Burundi sends troops to DRC for regional peacekeeping force
2 years, 4 months ago

Burundi sends troops to DRC for regional peacekeeping force

Al Jazeera  

There are more than 120 armed groups active in the DRC, driving longstanding conflict in the country. The deployment was confirmed by a DRC army spokesman, Lieutenant Marc Elongo, who said the mandate is to track down “all foreign and local armed groups in order to restore peace” in the mineral-rich region bordering Rwanda and Uganda where dozens of rebel groups operate. Tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, which the former has accused of supporting the recently resurgent M23 rebel group, in part led to the East African Community creating the regional force earlier this year. Carina Tertsakian who is the Burundian Human Rights Initiative told the AP that the soldiers might pursue another rebel group, RED Tabara, that has been accused of carrying out attacks inside Burundi. “It is no surprise that Burundi is the first country to offer troops,” Tertsakian said, asserting that hundreds of Burundian forces already had been quietly deployed in the DRC for several months on that mission.

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History of this topic

East African summit urges peace in eastern Congo but its leader skips talks
3 weeks, 2 days ago

East African summit urges peace in eastern Congo but its leader skips talks

Associated Press  

ARUSHA, Tanzania — East African heads of state made another push for peace in eastern Congo on Saturday but its prospects remained bleak following a regional summit that was marked by the Congolese president’s absence and an early departure of his Rwandan counterpart. A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting of the East African Community in Arusha, …

Congo accuses rebel group of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in country’s east
1 month ago

Congo accuses rebel group of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in country’s east

Associated Press  

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo’s government on Tuesday accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of “ethnic cleansing” in the central African nation’s east. M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army just over a decade ago. The group rose to prominence in 2012 when its …

As Rwanda votes, tensions with neighbouring DR Congo deepen over M23
5 months, 1 week ago

As Rwanda votes, tensions with neighbouring DR Congo deepen over M23

Al Jazeera  

As Rwandans go to the polls for presidential and legislative elections, some 9.7 million people are voting in an atmosphere of peace and stability. According to the UN expert group report, 3,000 to 4,000 Rwanda Defence Force members are fighting alongside the M23 in DRC. Government spokesperson Yolanda Makolo did not outrightly deny RDF’s presence in the DRC while speaking …

UN experts: Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are in Congo operating with the M23 rebel group
5 months, 1 week ago

UN experts: Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are in Congo operating with the M23 rebel group

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwanda government forces are deployed in neighboring eastern Congo, operating alongside the M23 rebel group which has been making major advances, U.N. experts said in a report circulated Wednesday. The Rwandan forces’ “de facto control and direction over M23 operations also renders Rwanda liable for the actions of M23,” the panel of experts …

Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group: UN experts
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group: UN experts

Al Jazeera  

The United Nations report says the Ugandan army supported the rebels while some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside them in the eastern DRC. The UN Security Council’s group of experts on Monday also said some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside M23 rebels in eastern DRC and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations. “Since the resurgence of …

3 Tanzanian soldiers were killed as violence persists in eastern Congo
8 months, 2 weeks ago

3 Tanzanian soldiers were killed as violence persists in eastern Congo

Associated Press  

NAIROBI, Kenya — 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. President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo blames neighboring Rwanda for providing military support to the M23, an allegation Rwandan officials no longer …

Eastern DRC ‘at breaking point’ as security, humanitarian crises worsen
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Eastern DRC ‘at breaking point’ as security, humanitarian crises worsen

Al Jazeera  

UN warns of deteriorating situation as M23 rebels continue to make gains, pushing hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes. War is on the doorstep of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Goma city and the region is at breaking point, activists and aid workers have said, as the United Nations sounds an alarm over the situation in the …

Security in Congo’s mineral-rich east is deteriorating with rebel group expanding territory, UN says
8 months, 3 weeks ago

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

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — 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 Wednesday. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood again condemned “the aggressive military incursion” into eastern Congo by the M23 rebel group and …

CODECO rebel attack kills 15 people in eastern DR Congo
10 months ago

CODECO rebel attack kills 15 people in eastern DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

Violence has been on the rise in the conflict-hit eastern DR Congo in recent weeks as multiple armed groups wreak havoc. Armed rebels have killed 15 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s troubled Ituri province, local sources said on Sunday, in the second such attack in days. CODECO fighters ambushed users of a road near the village of Tali …

Burundi’s president claims Rwanda is backing rebels fighting against his country
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Burundi’s president claims Rwanda is backing rebels fighting against his country

