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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kinshasa

Head of State

President Félix Tshisekedi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa

M23 rebels sit on a truck during the escort of captured FDLR members (not pictured) to Rwanda for repatriation, at the Goma-Gisenyi Grande Barrier border crossing, on March 1. Photo: Reuters

Africa

Rwanda-backed rebels make gains in DR Congo’s mineral-rich east

M23’s success comes after a surprise meeting between the presidents of Congo and Rwanda in Qatar, where they pledged to ease tensions.

22 Mar 2025 - 5:14PM

US-China relations

G7 slams China’s ‘dangerous’ moves in South China Sea, strongly backs Ukraine

15 Mar 2025 - 10:47PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China still leads the pack in Africa’s critical minerals race as US falls behind

12 Mar 2025 - 11:16PMvideocam

Business of climate change

China miners accelerate overseas buying spree

Last month, MMG said it would buy British miner Anglo American’s nickel business in Brazil.

6 Mar 2025 - 10:20PMvideocam

A Leapmotor EV production line in Jinhua, China. Photo: AFP

Africa

Mystery disease kills over 50 in DR Congo after children ate bat and fell ill

Many of the patients died 48 hours after the onset of symptoms, which include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding.

26 Feb 2025 - 1:25PMvideocam

Africa

UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit

The secretary general demanded that DRC’s ‘territorial integrity’ be respected and a regional war avoided.

15 Feb 2025 - 7:26PM

Africa

African Union summit opens, overshadowed by DR Congo conflict

DR Congo president absent after Rwandan-backed forces seized a second major city on his territory.

15 Feb 2025 - 12:30PM

Africa

DR Congo troops pull back as M23 rebels take airport near Bukavu

If the rebels capture the capital of South Kivu province, it would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under their control.

15 Feb 2025 - 2:59AM

Africa

DR Congo crisis: African leaders call for ceasefire at Tanzania summit

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has rapidly seized swathes of territory in an offensive that has left thousands dead.

9 Feb 2025 - 4:31AM

Belt and Road Initiative

‘Game changer’: why Chinese rail contractors have East Africa in their sights

Business case is stacking up for the export-driven railway network that China’s companies are building with African finance.

6 Feb 2025 - 3:09PMvideocam

Africa

Rwanda ‘welcomes’ proposed summit on DR Congo conflict

The UN and several nations claim that M23, which has taken the major eastern mining city of Goma, is backed by Rwanda.

2 Feb 2025 - 11:12PM

Africa

Congo: M23 rebels advance as UN reports executions and rapes

Goma’s capture by the Rwanda-backed rebels has brought humanitarian operations to ‘a standstill, cutting off a vital lifeline for aid’.

1 Feb 2025 - 5:07PM

Africa

Rwanda-backed rebels say they plan to take fight to DR Congo’s capital

M23 fighters eye Kinshasa after they captured much of Goma, a city more than 1,500km away in DR Congo’s east.

31 Jan 2025 - 2:38PM

Africa

Congo’s M23 rebels control Goma airport, embassies attacked

The UN and global powers fear the conflict could spiral into a regional war akin to those of 1996-1997 and 1998-2003 that killed millions.

28 Jan 2025 - 10:24PM

Protesters clash with riot police forces in front of the French Embassy in Kinshasa. Photo: Reuters

Africa

Rwandan-backed rebels enter DR Congo’s Goma in major escalation

The M23 militia, supported by Rwanda, has taken control of the city, sparking clashes with Congolese forces and prompting evacuations.

27 Jan 2025 - 9:39PM

Smoke billows from a UN armored personnel carrier on the main road linking Goma to the town of Sake, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: AFP

Africa

Intense combat nears eastern DR Congo, UN plans urgent meeting

Fighting between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed fighters edged closer to the major city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

26 Jan 2025 - 9:50PM

Africa

South African peacekeepers killed in DRC as fighting rages

Fighting has intensified in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the Congolese army and Rwandan-backed M23 fighters.

25 Jan 2025 - 10:27PM

China-Africa relations

Chinese nationals ignore embassy warnings in gold rush to DRC’s troubled east

A worsening security situation in the African nation’s eastern provinces is no deterrent in reward-cost calculus, one expert said.

24 Jan 2025 - 4:00PM

Democratic Republic of Congo soldiers in the eastern part of the country, where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by intense fighting with armed militia groups which broke out in November. Photo: Xinhua

Africa

3 Chinese citizens sentenced to 7 years for illegal mining in DR Congo

The trial took place against a backdrop of increasing efforts to combat illegal mineral trafficking in the DRC.

15 Jan 2025 - 11:06AM

Africa

17 Chinese nationals accused of running illegal gold mine in Congo

The men were arrested after failing to provide documents to officials during an unannounced government visit to the site.

21 Dec 2024 - 7:19AM

China-Africa relations

China’s critical mineral dominance puts Washington’s supply chain hopes at risk

Study finds Chinese control of cobalt and other resources from Africa may be a complication for US de-risking plans.

28 Oct 2024 - 4:00PMvideocam

The Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than 70 per cent of the global supply of cobalt, a critical component of batteries that is regarded as key to the renewable energy transition. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

China works to keep the peace as security issues threaten African investments

Beijing has signed a new deal with East African nations as security threats continue to cast a cloud over its investments in the continent.

29 Sep 2024 - 12:48PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping, arriving here with African leaders at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, has pledged to train 1,000 police and law enforcement officers in Africa and provide police equipment. Photo: Xinhua

Belt and Road Initiative

US sees bipartisan backing for Africa critical minerals projects

The US has approved US$553 million in funding for the Lobito railway project as it seeks to counter China, secure access to critical minerals.

29 Aug 2024 - 12:44PM

Africa

Mpox surge in DR Congo: hospital overwhelmed as virus vaccine demand rises

Goma’s Nyiragongo hospital faces a mpox surge with 16,000 cases and a critical vaccine shortage.

18 Aug 2024 - 2:52PMvideocam

Africa

Explainer | What we know about the new mpox strain

As health authorities scramble to deal with the outbreak of mpox, experts anticipate more people will be infected with the deadlier strain of the virus.

17 Aug 2024 - 2:16PMvideocam

A health worker speaks to women about mpox prevention at a clinic in Munigi, eastern Congo, on August 16. Photo: AP

Nordic nations

WHO confirms first case of new mpox outside of Africa as outbreak spreads

A patient in Sweden was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib version of the virus, thought to cause a more serious type of mpox.

16 Aug 2024 - 3:51PMvideocam

Mpox

Video | Mpox declared a global emergency, but how serious is it?

15 Aug 2024 - 7:42PM

Africa

WHO declares mpox a global health emergency as new form of virus spreads

The potential for the disease’s further spread beyond Africa is ‘very worrying,’ WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says.

15 Aug 2024 - 2:33AMvideocam

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