of Congo will involve cash for investments into the mineral sector, just as much as a whip of sanctions to those who cross the line. It is a dual-track initiative to end armed conflict in the country,...

EU companies fueling minerals smuggling in DRC

An artisanal coltan mining operation in Rubaya, eastern DRC. Coltan is one of the most sought-after minerals and experts blame the unending conflict in the country on the mineral’s abundance. COURTESY PHOTO/GLOBAL WITNESS. ‘Coltan moves from DR...

Minerals, mobile phones and militias: how war unfolded in DRC

Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. This week, after three months of fighting, a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the works. I spoke to our east Africa correspondent, Carlos Mureithi, about the conflict, how quickly it...

Technology-Enabled Operations As A Model For High-quality Reforestation In West Africa

As the world faces a growing climate crisis, Africa’s forests play a vital role in combating environmental degradation. Restoring tropical forests is the most readily available and scalable solution the world has now to capture large amounts of...

DRC conflict: A geopolitical powder keg

The Congo River Alliance (AFC), officially established in December 2023 under the leadership of Corneille Nangaa, marks a troubling evolution in the DRC’s conflict. This heterogeneous coalition unites the March 23 Movement (M23), widely regarded...

Belgium eyes deeper investment in Congo’s mineral wealth

This development was revealed by Belgium's foreign minister during a visit to the resource-rich Central African country, which is looking to broaden its pool of investment partners. However, ongoing instability has long deterred the foreign...

Congolese bishops express ‘spiritual closeness’ with victims of deadly floods in Kinshasa

ACI Africa, Apr 13, 2025 / 07:00 am Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expressed their “spiritual closeness and solidarity” with victims of the recent floods and landslides that struck the capital city of Kinshasa and...

Congo says Rwanda-backed rebels occupy a 2nd major city in its mineral-rich east

Open this photo in gallery:M23 rebels enter the centre of east Congo's second-largest city, Bukavu, on Feb. 16.Janvier Barhahiga/The Associated Press Rwanda-backed rebels have “occupied” a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Congo’s...

Congo M23 gains to boost illicit mineral trade

KINSHASA: A lightning advance in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern borderlands is set to boost the M23 rebellion’s illegal mining revenues, with analysts predicting a further surge in illicit trade in minerals including coltan and gold through...

Kabila's return to DRC fuels tensions, as ceasefire starts

Observers are approaching the truce that was signed between the DRC and M23 rebels with great caution, following numerous failed attempts at keeping the peace in the past. The latest peace offensive, brokered in Qatar, comes after thousands of...

DRC: Rebel-held territory expands with capture of Bukavu

Bernard Maheshe Byamungu, one of the M23 leaders who has been sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council for rights abuses, stood in front of the South Kivu governor’s office in Bukavu and told residents they have been living in a “jungle." “We are...

Democratic Republic of the Congo needs a sustained ceasefire

Faraan O Rahim, global health researcher1, Ketan Tamirisa, global health researcher2, Patrick Ndeba, medical doctor3, Michée Kanda Sanza, public health expert4 1Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 2Washington University in St Louis, MO, USA...

DRC's Goma on the brink as Rwanda-backed fighters take airpo...

An armed group backed by Rwandan troops took control of the airport in the besieged DR Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, a security source said, dealing a major blow to Congolese forces and putting the regional capital on the brink of falling. The...

DRC’s Goma on the brink as Rwanda-backed fighters take airport

An armed group backed by Rwandan troops took control of the airport in the besieged DR Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, a security source said, dealing a major blow to Congolese forces and putting the regional capital on the brink of falling. The...

Dozens Die in Floods Hitting Congo’s Capital

Dozens of people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after torrential rains flooded the capital, Kinshasa, in the last few days, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The Ndjili River running through the megacity of 17 million people, one of...

Congo’s M23 rebels take control of Goma airport

[Source: Reuters] Rebels seized the airport of east Congo’s largest city Goma. Potentially cutting off the main route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of displaced people, after capturing the city in an offensive that left dead bodies lying...

DR Congo hands over three Americans jailed for coup attempt

Three Americans convicted of taking part in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2024 have been moved to the US, the countries said on Tuesday, days after their death sentences were commuted to life in prison. “They've been...

DR Congo repatriates Americans jailed over coup attempt amid mining talks

Three American citizens jailed in the Democratic Republic of Congo over a failed coup attempt have been transferred to US custody following high-level talks between the two countries on security and mining deals. The Congolese presidency told...