Demokratische Republik Kongo

[…] According to internal documents of the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission, seen by AFP, the eight peacekeepers deployed in Beni, eastern Congo, were arrested on Oct. 1 and an officer suspended a week later in connection with alleged sexual exploitation and violence.

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say East African Community Regional Forces (EACRF) will leave the country by December 8, signaling a refusal to extend any further mandate for the troops.

Clashes have intensified in DR Congo’s east where the national army has deployed in areas it was chased out of at the start of the year, the United Nations and local sources said Monday.

Twenty-four candidates, including Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, have officially declared they will compete for the presidency in the December election, the electoral commission said on Sunday - the deadline for submissions to the race.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly its volatile east, was under the spotlight during a high-level Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional security summit. … It, according to a statement, discussed necessary steps and resources needed for deployment of the SADC mission to DRC (SAMIDRC) as a regional response to support the fight against armed groups in eastern DRC.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Denis Mukwege, a doctor who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on sexual violence in warfare, has said he will seek the presidency. The 68-year-old Mukwege made the announcement before a crowd of supporters in the DRC capital of Kinshasa on Monday, challenging current President Felix Tshisekedi in the upcoming December elections.

[…] Bintou Keita, the UN Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and head of the UN mission there (MONUSCO), underscores that armed groups deliberately propagate falsehoods to incite discontent against the mission. … She described how MONUSCO is combating misinformation and disinformation in the field, and engaging with young people to empower them to prevent the spread of false information.

The United Nations Security Council has formally agreed to a proposal to fund the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). … The EACRF is currently funded by the EAC partner states.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday called for a speedy withdrawal of a key UN peacekeeping mission that has been in the nation for nearly 25 years. … While the plan under discussion was to begin withdrawal in December 2024, DR Congo in September asked the Security Council to start the process in December this year, when Tshisekedi is running for re-election.

[…] Political dynamics were driven by continued preparations for the 2023 general elections, heightened political tensions, including over the perceived lack of transparency and inclusivity of the electoral process, as expressed by parts of the opposition, and ongoing regional efforts to address insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.