Briefings
17 – 23 November 2016
On Thursday, November 17, Samy Badibanga was appointed as the new Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The opposition platform “Rassemblement” called for nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, asking President Joseph Kabila to respect the end of his term. […]
10 – 16 November 2016
In line with last month’s conclusion of the national dialogue between President Kabila’s government and a small segment of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s Prime Minister, Augustin Matata Ponyo, announced his resignation on Monday, November 14. The majority of opposition parties, organised within the Rassemblement umbrella, do not acknowledge and boycotted the afor
3 – 9 November 2016
On Saturday, November 5, the riot police broke up a demonstration by opposition (“Rassemblement”) supporters in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, by firing tear gas. Along with the United Nations, a coalition of civil society organisations called for lifting the ban on manifesting in the capital, which has been in place since September this year. […]
27 October – 2 November 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, political tensions persist in the wake of the national dialogue’s resolution regarding the organisation of presidential elections. Last Wednesday, October 26, the Great Lakes region’s heads of state expressed their endorsement of the deal between Congolese government and participating opposition to postpone elections until April 2018. […]
13 – 26 October 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the national dialogue between the Congolese government and participating opposition has resulted in an accord on Tuesday, October 18. The parties agreed that elections would be postponed until April 2018 and that the post of Prime Minister would be accorded to an opposition representative. […]
6 – 12 October 2016
This week, The UN expressed its concerns over the fragile political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fearing it could lead to large-scale violence. Some good news was also announced, when the government stated that the number of cases of sexual violence in the country dropped by over 50 per cent over the past two years. […]
29 September – 5 October 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, riots erupted in Kinshasa on September 19 and 20. Opposition supporters took to the streets to protest against the postponement of presidential elections and ruling President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down. During confrontations with the authorities, dozens of people died. […]
8 – 14 September 2016
On Monday, September 12, the few opposition members who took part in the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo walked out of the meeting due to irreconcilable differences of opinion with the government on the sequence of elections. Whereas current President Joseph Kabila proposed to hold local elections first, the opposition wanted presidential elections to be the priority. […]
1 – 7 September 2016
On September 1, facilitator Edem Kodjo initiated the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing together government, opposition and civil society members to discuss the organisation of peaceful elections. However, several leading opposition figures, such as Etienne Tshisekedi, Moïse Katumbi and the Lucha movement, refused to engage. […]
18 – 24 August 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, preparatory talks for a national dialogue were started by facilitator Edem Kodjo on August 23 in order to relieve the political tensions in the country. However, few key members of the opposition attended and the “Rassemblement” umbrella called for a nationwide “ville-morte”. […]
4 – 17 August 2016
Over the past two weeks, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, visited his counterparts in Uganda and Rwanda. Security appeared to be high on the agenda and both neighbouring countries committed to greater security and intelligence cooperation with the DRC. During a bilateral meeting between Ugandan and Rwandan police forces, the need for closer cross-border cooperation
28 July – 3 August 2016
The return of putative opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi (UDPS) to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday last week, generally passed rather peacefully. In Ituri, several pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested on the day of his arrival. […]
14 – 27 July 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, tensions between government and opposition supporters persist. Edem Kodjo, the facilitator appointed by the African Union, announced that preliminary work for a national dialogue would start by the end of the month. However […]
7 – 13 July 2016
Last week, the United Nations has reiterated its call for political dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in order to prevent public discontent from escalating into violence and crisis. Indeed, the uncertainty surrounding Congo’s security situation has already adversely affected the investment climate in the mining sector. […]
30 June – 6 July 2016
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, political tensions persist. The putative leader of the opposition, Moise Katumbi, blamed current President Joseph Kabila last week of not committing to leave office. The opposition platform “Rassemblement” […]
23 – 29 June 2016
On June 26, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Congolese Minister of Justice announced the development of a nationwide prevention mechanism against torture in the Democratic Republic of Congo. […]
16 – 22 June 2016
Last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tensions arose between displaced people and local inhabitants in Buleusa, North Kivu, over the dismantlement of several refugee camps in the area. Over the past week, at least six of the estimated 5000 refugees reportedly died of injuries and diseases. […]
9 – 15 June 2016
The Congolese opposition parties who gathered for two days in Brussels last week, decided to unite under a new umbrella organisation, called “Rassemblement” (“Rally”). They rejected dialogue with current President Kabila and demanded the organisation of presidential elections before December 19 this year, along with the President’s departure. […]
2 – 8 June 2016
The probable delay of the presidential elections continues to raise tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over a hundred representatives of several Congolese opposition parties gathered in the Belgian capital Brussels this Wednesday, June 8, in order to overcome their differences and unite their stances. […]
26 May – 1 June 2016
The bodies of the three Ugandan soldiers, who had been killed near Lake Albert along the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been returned to Uganda. The Congolese police announced that a fourth soldier, who had also been reported dead, is alive and remains in detention. […]
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