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US condemns worsening violence in east of DR Congo, accuses Rwanda

US condemns worsening violence in east of DR Congo, accuses Rwanda

THE United States condemned worsening violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), blaming it on M23, an armed group it said is backed by Rwanda. A statement from the U.S. State Department called on M23 to cease hostilities immediately and withdraw from its current positions around Sake and Goma. "The United States condemns Rwanda's support for the M23 armed group," the statement said. It called on Rwanda to immediately withdraw all of its military personnel from the DRC and remove surface-to-air missile systems, saying these threatened the lives of civilians, U.N. and other regional peacekeepers, humanitarian workers and…
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South Africa to deploy 2,900 troops to fight armed groups in eastern Congo

South Africa to deploy 2,900 troops to fight armed groups in eastern Congo

SOUTH Africa will send 2,900 troops as part of its contribution to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) force deployed to tackle armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the president's office said in a statement on Monday. The one-year deployment will cover the period between December 15. 2023 and December 15, 2024, and will cost around 2 billion rand ($105.75 million), the statement said. The 16-member state SADC approved the eastern Congo mission in May last year to help Congo, the world's top supplier of cobalt and Africa's top copper producer, address instability and deteriorating security in its restive eastern…
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Congolese city Goma under threat as thousands flee rebel advance

Congolese city Goma under threat as thousands flee rebel advance

A rocket landed near a university in the Congolese city of Goma as thousands of civilians fled a fresh advance by M23 rebels that threatens to isolate the city of around two million people. There were no casualties from the strike, which blasted a crater into open ground in the Lac Vert neighbourhood, but it underscored the potential threat to Goma, a strategic urban hub in the Democratic Republic of Congo's conflict-ridden east. "This shows that M23 is targeting Goma now. The government has to do something to stop M23's progress," 25-year student Sophonie Bayonga said at the scene. The…
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Around 20 civilians killed in Congo attack, army and rebels trade blame

Around 20 civilians killed in Congo attack, army and rebels trade blame

AROUND 20 civilians were killed in an attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army and M23 rebels said, accusing each other of launching the assault. The deaths were the latest fallout from fighting between Congolese troops and M23, whose offensives have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and worsened the region's decades-long security and humanitarian crisis. Thursday's attack took place in the town of Mweso in Masisi territory, around 80 km (50 miles) from the city of Goma in North Kivu province, the two sides said. They gave different accounts of what happened. The…
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South Africa to lead new military force in the DRC: an expert on what it’s up against

South Africa to lead new military force in the DRC: an expert on what it’s up against

THE United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Monusco, is ending after 20 years. It will be replaced by troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), led by the South African military. Thomas Mandrup, an expert in African security governance and South African military and foreign policy, recently wrote a paper on the subject. We asked him about the new mission and what awaits it. THOMAS MANDRUP, Associate Professor, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership In Africa (SIGLA), Stellenbosch University What prompted the deployment? The security situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated in recent…
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Over 1,000 Burundian soldiers covertly deploy in eastern Congo, internal UN report says

Over 1,000 Burundian soldiers covertly deploy in eastern Congo, internal UN report says

OVER 1,000 Burundian troops have been covertly deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since October, wearing the uniform of Congolese troops and working alongside them in the fight against M23 rebels, an unpublished U.N. report seen by Reuters showed. Citing security and intelligence sources and sources close to Congolese army command, the report by the U.N. Group of Experts in Congo said the troops were airlifted from Burundi to eastern Congo by Congolese army planes starting from Sept. 21. The Burundian and Congolese governments and the Congolese army did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Reuters.…
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Southern African troops versus M23 rebels in the DRC: 4 risks this poses

Southern African troops versus M23 rebels in the DRC: 4 risks this poses

The security situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate. The region comprises North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. It’s about seven times the size of neighbouring Rwanda. DELPHIN R. NTANYOMA, Visiting Researcher, University of Leeds The violence in North Kivu has drawn most of the attention of the DRC’s neighbours and the international community. This close attention is aimed at preventing possible confrontation between Rwanda and the DRC. Since late 2021, North Kivu has been confronted by M23 rebels who have executed people and forcibly displaced thousands within the province and…
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Rebel fighting cuts power lines to Congolese city of Goma

Rebel fighting cuts power lines to Congolese city of Goma

THE main power lines to the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been cut due to an escalation in rebel fighting nearby, leaving hospitals and water systems without power, the electricity network operator said on Tuesday. Virunga National Park, which operates the network that supplies about 80% of Goma's electricity, said on Monday that clashes between Congo's army and the M23 rebels had severed the main power lines to Goma, a city of over 2 million people and the capital of North Kivu province. The M23 is a Tutsi-led armed group that Congo and U.N.…
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Congo files new complaint to ICC against Rwanda’s military and M23 rebels

Congo files new complaint to ICC against Rwanda’s military and M23 rebels

THE Democratic Republic of Congo has made another formal referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure the court will focus on what it calls the systematic pillaging of its natural resources in eastern Congo by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) and the M23 rebel group. The ICC already has an ongoing investigation into eastern Congo since 2004 and it is not clear if the new referral would shift the court's focus. "The government of the DRC remains deeply concerned about the suffering of the populations in the part of its territory affected by the acts referred to in…
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Peace in the DRC: East Africa has deployed troops to combat M23 rebels – who’s who in the regional force

Peace in the DRC: East Africa has deployed troops to combat M23 rebels – who’s who in the regional force

THE East Africa Community (EAC) has completed the deployment of its regional force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to oversee the withdrawal of the rebel group, M23, from the eastern part of the country. The last contingent was of South Sudanese soldiers who joined troops from Kenya, Burundi and Uganda. Author JENNA RUSSO, Researcher and lecturer, City University of New York Formed in 2012 as a splinter group of the armed militia National Congress for the Defence of the People, the M23 briefly occupied the city of Goma the same year. It was quickly routed by forces…
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