Associated Press  

NAIROBI, Kenya — Burundi’s president on Friday accused Rwanda of funding and training rebels behind an attack last week on the village of Gatumba, close to Burundi’s border with Congo, that killed at least 20 people. In a national radio broadcast, President Evariste Ndayishimiye claimed the RED-Tabara “are fed, sheltered, hosted and maintained in terms of logistics and financial means …

Rebel attack in western Burundi kills at least 20
1 year ago

Rebel attack in western Burundi kills at least 20

Al Jazeera  

It is the second attack in two weeks by the RED-Tabara rebels, who have been largely inactive inside Burundi since 2021. The RED-Tabara rebel group, which has been battling Burundi’s government from bases in the eastern DRC since 2015, claimed on the social media platform X to have killed nine soldiers and one police officer. Witnesses who spoke to the …

Tensions between Congo and Rwanda heighten the risk of military confrontation, UN envoy says
1 year ago

Tensions between Congo and Rwanda heighten the risk of military confrontation, UN envoy says

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Tensions between Congo and Rwanda have escalated, heightening the risk of a military confrontation that could draw in Burundi, the top U.N. official in Congo warned the Security Council on Monday. She stressed that insecurity “has compounded the ongoing humanitarian crisis.” According to the U.N. humanitarian office, over 6.5 million people are displaced in Congo, 5.5 million …

The massive displacement in Congo | Explained
1 year, 1 month ago

The massive displacement in Congo | Explained

The Hindu  

November 07, 2023 10:41 pm | Updated November 13, 2023 12:23 pm IST The story so far: On October 30, the UN International Organization of Migration reported that the number of people who have been internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 6.9 million. Since then, the eastern DRC, bordering Rwanda, has been facing insurgency perpetrated …

Congo orders regional peacekeepers to leave by December
1 year, 2 months ago

Congo orders regional peacekeepers to leave by December

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Congo’s government spokesperson has said that the East African regional force would have to leave the country by Dec. 8 because of a “lack of satisfactory results on the ground” as agreed on during a regional meeting. Partick Muyaya told journalists on Monday night that the East African Community, or EAC, force must leave the country “because …

Rwanda says Congolese soldiers attack its border army post
1 year, 10 months ago

Rwanda says Congolese soldiers attack its border army post

Associated Press  

KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda’s army said its troops briefly exchanged fire with soldiers from Congo early Wednesday, in a new spike in tension between the neighbors who have accused each other of supporting armed rebel groups on the other side of the border. United Nations experts in December said they had “substantial evidence” of Rwandan government forces crossing into Congo …

One peacekeeper killed in DRC after UN chopper comes under fire
1 year, 10 months ago

One peacekeeper killed in DRC after UN chopper comes under fire

Al Jazeera  

Sunday’s incident comes a day after leaders of the East African Community held a summit on the DRC crisis, in Burundi. A United Nations peacekeeper has been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo when a helicopter operated by the peacekeeping force came under fire midair on Sunday, the UN mission called MONUSCO said. Eight peacekeepers were killed …

East African leaders urge ceasefire in eastern DR Congo
1 year, 10 months ago

East African leaders urge ceasefire in eastern DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

The call came after leaders of the East African Community held a summit in Burundi on Saturday. East African regional leaders have renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire by all sides in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that pits the country’s military against a rebel group that the government has accused Rwanda of supporting. At a …

UN condemns M23 rebel offensive on DRC town as hundreds flee
1 year, 10 months ago

UN condemns M23 rebel offensive on DRC town as hundreds flee

Al Jazeera  

The M23 rebels have seized areas of eastern DRC’s North Kivu province in a rapid onslaught since May. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has condemned an offensive by M23 rebels in the east of the country that forced 450 people, including women and children, to seek refuge around its base in Kitshanga town. …

Abduction, torture, rape: Conflict in Congo worsens, says U.N.
1 year, 11 months ago

Abduction, torture, rape: Conflict in Congo worsens, says U.N.

