Page 5 - Congo

10 killed in Congo as intercommunal violence worsens over land rights

A militia group armed with guns and machetes killed at least 10 people in intercommunal violence in southwestern Congo, local authorities said Saturday. The attack is the latest episode in a deepening crisis that has been overshadowed by conflict on the other side of the vast Central African nation. According to provincial government spokesperson Adelard Nkisi, a militia group known as the Mobondo attacked civilians and burned down several houses in the village of Ipongi, just over 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of the capital Kinshasa, on Friday. An unknown number of people were tied up and kidnapped by the militia members, who fled into the bush, Nkisi said. The provincial government sent defense and security forces to restore security in the area. Tensions flared in June 2022 over land rights and customary taxes in Congo's southwest, between the Teke, historical inhabitants of the region, and farmers from various other ethnic groups including the Yaka, who settled near the Con

US-based aid group says around $900,000 stolen by employees in Congo

An American-based aid group said that approximately $900,000 was stolen from its Congo programs by members of the organization who conspired with outsiders. GiveDirectly said that it learned that people on its Congo team worked with people outside the organization to defraud the cash transfer program, diverting aid from more than 1,700 impoverished families over six months, starting in August 2022. This fraud was only possible because of a specific change we made in our payment process in order to work in this remote, insecure region of (Congo), according to the statement from Monday. We feel deep regret for not catching this sooner and take seriously the vulnerabilities it exposed, it said. GiveDirectly said that an investigation is ongoing and that it was able to recover a very small portion of the lost funds, but the majority of the $900,000 will likely be uncoverable. But the group is working to ensure that families impacted by the fraud get their money. Roughly 1% of money ...

At least $900,000 stolen by employees of US aid group operating in Congo

An American-based aid group said that at least USD 900,000 was stolen from it's Congo programs by members of the organisation who conspired with outsiders. GiveDirectly said that it learned that people on its Congo team worked with people outside the organisation to defraud the cash transfer programme, diverting aid from more than 1,700 impoverished families over six months, starting in August 2022. This fraud was only possible because of a specific change we made in our payment process in order to work in this remote, insecure region of (Congo), according to the statement from Monday. We feel deep regret for not catching this sooner and take seriously the vulnerabilities it exposed, it said. GiveDirectly said that an investigation is ongoing and that it was able to recover a very small portion of the lost funds, but the majority of the USD 900,000 will likely be uncoverable. But the group is working to ensure that families impacted by the fraud get their money. More than 1 per c

Code red in the global supply chain

Siddharth Kara's thought-provoking book exposes the exploitation inherent in the extraction of cobalt, a mineral crucial to modern technology, and the injustices faced by the people of Congo

LIVE: Security tightened in Delhi ahead of farmer's march to Jantar Mantar

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Death toll from flash floods, landslides in Congo rises beyond 200

The death toll from flash floods and landslides in eastern Congo has risen beyond 200, with many more people still missing, according to local authorities in the province of South Kivu. Thomas Bakenge, administrator of Kalehe, the worst-hit territory, told reporters on the scene Saturday that 203 bodies had been recovered so far, but that efforts to find others were continuing. In the village of Nyamukubi, where hundreds of homes were washed away, rescue workers and survivors dug through the ruins Saturday looking for more bodies in the mud. Villagers wept as they gathered around some of the bodies recovered so far, which lay on the grass covered in muddy cloths near a rescue workers post. Grieving survivor Anuarite Zikujuwa said she had lost her entire family, including her in-laws, as well as many of her neighbours. "The whole village has been turned into a wasteland. There's only stones left and we can't even tell where our land once was," she said. Michake Ntamana, a rescue wo

United Nations extends Congo peacekeeping force with an eye to its exit

The Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo with an eye to its eventual exit, and to lift a notification requirement on some arms purchases which Congo's foreign minister recently called unjustified and humiliating. The separate resolutions were approved on Tuesday amid worsening security in Congo's mineral-rich east, a region rife with rebel groups and an upsurge in violence and civilian killings that has uprooted tens of thousands of its inhabitants. The resolution extending the U.N. peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO until Dec. 20, 2023, strongly condemns all domestic and foreign armed groups operating in the country and demands they immediately cease all violence and destabilizing actions and the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources. It also demands the immediate withdrawal of M23 rebels, who have been fighting a coalition of armed civilian protection militias in the east for more than a year, as agreed at a ...

At least 100 people killed by floods, landslides in Congo's capital

At least 100 people have been killed and dozens injured on Tuesday by widespread floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Congo's capital, Kinshasa. Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde said officials were still searching for more bodies. We came to assess the damage and the primary damage we see is human," Lukonde said on state television Tuesday. Some 12 million people live in the 24 neighbourhoods of Kinshasa hit by the floods, according to three local officials who told The Associated Press that people were killed, houses submerged and roads ruined. In the Ngaliema area more than three dozen people died and bodies are still being counted, said the area's mayor, Alid'or Tshibanda. In another part of town five members from one family were killed, some by electrocution. It is a just calamity, said Pierrot Mantuela. The 30-year-old lost his mother, nine-year-old daughter and three brothers. It's sad to lose all the members of my family, he said. He was spared because he w

'India remains concerned on volatile security situation in eastern Congo'

"The activities of armed groups have continued unabated, resulting in killings of civilians, displacement of the population and a dire humanitarian situation," Ruchira Kamboj said

M23 kills 131 civilians including 17 women, 12 children in east Congo: UN

In eastern Congo last week, M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians, including 17 women and 12 children, a UN spokesman said

4 UN peacekeepers, 3 Bangladeshis, 1 Pakistani killed in African attacks

In the latest attacks on UN peacekeepers, three Bangladeshis have died from a bomb attack in the Central African Republic, barely a week after a Pakistani was killed in Congo

Blinken concerned over detention of Congo opposition figure, raises issue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was concerned about reports of the detention of an opposition political leader in Congo

UN peacekeepers kill two civilians in Congo; chief Guterres outraged

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed outrage after UN peacekeepers opened fire and killed two residents of a town in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that borders Uganda

Mortal remains of BSF jawans killed in Congo reach their native villages

The mortal remains of two Border Security Force jawans, who were killed in a violent protest in Congo, reached their respective villages in Rajasthan

UN chief condoles killing of peacekeepers in Congo during call with PM Modi

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed his sincere condolences to the government and people of India on the killing of two Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in Congo

To save the planet, it is time poor nations get paid for protection

DRC is the first developing nation to decide if rich countries aren't serious about paying the costs that their carbon emissions will impose on poorer ones, they will have to raise the cash themselves

India emphasises role of Peacebuilding Commission at UN Security Council

After the recent deaths of peacekeepers in Congo, India emphasized peacebuilding and sustaining peace at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

Two BSF personnel on UN peacekeeping duty in Congo killed amid protests

Two Border Security Force personnel, who were part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, were killed on Tuesday during violent protests, a spokesperson for the force said.

Monkeypox kills 9 in Congo; Nigeria's first death from disease in 2022

Nine people have died of monkeypox in Congo in 2022 while Nigeria has recorded its first death from the disease this year, the countries' health authorities said

IMF approves extended credit release of $ 212 mn to Congo: Executive Board

IMF's Executive Board has approved the immediate release of more than $212 million to back up the international reserves of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)