First Independent Mena Newspaper
Despite “significant efforts” by Qatari mediators, peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and M23 rebels have missed key deadlines, as violence intensifies across eastern regions. A draft peace agreement — based on a Declaration of Principles signed in Doha on 19 July — was shared with both sides, according to a […]
The United Nations has confirmed that at least 319 civilians — including 48 women and 19 children — were brutally killed by M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 9 and 21 July, marking one of the deadliest episodes since the group’s resurgence in 2022. According to UN Human Rights Chief Volker […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed willingness to engage in direct dialogue with the M23 rebel group, signaling a shift in its stance toward resolving the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country. This decision comes after years of resistance to negotiations and follows a series of successful military offensives by […]
The M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has continued its offensive, defying a ceasefire agreement signed by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Despite international calls for an immediate halt to hostilities, M23 forces captured the strategic town of Walikale on Wednesday (19 March), a key area rich […]
As the world prepares to welcome 2025, a sense of sorrow and unease hangs over the resources-rich eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has seen at least 21 people killed by Islamic State group-linked ADF rebels during the Christmas week. In a series of brutal attacks over the past week, […]
With 79% of the ballots counted, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has won more than 99% of the vote during Monday’s (15 July) presidential election, according to electoral authorities, putting him on course to serve a fourth term as the country’s leader. Kagame has won every election since 2000 and he is set for a fourth […]
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sentenced 25 soldiers to death in a one-day trial on Wednesday (3 July) after finding them guilty of fleeing the enemy, violating orders, dissipation of war munitions and theft, among other charges. The Congolese army has been fighting the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency in the […]
At least 15 people were killed and thousands displaced as the M23 rebel group on Wednesday (6 March) seized a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from government forces amid escalating violence in the country’s conflict-hit region. As the tutsi-led ‘March 23 Movement’ (M23) rebels took over the town of Nyanzale in eastern […]
Bintou Keita, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the country (MONUSCO) revealed Monday October 9 that an average of 9 people are killed day in day out since the beginning of 2023 in DRC by armed groups which have been […]
At least 11 people were killed Sunday in Democratic Republic of Congo’s province of North Kivu, in the attacks attributed to rebel group M23. The local population told the media the incident occurred in Rutshuru territory, dozens of kilometers from Goma, the provincial capital. “I’m at the scene, and there are 11 civilian corpses in […]