Demokratische Republik Kongo

A new government action plan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to reverse the urgent and tragic deterioration in the east of the country, where thousands of human rights abuses are being committed against civilians by armed militants, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. Bintou Keita, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC, said fresh strides towards peace and stability are prerequisites for the mission, known as MONUSCO, to responsibly withdraw, in line with its planned drawdown. 

The ADF is “notorious in this region for its brutal violence against Congolese citizens and regional military forces, with attacks killing over 849 civilians in 2020 alone” according to UN figures.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to investigate recent deadly attacks by insurgents in the east and bring the perpetrators to account. At least 55 people were killed, and many others wounded, in the overnight assaults on Monday, which targeted camps hosting internally displaced people near the towns of Boga in Irumu territory, Ituri province, and Tchabi, North Kivu province. 

Thirteen people in the eastern DR Congo have been killed in a suspected attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia that the US says is linked to the Islamic State group, local officials said Wednesday.

Thirty people were sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after a one-day trial for their role in anti-police violence marking the end of Ramadan in the capital.

Congolese in eastern DRC will only appreciate the UN peace mission’s efforts when their government makes them feel safe.

Militants killed at least 19 people, including 10 soldiers, in raids on two villages in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, hours after President Felix Tshisekedi declared a state of siege in two provinces.

A recent spike in inter-community violence in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is worsening the plight of children there, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Monday, urging greater international support. 

With his new government, President Felix Tshisekedi has achieved victory in the power struggle with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. He has flagged security in the country's troubled eastern region as a priority.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister announced a new Cabinet on Monday, completing a government overhaul by President Felix Tshisekedi that strengthens his hold on power.