Demokratische Republik Kongo

Preparations for the 2023 elections and political efforts to address insecurity in the eastern provinces marked the reporting period.

East African leaders meeting in Kenya have agreed to deploy a Kenya-led regional security force to stop the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Weeks of fighting between DRC troops and rebels has raised tensions between the DRC and Rwanda. Congo accuses its neighbor of supporting the rebels, something Rwanda denies.

The UN Commission on Human Rights is alarmed over the rising tensions and hate speech in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as EAC Heads of State met in Nairobi on Monday to discuss the security situation.

The seven countries of the East African Community (EAC), which Congo joined this year, agreed in April to set up a joint force but had not specified when it might be deployed.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s military has accused Rwanda of “no less than an invasion” after M23 rebels captured a key border town, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two Central African neighbours. Kinshasa’s military vowed on Monday that its forces would defend their homeland, hours after the Congolese town of Bunagana fell into the hands of the M23.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army accused neighboring Rwanda on Wednesday of deploying 500 special forces troops on its soil, as tensions flare between the two central African states. The accusation comes amid a sharp deterioration of relations between the countries over the recent resurgence of the M23 militia in the DRC’s volatile east.

Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 15 civilians in a village in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the militant group said on an affiliated Telegram channel.

The recent resurgence of the M23 armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) constitutes a serious threat to peace, security and stability in the region, and urgent action towards curbing the violence is needed, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

The atmosphere between Kinshasa and Kigali is explosive, with the two governments trading blame once more over brutal rebels. Experts say the longstanding dispute will persist until past issues are resolved.

Militants killed at least 20 civilians last week in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a monitoring group said Monday, in the latest massacre in the conflict-torn region.