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Aug
22
2024
By KRISTOF TITECA
Uganda and the DRC conflict: the interests driving Kampala’s involvement

Uganda and the DRC conflict: the interests driving Kampala’s involvement

NEWS
THE ambiguous and often tumultuous relations between Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made headlines in recent months. In a July 2024 report, the UN Group of Experts on the DRC stated that the Ugandan army and intelligence officials were providing active support to the M23 rebel group. The group, which is active in eastern DRC, was first defeated in 2013. But it has resumed hostilities in the vast area since 2021. The UN report also found that Uganda was tolerating the group’s activities on its territory, with supplies and recruits coming through the country. M23’s…
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Jul
06
2024
By The African Mirror
Soldier prosecutions underscore weakness of DR Congo’s anti-M23 campaign

Soldier prosecutions underscore weakness of DR Congo’s anti-M23 campaign

NEWS
A military court in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced to death 25 soldiers accused of fleeing the front line while fighting against the Rwanda-back M23 rebel group. Several Congolese soldiers and officers were also sentenced in May to death for “cowardice” and “fleeing the enemy” after a trial in Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC. Human rights activists said soldiers are being scapegoated for what are broader systemic issues within the security forces, while army officers told Reuters the crackdown has spread fear and distrust in the military. The M23 is led by Congolese Tutsis who say they are fighting…
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Jul
04
2024
By AJABU ADOLPHE
How Congolese journalists covering the M23 war are being forced to pick sides

How Congolese journalists covering the M23 war are being forced to pick sides

MEDIA FREEDOM
By Ajabu Adolphe This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. THE Congolese journalistic community – of which I have been a part for many years – has a code of ethics that is crystal clear on our professional obligations: “Treat all issues without bias and present controversial topics honestly,” it says.I aspire to this principle every working day, yet it has become hard to follow in recent years as the conflict between our army and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has put massive pressure on local journalists to support one side of the war or the other.The conflict…
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May
09
2024
By The African Mirror
Death toll from strikes on eastern Congo camps rises to 18

Death toll from strikes on eastern Congo camps rises to 18

NEWS
EIGHTEEN people were killed and 32 wounded when at least five rockets fell on camps sheltering displaced people around the eastern Congolese city of Goma, the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA said, updating an earlier death toll of 12. The deaths illustrate the worsening humanitarian fallout from the two-year conflict between Congolese forces and the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23, which has moved closer to Goma in recent months, prompting thousands to seek refuge in the city. Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States have said the attacks were launched from territory held by Rwandan troops and M23. Rwanda, which denies backing M23, has blamed militias…
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May
05
2024
By The African Mirror
Rwanda denies its troops attacked displaced persons camp in DR Congo

Rwanda denies its troops attacked displaced persons camp in DR Congo

NEWS
RWANDA denied U.S. accusations that its forces attacked a displaced persons' camp in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and instead blamed militias it said were supported by the Congolese military for the assault. The U.S. strongly condemned Friday's attack which killed at least nine people, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. The attack was mounted from positions held by the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, the U.S. statement said. The U.S. is "gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion" in eastern Congo, it said. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo denied the…
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May
04
2024
By The African Mirror
At least nine killed in strike on displacement camp in eastern Congo

At least nine killed in strike on displacement camp in eastern Congo

NEWS
AT least nine people, including seven children, were killed in a strike at a displacement camp in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, a local official and a military spokesman said. It was not immediately clear what kind of explosive device was used or who was responsible for the attack. A two-year offensive by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has moved closer to Goma in recent months, prompting thousands to seek refuge in the city from surrounding areas. The head of the Lac Vert district where the incident occurred, Dedesi Mitima, told Reuters he had seen the bodies of seven…
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Mar
02
2024
By JASON STEARNS and JOSHUA Z. WALKER
DRC-Rwanda crisis: what’s needed to prevent a regional war

DRC-Rwanda crisis: what’s needed to prevent a regional war

NEWS
IN the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South African, Burundian and Tanzanian troops are fighting against the Rwandan army, which has deployed in support of the rebellion by the March 23 Movement, or M23. Soldiers from South Africa and Burundi, as well as from the United Nations peacekeeping mission, have recently suffered casualties. In the crossfire, civilians have fled: seven million Congolese are now displaced due to this and multiple other crises in the DRC. Diplomats are concerned: the conflict in the eastern DRC was the subject of a special meeting at the United Nations Security Council on…
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Jun
16
2023
By The African Mirror
Mass graves found in east Congo village after M23 rebel retreat, HRW says

Mass graves found in east Congo village after M23 rebel retreat, HRW says

NEWS
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's M23 rebels allegedly executed scores of villagers and militia members between November and April and buried their bodies in mass graves, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, accusing Rwanda of backing the group. The Tutsi-led M23 staged a major offensive in Congo's restive east last year, triggering an armed response from local and regional forces. Hundreds of thousands have fled fighting near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda. Last year, the United Nations accused the group of executing at least 131 people in November in retaliation for clashes between M23 and rival armed groups. The U.N.'s human rights office…
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Apr
22
2023
By The African Mirror
UN paints Congo helicopters orange to protect against attacks

UN paints Congo helicopters orange to protect against attacks

NEWS
THE United Nations has painted bright orange its two white helicopters providing humanitarian relief in eastern Congo in an effort to protect them from militia attacks by distinguishing them from other aircraft. Insecurity has worsened in east Congo since a rebel group known as the M23 - one of many armed militias active in the region - launched a fresh offensive last year. Humanitarian operations to help the thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting have been caught up in the fighting. Last year, the U.N. recorded 293 security incidents that affected relief missions to east Congo, resulting in the…
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Apr
18
2023
By The African Mirror
East Africa’s peace mission in the DRC: why it’s in Burundi’s interest to help

East Africa’s peace mission in the DRC: why it’s in Burundi’s interest to help

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
BURUNDI was the first country to offer troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2022 as part of East Africa’s peace drive after a wave of attacks from the rebel group known as Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23). Burundi shares a 243km border with the DRC. Most of it runs through the Rusizi/Ruzizi River to the north and Lake Tanganyika to the south. It has been described as one of the most porous borders in Africa’s Great Lakes region. This makes it particularly vulnerable to the spillover effects of conflict from one country into the other. Burundi currently…
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