Demokratische Republik Kongo

Hopes for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have suffered another setback after former President Joseph Kabila joined a new political-military coalition challenging President Felix Tshisekedi. Announced in Goma on Monday evening, the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN) … is led by Kabila and replaces the existing alliance between the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and the March 23 Movement (M23). The new coalition brings together figures and forces associated with the two movements, accuses Tshisekedi of tyranny and calls for resistance by all means, including force.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has become the largest and deadliest in the DRC’s history. Globally, the toll is only second to the 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 confirmed cases and more than 11,000 deaths across Guinea, ⁠⁠Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila announced a new political-military alliance with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels on Monday, despite being sentenced to death in absentia for alleged complicity with the group. The move comes as debate grows over constitutional changes ahead of President Felix Tshisekedi’s final term ending in 2028.

More than 130 days into the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health experts said on Wednesday that response efforts have been scaled up significantly and “the first encouraging signs of progress” are now being seen. In an update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that in the last 21 days, cases of infection fell by approximately 26 per cent in province of Ituri and by 15 per cent in the province of Haut Uele.

Despite being authorised, an opposition protest in Kinshasa was cut short on Tuesday after clashes broke out and police dispersed demonstrators. The march was part of nationwide action against proposed constitutional changes that opponents say could allow President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term.

The Ebola outbreak in Congo, the world’s fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record, has now spread to seven provinces in the African country, local authorities said. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The first deployment of the monitoring mechanism is positive, but current conflict conditions should temper expectations.

The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) requires “urgent” action and funding to rein in its alarming spread, the UN Secretary-General told reporters at UN Headquarters on Thursday. … Estimates show current resources will last only weeks, not months, as the epidemic spreads faster than the response to contain it.

Healthcare workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been coming under attack, the United Nations and Red Cross have warned, hampering efforts to stem the spread of the Ebola virus, which is spreading 'exponentially'.

The Democratic Republic of Congo government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group have agreed a roadmap for peace talks. … The roadmap sets out a timeline for talks under a US-brokered peace framework which they signed in 2025 - only for fighting to then continue in eastern DR Congo, which has been engulfed in conflict for decades.