First Independent Mena Newspaper
The East African Community (EAC) is grappling with a severe financial crisis, with member states failing to remit over $62 million in contributions for the 2024/25 financial year. The bloc, which comprises Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, has seen its programs delayed, while salaries for staff […]
Trials of Congolese soldiers accused of desertion, murder, and looting shed light on a military grappling with poor morale and dysfunction, amid ongoing rebel advances in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In recent court proceedings, over 300 soldiers have stood trial, with some facing death sentences for fleeing the frontlines as M23 rebels, […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is standing firm against mounting international pressure to hold direct talks with the M23 rebel group, despite the group’s significant territorial gains in the eastern part of the country. Since January, the M23, which is accused of receiving support from neighboring Rwanda, has captured key cities like Goma and […]
Uganda is grappling with a new Ebola outbreak, marking its sixth detection of the virus, which comes just as a mystery disease is causing growing concern in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A four-year-old child has become the second fatality linked to the Sudan Ebola strain following confirmation of the virus at Mulago […]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor has called for the establishment of a special tribunal to address the persistent violence and atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite the ICC’s efforts, including recent convictions, Karim Khan acknowledged that international courts have failed to halt the decades-long cycles of violence in the DRC, […]
At least 11 people have been killed, and dozens more injured in a deadly bombing that targeted a mass rally held by the M23 rebel group in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The attack took place at Independence Square on Thursday (27 February) shortly after rebel leaders, including Corneille Nangaa, the head of […]
The violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to escalate as several members of the Congolese police force have defected to the M23 rebel group, which recently captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. The defections have fueled local concern, as officers jubilantly joined the rebels, further destabilizing the region. The M23, […]
The M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have seized control of Bukavu, the second-largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising fears of a regional escalation. Their rapid advance through the South Kivu region, after an earlier lightning-speed offensive on Goma in neighboring North Kivu, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. […]
Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following the ongoing violence fueled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. In a joint summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 8 February, leaders from both EAC […]
The Trump administration has expressed a strong interest in developing Africa’s mining sector, particularly in minerals vital for clean energy technologies. On the first day of his second term, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order prioritizing mineral extraction and processing, signaling a commitment to international partnerships, especially with African nations rich in resources. […]