The Latest Breaking News from Democratic Republic of Congo

The former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila has arrived in the rebel-held city of Goma in the east of the country for talks with locals, according to sources close to him, after declaring he wanted to help end the crisis in the war-ravaged region.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo passed a law in January 2025 to lead efforts to establish the largest tropical forest reserve in the world. It will be set up as a 2,600km long green corridor the size of France – 540,000km² – situated in the Congo Basin.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has asked the senate to lift the immunity of former president Joseph Kabila, who has been accused of helping the armed rebel group M23 and has indicated he will return to the country.

In the last two weeks of February, humanitarian agencies reported 895 cases of conflict-related rape as M23 rebels advanced through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official, this was an average of more than 60 rapes a day.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have jointly pledged to halt fighting in the east of the country while they work towards a permanent truce. The surprise announcement follows the latest round of talks in Doha mediated by Qatar.

Coltan linked to conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys, a Global Witness investigation has revealed.

Paris Saint-Germain has renewed its partnership with Visit Rwanda, the country’s tourism brand, until 2028. The deal, which began in 2019, has drawn criticism over Rwanda’s alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The planned return of former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila from self-imposed exile could shift political dynamics and complicate efforts to resolve escalating violence in the country's east, analysts say.

Rwanda is commemorating the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 people, most of them from the Tutsi ethnic group, were massacred by Hutu militias. But this year the event is marked by tensions over Rwanda's alleged support of the M23 rebel group in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda’s foreign affairs ministry suspended all diplomatic relations with Belgium in March 2025. Soon afterwards, Belgium expelled Rwandan diplomats. This came weeks after Belgium had suspended foreign aid to Rwanda. At the root of this diplomatic fallout is the resurgence of the rebel group, March 23 Movement (M23), which has…

A truce announced last week by AFC/M23 rebels in Walikale, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has collapsed after just a few days. The Congolese army now accuses the Rwandan-backed group of reinforcing its military positions in North and South Kivu provinces.