Demokratische Republik Kongo

The United States called Monday on Rwanda to punish forces behind an attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, not backing down from charges Kigali is meddling in its neighbor's affairs. The State Department accused Rwandan forces Friday of joining M23 rebels in blasts on a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of the eastern city of Goma that killed at least nine people.

[…] MONUSCO began winding down its operations in South Kivu in January 2024, and from 1 May 2024 the Mission’s mandate, including its responsibility to protect civilians ceases in this province.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk visited an internally displaced camp on the outskirts of Goma, capital of North Kivu, where he met with victims displaced by attacks carried out by March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.

Human rights experts warn the always-shaky security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is deteriorating further, as armed violence by Congolese and foreign forces battling for control of the region intensifies and threatens to spread throughout the country and beyond.

Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday appointed Judith Suminwa as Prime Minister, making her the country's first ever female to hold the position. The new Prime Minister replaces Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, who resigned at the end of February as a legal requirement after he won a parliamentary seat. 

Insecurity in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has worsened since the end of recent elections, UN Special Representative Bintou Keita told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

Angolan President João Lourenço, AU’s envoy for the Great Lakes and the region’s mediator into the tensions, has recently tried to implore on both sides to choose dialogue. On Thursday March 21, high-level Congolese and Rwandan delegations met in Luanda to prepare for the meeting between Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame.

The UN chief on Saturday condemned an attack which saw eight peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, wounded during clashes between the powerful M23 rebel movement and Government troops. 

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is open to a meeting with President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi to discuss the ongoing crisis in eastern DRC, with the date and location yet to be determined.

[…] Nyanzale is about 130 km north by road from the provincial capital Goma, and is home to thousands of internally displaced people who fled fighting in surrounding areas.