LA Times  

The accounts are haunting. At the Bunagana border crossing with Uganda, the rebels earned an average of $27,000 a month making people pay to carry goods in and out of the country, said the U.N. Two locals living under M23, who did not want to be named out of fear for their safety, told the Associated Press they’d been forced …

UN experts: `Substantial evidence’ of Rwanda forces in Congo
2 years ago

UN experts: `Substantial evidence’ of Rwanda forces in Congo

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — U.N. experts say they found “substantial evidence” of Rwandan government forces crossing into neighboring eastern Congo, either to reinforce M23 rebels or to conduct military operations against another rebel group that includes fighters accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The M23 rebels are largely Congolese ethnic Tutsis who became prominent 10 years ago when …

UN extends Congo peacekeeping force with an eye to its exit
2 years ago

UN extends Congo peacekeeping force with an eye to its exit

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo with an eye to its eventual exit, and to lift a notification requirement on some arms purchases which Congo’s foreign minister recently called “unjustified and humiliating.” The separate resolutions were approved amid worsening security in Congo’s mineral-rich east, a region rife with rebel …

M23 says ready to ‘withdraw’ in eastern DRC, yet clashes reported
2 years ago

M23 says ready to ‘withdraw’ in eastern DRC, yet clashes reported

Al Jazeera  

The armed group, which was absent from the latest peace talks, has requested a meeting with regional mediators over the continuing conflict. The M23 rebel group says it is ready to withdraw from occupied territory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and will support regional peace-making efforts despite not being represented in talks. The Tutsi-led armed group widely seen …

M23 accept conditional ceasefire, want talks with DRC government
2 years ago

M23 accept conditional ceasefire, want talks with DRC government

Al Jazeera  

The armed group was warned that if they did not cease fire after the deadline, force would be used to push them out. There has been a pause in fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, after confrontations on Friday between Congolese troops and M23 rebels, as the armed group conditionally agreed to a ceasefire. However, M23, which …

DRC fighting resumes, M23 say ceasefire deal doesn’t affect them
2 years ago

DRC fighting resumes, M23 say ceasefire deal doesn’t affect them

Al Jazeera  

Congolese government has rejected any direct talks with M23, while the armed group says it has no plans to withdraw. Fighting resumed between troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and M23 rebels in the country’s east on Friday, as the armed group said a ceasefire deal between African leaders “doesn’t really concern” them. But Lawrence Kanyuka, the political …

Kenya deploys hundreds to regional force in eastern Congo
2 years, 1 month ago

Kenya deploys hundreds to regional force in eastern Congo

The Hindu  

Kenya's president said on Wednesday that his country is sending more than 900 military personnel to eastern Congo to join a new regional force tasked with trying to calm deadly tensions fuelled by armed groups. Kenyan President William Ruto called the mission “necessary and urgent” for regional security, and said he and Congo's president had agreed on how Kenyan forces …

Kenya deploys hundreds of troops to regional force in eastern DRC
2 years, 1 month ago

Kenya deploys hundreds of troops to regional force in eastern DRC

Al Jazeera  

President Ruto is sending more than 900 military personnel to tackle armed groups in eastern DRC. Kenyan President William Ruto says his country is sending more than 900 military personnel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to join a new regional force tasked with trying to calm deadly tensions fuelled by armed groups. Ruto on Wednesday called the mission …

UN troops in DRC make ‘strategic withdrawal’ from key army base
2 years, 1 month ago

UN troops in DRC make ‘strategic withdrawal’ from key army base

Al Jazeera  

Analysts say the loss of the military base is a setback for the DRC’s war against armed groups in the eastern region. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has withdrawn troops from the eastern military base of Rumangabo, ceding ground in the battle against the M23 rebel group. The M23 resumed fighting in late …

Burundi 1st to send soldiers for regional force in Congo
2 years, 4 months ago

Burundi 1st to send soldiers for regional force in Congo

Associated Press  

NAIROBI, Kenya — Soldiers from Burundi have deployed to troubled eastern Congo as the first part of a recently created East African regional force to respond to crises. The tensions between Congo and Rwanda, which Congo has accused of supporting the recently resurgent M23 rebel group, in part led the East African Community to create the regional force earlier this …

Rwanda backing M23 rebels in DRC: UN experts
2 years, 4 months ago

Rwanda backing M23 rebels in DRC: UN experts

Al Jazeera  

A UN group of experts finds ‘solid evidence’ that Kigali is supporting M23 fighters despite repeated denials. Rwandan troops attacked soldiers inside DR Congo and aided the M23 rebel group with weapons and support, a United Nations group of experts said, citing “solid evidence” despite reiterated denials by Kigali. A 131-page report by United Nations Security Council experts found Rwanda …

Rights group concerned about Burundi’s ‘secret’ mission in DRC
2 years, 4 months ago

