Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has asked the spokesperson of the UN peacekeepers’ mission (Monusco) to leave the country, signalling a collapse in relations spiked by demonstrations against the foreign troops.

Soldiers returning from leave to a United Nations intervention brigade in Democratic Republic of Congo opened fire at a border post, killing at least two people and injuring 15 others, Congo's government and the U.N. peacekeeping force said on Sunday.

The acting head of the United Nations mission in eastern Congo said Wednesday that it would carry out a joint investigation with national police into the shooting deaths of three peacekeepers and a dozen Congolese civilians during anti-U.N. protests this week.

Lavrov has already visited Egypt and will head to Uganda as Moscow aims at strengthening its ties with the continent.

Clashes have broken out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between its military and M23 rebels, a civil society and a rebel source said, a day after a bilateral agreement to de-escalate diplomatic tensions over the rebellion.

[…] The AFP news agency reported that a roadmap toward normalizing diplomatic ties between Congo and Rwanda included ending hostilities between rebel groups of Congo, M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, known by their French initials FDLR.

The top U.N. official for the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Wednesday that the resurgent M23 rebel group in the country’s east is well-armed and equipped, posing a growing threat to civilians.

By allowing Uganda and Burundi to enter the troubled region to pursue their enemies, Tshisekedi has provoked a backlash from Kagame.

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.