Democratic Republic of the Congo

Civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are once again bearing the brunt of localized violence, amid a sharp uptick in fighting between Government forces and the M23 armed group, the UN refugee agency reported on Wednesday.

Police in Democratic Republic of Congo fired tear gas Monday to disperse protesters who burned tires and U.S. and Belgian flags near Western embassies and UN offices in the capital Kinshasa, angry about insecurity in eastern Congo.

A rocket landed near a university in the Congolese city of Goma on Wednesday as thousands of civilians fled a fresh advance by M23 rebels that threatens to isolate the city of around two million people.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi has been sworn-in for a second five-year term of office, following a landslide victory his opponents have refused to recognise due to widespread irregularities.

DR Congo's Constitutional Court on Tuesday confirmed President Felix Tshisekedi's landslide victory in a December election for a second term in the poor but mineral-rich massive central African country.

The United Nations' top human rights official voiced alarm on Sunday about rising ethnic tension and calls to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo following disputed elections.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the major aim of restoring peace and security in the eastern part of the sprawling central African country.

One of the presidential candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a petition to challenge the re-election of incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi.

Provisional results show Felix Tshisekedi has won a second term, to be confirmed on January 10. He will have to face political animosity, unresolved security and economic challenges and regional tensions.

The UN peacekeeping operation in Mali is poised to complete its drawdown on Sunday following a decade of multifaceted efforts to support the West African nation and its people after Malian authorities requested earlier this year to end the mission by 31 December.