Latest Democratic Republic of the Congo government News

Death toll in bombings at displacement camps in eastern Congo rises to at least 35

May. 10, 2024 17:58 PM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — The death toll in the bombings of two camps for displaced people in eastern Congo last week rose to at least 35 Friday, with an additional two in very critical condition, a local official told The Associated Press. Éric Bwanapuwa, a lawmaker who represents Goma,...

Families of the victims of attacks on displaced people in Congo mourn their dead

May. 08, 2024 11:56 AM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Families of the victims of last week's bomb attacks on two camps of displaced people in eastern Congo gathered to mourn their loved ones at a ceremony on Monday evening. During the ceremony in the city of Goma in the North Kivu Province, mourners sang and lit candles in tribute...

M23 rebels seize key smartphone mineral mining town in eastern Congo

May. 02, 2024 19:40 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda this week seized Rubaya, a mining town in eastern Congo known for producing a key mineral used in smartphones, the group said Thursday in a statement. In a statement shared with The Associated Press, a spokesperson...

Kenya Airways accuses Congo military of holding its staff since last week over cargo issues

Apr. 26, 2024 07:34 AM EDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s state-owned airline has accused the Republic of Congo’s military of holding two of its staffers since last Friday over cargo issues. Kenya Airways, known as KQ, said on Friday the staffers were arrested in its airport office in the capital,...

The U.N. rights chief says eastern Congo's escalating violence is being forgotten by the world

Apr. 17, 2024 13:21 PM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — The world is forgetting the escalating violence in eastern Congo as conflicts continue in places like Ukraine and Gaza, the U.N. human rights chief said Wednesday while visiting the region and calling for peace and support for millions repeatedly displaced. ...

Congo landslide kills at least 15 people and up to 60 others are missing, officials say

Apr. 14, 2024 17:10 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A landslide in southwest Congo caused by heavy rains killed at least 15 people and left as many as 60 others missing, local officials said Sunday. Seven people were found alive after the landslide Saturday near the port near the town of Idiofa. ...

3 Tanzanian soldiers were killed as violence persists in eastern Congo

Apr. 09, 2024 07:57 AM EDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Three Tanzanian soldiers were killed and three others injured after a mortar shell landed near their camp in eastern Congo, where the Tanzanians are deployed under the banner of a regional bloc to help quell violence. It remained unclear who was responsible...

Congo appoints its first female prime minister as violence surges in the east

Apr. 02, 2024 04:07 AM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday appointed the country's first female prime minister, fulfilling a campaign promise and taking an important step toward the formation of a new government after his reelection late last year. Former planning...

Security in Congo's mineral-rich east is deteriorating with rebel group expanding territory, UN says

Mar. 27, 2024 20:50 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Security in Congo’s mineral-rich east has deteriorated since recent elections, with a rebel group allegedly linked to neighboring Rwanda making “significant advances and expanding its territory,” the U.N. special envoy for the conflict-wracked African nation said...

Congo reinstates the death penalty after more than 20 years as it struggles to deal with militants

Mar. 15, 2024 11:18 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo has lifted a more than two-decade-old moratorium on the death penalty as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country, according to a justice ministry statement released on Friday. The statement, dated earlier this week,...