Rights group concerned about Burundi’s ‘secret’ mission in DRC

Al Jazeera  

Burundi has been sending troops and civilians into the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight Burundian opposition armed groups in a secret mission, says a human rights group. The Burundi government has been sending its forces and members of the ruling civilian youth party in a clandestine mission to fight Burundian armed opposition groups in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of …

Clashes continue in DRC despite de-escalation pact with Rwanda
2 years, 5 months ago

Clashes continue in DRC despite de-escalation pact with Rwanda

Al Jazeera  

An M23 rebel spokesman said there was an exchange of fire after Congolese troops attacked a rebel position in the east. Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi met in Angola on Wednesday and agreed on a plan that included an immediate cessation of hostilities and the retreat of M23 fighters from Congo. M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma …

UN envoy warns of spiralling DRC conflict
2 years, 5 months ago

UN envoy warns of spiralling DRC conflict

Al Jazeera  

The United Nations envoy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has warned that fighting in the east of the country could spiral out of control, amid reports of grave human right abuses in the region’s restive provinces. A recent flare-up of heavy fighting has revived decades-old animosities between the governments of DRC and neighbouring Rwanda, with the former blaming …

UN envoy warns Congo's M23 rebels are acting like an army
2 years, 5 months ago

UN envoy warns Congo's M23 rebels are acting like an army

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The U.N. special envoy for …

What is the latest conflict in the DR Congo about?
2 years, 6 months ago

What is the latest conflict in the DR Congo about?

Al Jazeera  

The Norwegian Refugee Council declared the situation in DR Congo to be the world’s most neglected refugee crisis – for the second year running. That space, especially its mineral-rich eastern region, has been the battleground for more than a hundred armed groups fighting for control of territory there or using it as a base to launch attacks into some of …

East Africa leaders agree regional force to quell DR Congo crisis
2 years, 6 months ago

East Africa leaders agree regional force to quell DR Congo crisis

Al Jazeera  

The decision comes as fighting restarts in DRC’s northeast, with Kinshasa blaming Rwanda for backing the M23 rebels. “The heads of state have instructed that the regional force, in cooperation with the DRC’s military and administrative forces, seek to stabilise and guarantee peace in DRC,” read the statement. “The problems affecting the region like the crisis in Congo need a …

DR Congo welcomes deployment of regional force to fight rebels
2 years, 6 months ago

DR Congo welcomes deployment of regional force to fight rebels

Al Jazeera  

Kinshasa says it will not accept the participation of Rwandan troops in any regional force to fight the M23 rebels. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has welcomed Kenya’s proposal to deploy a regional force to fight the M23 rebel group in the east of the country, but said it won’t accept neighbour Rwanda’s participation. Rwanda denies DRC’s allegations that …

Why Rwanda and Congo are sliding toward war again
2 years, 6 months ago

Why Rwanda and Congo are sliding toward war again

LA Times  

People walk on the road near Kibumba, north of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, as they flee fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels in North Kivu last month. If Rwanda wants war, “it will have war,” a spokesman for the military governor of Congo’s North Kivu province told thousands of protesters on Wednesday. At that, Congo’s military accused Rwandan …

DRC accuses Rwanda of sending disguised soldiers across border
2 years, 6 months ago

DRC accuses Rwanda of sending disguised soldiers across border

Al Jazeera  

Kigali dismisses accusations as fake as tensions between the two nations escalate over resurgent violence in DRC’s east. The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have accused Rwanda of sending special forces in disguise into the country’s territory, marking the latest flashpoint in an escalating dispute between the two neighbours over resurgent violence in its east. DRC’s …

Analysis: Why are Rwanda and DRC having another diplomatic spat?
2 years, 6 months ago

Analysis: Why are Rwanda and DRC having another diplomatic spat?

Al Jazeera  

The current diplomatic spat seems to have been triggered by fighting between M23 and state forces in eastern DR Congo. Meanwhile, Kigali, which had already accused Congolese security forces of firing rockets into its territory, said two Rwandan soldiers had been kidnapped on patrol and were being held by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda – another rebel …

Rwanda deploys 1,000 soldiers to Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado
3 years, 5 months ago

Rwanda deploys 1,000 soldiers to Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado

Al Jazeera  

The government in Kigali says deployment at the request of the Mozambican authorities aimed at restoring state control in the conflict-hit province. Rwanda has started deploying 1,000-strong forces to Mozambique to help it combat worsening violence in the gas-rich northern Cabo Delgado province. Soldiers from Rwanda, which is not a member of SADC, would fight alongside Mozambique’s forces and SADC …

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