Latest Democratic Republic of the Congo government News

Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in seized mining area, UN official says

Oct. 01, 2024 09:40 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in revenue through its control of a mining area in the east of the country, a U.N. official said. In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in...

Aid group says Congo had 25,000 victims of sexual violence last year

Sep. 30, 2024 16:48 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Doctors Without Borders treated more than 25,000 victims of sexual violence in the Congo last year, by far the highest level it has seen there and most of it in the east where armed groups vie for power, the aid group said Monday. The vast majority of victims...

Rwanda's army and an armed group shelled displaced people camps in Congo, rights group says

Sep. 27, 2024 11:56 AM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda's army and a militia it backs shelled camps for displaced people in eastern Congo, Human Rights Watch said. It also accused Congo of abuses against civilians. A report by the group released Thursday said that since the beginning of the year, Rwanda's...

Protesters in Congo call for the release of political prisoners, including 3 top opposition figures

Sep. 25, 2024 13:48 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Hundreds protested in front of Congo's top court Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures imprisoned on charges the opposition says are politically motivated. Felix Tshisekedi,...

Thousands of ill inmates released from Congo's main prison to ease overcrowding

Sep. 23, 2024 18:13 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Nearly 1,700 ill inmates were released Monday from Congo’s largest prison, the minister of justice said, as part of an effort to thin out the country's overcrowded prisons. The operation took place at Makala Central Prison in the capital Kinshasa on Monday...

Rwanda begins vaccinations against mpox amid a call for more doses for Africa

Sep. 19, 2024 20:53 PM EDT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Rwanda has started a vaccination campaign against mpox with 1,000 doses of the vaccine it obtained from Nigeria under an agreement between the two countries, the African health agency said Thursday. The vaccinations started Tuesday targeting seven districts...

The lawyer for 3 Americans facing a death sentence over Congo coup attempt files appeal

Sep. 17, 2024 15:42 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The lawyer for three Americans sentenced to death in Congo on charges of participating in a coup attempt filed an appeal Tuesday, he told The Associated Press. A military court in Congo handed down death sentences last Friday to 37 people, including three...

How 3 young Americans ended up in the middle of a coup attempt in Congo and facing the death penalty

Sep. 13, 2024 19:08 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo, one of Africa’s largest countries, has convicted three Americans and dozens of others of taking part in a coup attempt and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death.” The court convicted the 37 defendants, including the...

WHO and Africa CDC launch a response plan to the mpox outbreak

Sep. 06, 2024 12:54 PM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization launched on Friday a continent-wide response plan to the outbreak of mpox, three weeks after WHO declared outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency. The estimated...

The first 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine reach Congo. But it's a fraction of what is needed

Sep. 05, 2024 14:33 PM EDT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The first batch of mpox vaccine arrived in Congo’s capital on Thursday, the country’s authorities said, three weeks after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency. The 100,000 doses of the JYNNEOS...