Latest Democratic Republic of the Congo News

Mpox cases in Congo may be stabilizing. Experts say more vaccines are needed to stamp out virus

Nov. 03, 2024 12:06 PM EST

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Some health officials say mpox cases in Congo appear to be “stabilizing” — a possible sign that the main epidemic for which the World Health Organization made a global emergency declaration in August might be on the decline. In recent weeks, Congo has...

Boxing dreams live on in Congo's grassroots clubs 50 years after the 'Rumble in the Jungle'

Oct. 30, 2024 00:30 AM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A punch crunches into the side of Daniella Muleketsi’s face. She grimaces at the sting of it and the crowd holds its breath in fear for their homegrown boxing hope. It is the 20-year-old Muleketsi’s first professional fight and it's in her hometown of Goma...

50 years after Ali fought Foreman in Congo, the 'jungle' hasn’t stopped rumbling

Oct. 29, 2024 10:45 AM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Alfred Mamba remembers the frenzy that gripped the soccer stadium in Zaire, now known as Congo, as the fierce heavyweight title bout unfolded through eight rounds between the underdog Muhammad Ali and the seemingly invincible George Foreman. “It was a big...

Congo wants UN peacekeepers gone. But endless war around minerals is complicating that

Oct. 29, 2024 00:43 AM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — The end of one of the world's deadliest and yet most shadowy wars is as difficult to predict as the end of the large peacekeeping force meant to contain it. Congo desperately wants stability in its mineral-rich east, of intense interest to the global economy. But...

Nuggets honor Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo with video tribute, 55-second round of applause

Oct. 25, 2024 08:26 AM EDT

DENVER (AP) — There was a video tribute celebrating Dikembe Mutombo's big accomplishments on and off the court. Then, Denver Nuggets fans stood and applauded for 55 seconds — his number. The late Mutombo was remembered by the franchise in the first quarter of the season opener...

Miners are razing forests to meet surging demand for metals and minerals, report says

Oct. 23, 2024 05:27 AM EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Whether it's digging for metals and minerals for cellphones and electric vehicles or coal for power generation, mining around the world has skyrocketed since 2000, causing widespread destruction of tropical forests, degrading the environment and displacing Indigenous and...

Years of war in Congo have created a dire mental health crisis. But little support is available

Oct. 16, 2024 09:10 AM EDT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — For Nelly Shukuru, there was no way out. The fighting that forced her from her home, the squalid conditions in the displacement camp in eastern Congo, the hunger, all felt inescapable. The 51-year-old planned to hang herself. She said a neighbor stopped her just...

ICC prosecutor announces renewed probe into alleged crimes in conflict-torn eastern Congo

Oct. 14, 2024 12:31 PM EDT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court prosecutor said Monday he is renewing an investigation in Congo and focusing on allegations of crimes committed in the conflict-torn North Kivu province in the central African nation's east since early 2022. Eastern...

Congo cancels an auction for 27 sites earmarked for oil exploration

Oct. 14, 2024 11:57 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo canceled an auction for 27 sites earmarked for oil exploration, its government said, citing late submissions and a lack of competition. The auction for the sites, known as oil blocks, was initially launched two years ago but was called off after it...

Rwanda's Marburg outbreak is under control, Africa's health chief says

Oct. 10, 2024 11:23 AM EDT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — An outbreak in Rwanda of the Ebola-like Marburg fever is under control and travel bans targeting the East African country are unnecessary, the head of Africa's top public health agency said Thursday. Rwanda declared the outbreak on Sept. 27 and has so far...