Democratic Republic of the Congo

M23 seized the mining hub in its farthest advance west, despite calls for a ceasefire from DRC and Rwanda.

The premature withdrawal of SADC troops reveals deep-seated political problems and military capacity limitations.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have called for an "immediate ceasefire" in eastern DR Congo, after having direct talks in Qatar.

[…] Immediate actions within the next 30 days include initiating direct military engagement to enforce an unconditional ceasefire, reopening Goma and Kavumu airports to facilitate humanitarian access, and establishing a Joint EAC-SADC Verification Mechanism to monitor compliance with ceasefire agreements.

[…] These restrictive measures have been adopted in view of the escalation of the conflict in eastern DRC related to the renewed offensive of the March 23 Movement(M23) / Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) supported by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

The Southern African regional bloc has said it will conclude its troop deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), having decided on a “phased withdrawal”.

Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on March 18, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.

Fighting between M23 rebels and pro-Congo militias was underway on Sunday in Nyabiondo, about 100 km (62 miles) north of Goma in eastern Congo, residents said, days after a nearby attack left a heavy civilian death toll, according to the United Nations and an NGO.

Close to 80,000 people have fled armed clashes between Congolese Government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels into neighbouring countries and some 61,000 have arrived in Burundi … A staggering 895 cases of rape were reported to humanitarian actors in the last two weeks of February alone, the UN refugee agency official continued - an average of more than 60 a day.

The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), he said, without providing further details.  … Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government.