All posts tagged: DRC

Mini-Summit Discusses Peace Efforts for East Democratic Republic of Congo

Mini-Summit Discusses Peace Efforts for East Democratic Republic of Congo

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia —  Angolan President Joao Lourenco hosted a mini-summit in Addis Ababa on Friday in a bid to revive peace efforts for the violence-wracked eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The meeting, on the eve of a two-day AU summit in the Ethiopian capital, follows an escalation of fighting in the region in recent days. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to quell the conflict between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army in the mineral-rich east of the vast central African nation. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi was among those taking part in Friday’s closed-door meeting, his office said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “This mini-summit discussed, among other things, the return to a constructive and reconciliatory dialogue between the DRC and Rwanda, the immediate cessation of hostilities, the immediate withdrawal of the M23 from occupied areas and the launch of a process to contain this movement,” the presidency said. Kinshasa, along with the United Nations and Western countries, accuses DR Congo’s much smaller neighbor Rwanda of backing the rebels, a …

DRC is considering reinstating the death penalty for military personnel

DRC is considering reinstating the death penalty for military personnel

A Congolese soldier in Kanyaruchinya, north of Goma, in the east of the DRC. November 15, 2022. ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP While the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) is struggling with the new offensive by the March 23 Movement (M23) in the east, the government is considering lifting the moratorium on the death penalty for military personnel. The announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Jean-Pierre Bemba, who explained that he had submitted this recommendation “when it comes to cases of treason within the FARDC” at a higher defense council chaired by President Félix Tshisekedi on February 5. Four days later, the matter was referred to the cabinet by Minister of Justice Rose Mutombo. It is now up to the head of state to decide. The death penalty has not been implemented since 2003, but death sentences continue to be given. In 2022, 800 Congolese prisoners were sentenced to death, 163 of whom had been sentenced that year. As Bob Kabamba, an expert on Central Africa …

Children at the centre of a dangerous monkeypox outbreak ‘accelerating’ in DRC

Children at the centre of a dangerous monkeypox outbreak ‘accelerating’ in DRC

Limited response The response to mpox has been hampered by a lack of resources.  The DRC does not have any rapid tests available to diagnose the clade one virus and there are only two laboratories nationwide for handling samples taken from suspected cases, meaning it can take up to three weeks to confirm test results. There are also no vaccination campaigns. The smallpox jab has been given to vulnerable populations across the globe, mainly men who have sex with men, but the DRC currently only has access to the vaccine for research studies. But even if the shot was more widely available, it is not yet clear what the vaccination strategy would be, or who would be targeted.  “It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight,” said Dr Lewis. “You can’t bring 100 million doses of vaccine and start vaccinating overnight.” Accessing healthcare is also difficult for many. Where NGOs are working to provide free health services, they are generally overwhelmed, said the Kinshasa-based doctor.  But in places where visiting a doctor requires a fee, …

The UK cannot ignore the crisis in DRC | Opinions

The UK cannot ignore the crisis in DRC | Opinions

“Our daily lives are powered by a human and environmental catastrophe in the Congo.” – Siddharth Kara, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives In mid-December, I joined hundreds of thousands of people in central London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. “We are united”, I told the crowd, “in our demand for peace and justice for the Palestinian people.” Looking out to a sea of Palestinian flags, I was buoyed by the determination of ordinary people to show solidarity with those living under systems of violence and occupation. And I was moved by their willingness to prove how these systems were global in scope and scale. “I want us all to be active as well,” I concluded, “for peace and justice in the other wars that are fuelled by the arms trade – in Sudan, in Yemen, in West Papua, and in the Congo.” Against the global backdrop of deafening silence, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently experiencing a harrowing humanitarian crisis. Nearly seven million people have …

Tshisekedi sworn in for second term as DRC president after disputed poll | Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tshisekedi sworn in for second term as DRC president after disputed poll | Democratic Republic of the Congo

Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been sworn in for a second five-year term after a landslide victory his opponents have refused to recognise owing to widespread irregularities in the December general election. Authorities have acknowledged there were problems but dismissed allegations the vote was stolen. The fractious standoff echoes previous electoral disputes that fuelled unrest in Africa’s second-largest country, with protests breaking out on Saturday in two eastern cities. Tshisekedi took the oath of office in the capital, Kinshasa, at a stadium packed with flag-waving supporters, government officials, African heads of state and foreign envoys including from the US, China and France. In a speech, he acknowledged the country’s hopes of better living conditions and economic opportunities. About 62% of Congo’s 100 million people live on less than a dollar a day. “I am aware of your expectations,” he said. “A goal of this new five-year term is to create more jobs.” He also promised “a profound restructuring of our security and defence apparatus” and further diplomatic efforts to …

Eastern DRC Hopes for Peace During Tshisekedi’s Second Term

Eastern DRC Hopes for Peace During Tshisekedi’s Second Term

Goma, DRC —  Felix Tshisekedi is set to be inaugurated for a new term as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after the constitutional court confirmed his victory in last month’s election. In the eastern part of the country, residents hope he will focus his attention on bringing peace and security to the volatile region. Bashinge Esperance is a war-displaced woman who fled a month ago from Masisi territory, where the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo are fighting the rebel group M23. Esperance is a widow, her husband having been killed by the rebels while working in his field. She says she hopes that Tshisekedi, in his second term, will focus on bringing peace to the region. She says that the president, who will soon be sworn in, should be stronger to bring peace, because in the camp where she lives, she says she is suffering and would like to return to her village. Esperance sews to support herself and her 4-year-old child. She is pregnant and expecting a baby in …

How many more must suffer in DRC before the west stops enabling Tshisekedi? | Vava Tampa

How many more must suffer in DRC before the west stops enabling Tshisekedi? | Vava Tampa

Provisional results in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) presidential election have indicated Félix Tshisekedi is the winner. As his regime secures another five years, the incumbent will once again be looking to the west to help keep him in power, as the US government did in 2018. The DRC has lurched from crisis to crisis for more than 20 years. This is in part because the west has blocked the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the country, which is needed to end the culture of impunity fuelling violence, famine and the climate crisis killing and displacing Congolese people. The US has supported Tshisekedi by, among other things, facilitating international grants and credit, and yet, according to the World Bank, 73% of the population live on less than $1.90 a day, and things are getting worse. The UN says 26 million Congolese are facing “very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality”, an increase from 13.5 million, or 28% of the population, in 2019. Five years ago, Tshisekedi was humiliated by the Congolese …

DRC president declared election winner as opposition cries foul | Democratic Republic of the Congo

DRC president declared election winner as opposition cries foul | Democratic Republic of the Congo

The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, has won a second term in office with a landslide victory, according to provisional results, in a vote opposition leaders have dismissed as a “sham”. Provisional results from the single-round presidential ballot, declared on Sunday by the country’s electoral commission, Ceni, showed Tshisekedi had won 73% of the vote. Moise Katumbi – a wealthy businessman, football club owner and former provincial governor – was the runner-up with about 18%. The DRC’s constitutional court is expected to confirm the provisional results on 10 January. Tshisekedi, 60, first came to power in January 2019 after a disputed election that many observers said he had in fact lost. Martin Fayulu – who claims he was robbed of the last presidential election in 2018 – also contested this year’s poll but in the end won about 5% of the votes. The 20 remaining candidates, including Denis Mukwege, who won a Nobel peace prize for his work with female victims of wartime sexual violence, were either under, or hovering …

Weather tracker: rain batters Argentina and DRC as fog shrouds India and Pakistan | Extreme weather

Weather tracker: rain batters Argentina and DRC as fog shrouds India and Pakistan | Extreme weather

During the Christmas period, parts of South America experienced intense showers and thunderstorms, resulting in substantial rainfall in various regions. On Monday, more than 100mm of rain fell in the Catamarca province in Argentina, which led to flash floods. A sudden surge in river water levels then caused the collapse of a pedestrian bridge, which was the only link between the towns of Rincón and Pomán. While many other roads in the region were damaged and houses were flooded, no casualties were reported. The unique topography of Catamarca aided the formation of a near-stationary convective shower over Pomán, unleashing several hours of torrential rain and causing catastrophic flooding. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has also been affected by severe rainfall over the past week. On Tuesday night, heavy rains hit the eastern region, resulting in flooding, mudslides and landslides. So far, 40 bodies have been recovered in Bukavu and the surrounding areas. This comes less than a week after 20 people were killed in similar conditions in the Mwenga territory of South Kivu. North-west …