Uganda said on Monday it had agreed with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to share intelligence and coordinate a new push by Kinshasa to combat Islamist rebels blamed for worsening violence in Congo’s east. The move came a week after Congolese officials said the two countries would set up …
Read More »Belgian king expresses deep regret for colonial past in Congo
Belgium’s King Philippe expressed deep regret on Tuesday for the “suffering and humiliation” inflicted on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during its 75-year period under Belgian rule. It is the first such expression of regret for Belgium’s colonial past by a reigning monarch, the royal palace said. It …
Read More »DR Congo declares end to Ebola epidemic in east
DR Congo’s government on Thursday officially declared an end to an Ebola epidemic that broke out in the east of the troubled country in August 2018 and went on to claim 2,277 lives. The outbreak was “the longest, most complex and deadliest” in the 60-year history of the Democratic Republic …
Read More »Four dead after new Ebola outbreak in Congo
Four people have died from Ebola in a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s health ministry confirmed on Monday. It comes as Health Minister Eteni Longondo confirmed a new case of the deadly virus in the western province of Equateur, over 1,000km (620 miles) away from …
Read More »DR Congo police crackdown on sect killed 55 in ‘bloodbath’: Human Rights Watch
Democratic Republic of Congo police killed at least 55 people in a crackdown on a separatist religious sect in April, more than double the toll reported by the interior ministry at the time, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. New York-based HRW accused Congo authorities of using “excessive force” in …
Read More »36 dead after heavy rain pounds DR Congo capital
Thirty-six people died in DR Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, after overnight torrential rains, with some swept away by landslides, a top city official said Tuesday, giving a provisional toll. “The (provincial) interior minister has just advised of a toll of 36 dead. The search (for survivors) is continuing. The loss, in …
Read More »Warlord jailed for life for Congo war crimes
The International Criminal Court passed its highest ever sentence, sending a Congolese warlord known as “The Terminator” to prison for 30 years for crimes including murder, rape, and sexual slavery. Bosco Ntaganda was found guilty in July of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role …
Read More »Up to 50 dead in Congo after train derails.
Up to 50 people were killed when a cargo train derailed in Congo’s southeastern province of Tanganyika in the early hours of Thursday, government officials said, though reports on casualties differed widely. The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Steve Mbikayi, said the derailment happened around 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), …
Read More »Congo has vaccinated over 200,000 against Ebola: Data.
Congolese authorities and health workers vaccinated more than 200,000 people against Ebola in August, the government said on Sunday, using a Merck vaccine they hope will help rein in the world’s second-worst epidemic. Figures released by the government’s Ebola committee showed that 204,044 people had been inoculated since August 8. …
Read More »Rwanda shuts border with DR Congo to stop spread of Ebola.
Rwanda has closed part of its border with DR Congo, where an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,800 people in the past year. At least two people have died from the virus in the past month in the crowded Congolese border city of Goma. It is the worst Ebola …
Read More »Singapore seizes ivory from nearly 300 elephants in record haul.
Singapore said on Tuesday it had seized 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory, a record haul by authorities in the city-state, which conservation groups say is a transit point for the illegal wildlife trade. The elephant ivory, estimated to be worth $12.9 million, came from nearly 300 African elephants and was …
Read More »Copper mine collapse kills dozens in DR Congo.
At least 36 people have been killed after a copper and cobalt mine collapsed in Lualaba province in south-east DR Congo, authorities say. The provincial governor Richard Muyej blamed the accident on what he called “clandestine artisanal diggers”. Unofficial mining is common in the region and people do it as …
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