democratic republic of congolatest news & developments
Engraved in memory: The Kigali Genocide Memorial engenders remembrance of the genocide’s victims, promoting peace and reconciliation and building peace through education. Photo: Supplied

Becoming Umwana – a son

In the ruins of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Nelson Gashagaza survived by becoming someone else’s child. In this two-part series as Rwanda commemorates Kwibuka32, he tells a personal story on a performed kinship, ordinary horror and the meaning of belonging

Leadership: Bonang Mohale is many things, yet, beyond the impressive titles and achievements lies something far more important: a deep and abiding love for people. Photo: TBCSA / Thabang Radebe

You have to love your people to lead them

Too often, leadership is seduced by power. The allure of authority, prestige and influence can slowly overwhelm the original motivation to serve people. What begins as a commitment to uplift communities can quietly turn into an obsession with status and control

Lobito Corridor: A new line for trade and investment

The corridor is strategically significant given that Zambia, Angola and the DRC are home to some of the world’s most significant deposits of critical minerals

South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation announced its ascension to the African Union Peace and Security Council for a two-year term beginning in April 2026. (GCIS)

Peace in the ruins: South Africa, the African Union and the end of diplomatic illusion

Wars unfold in full view of the world with little consequence for the powerful and overwhelming punishment for the weak. To describe this order as functional requires a suspension of reality. The system is not reforming. It is decomposing

Powered up: Chisamba solar plant supplies 100MW to the national grid. Photo: Supplied by Zesco

Zambia rethinks its energy future

The government plans to add 1 000MW of solar power to the national grid by 2027, with projects spread across the country

The M23 rebels have said they support the withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force from the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
 Photo: Wikipedia

The fall of Uvira is a turning point in the DRC conflict

The city’s capture by M23 means neighbouring Burundi, an ally of the DRC government, now shares a border with an area controlled by the rebels, escalating the risk of cross-border conflict

The M23 marched into Goma in February to effectively take over North Kivu, with the decisive battle at the same airport against the ill-fated South African-led Southern African Development Community force, known as SAMIDRC.

M23 opposes the opening of DRC’s Goma International Airport

It was suggested at peace negotiations that the airport would primarily serve humanitarian purposes to bring in aid for communities affected by the conflict

The M23 rebels have said they support the withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force from the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
 Photo: Wikipedia

DRC peace deals hang in the balance as the government forces shell M23-controlled areas

The rebels claim they were compelled to defend civilian towns after ‘indiscriminate aggression’ by government troops

Former DRC president Joseph Kabila.

Ramaphosa, Mnangagwa urge DRC’s Tshisekedi to drop Kabila charges

Sources said Mnangagwa and Ramaphosa discussed Kabila’s predicament in Zimbabwe in August and agreed that the treason charges were not fair

The naval drill involved the armed forces of South Africa, China and Russia, with Iran reportedly participating and several other countries observing.

SANDF repatriates more troops from the DRC

Personnel and equipment have been airlifted from Lubumbashi and Kinshasa to Pretoria, amid tension over unpaid allowances for soldiers

Former DRC president Joseph Kabila. (Flickr)

Former DRC leader Joseph Kabila’s treason verdict postponed as new evidence emerges

Kabila, who has been living in exile since late 2023, faces charges including treason, complicity with M23 rebels, crimes against humanity and corruption

The M23 rebels have said they support the withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force from the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
 Photo: Wikipedia

Mbeki throws diplomatic hot potato at government over M23 invitation

The international relations department was not aware of the rebels’ presence in South Africa

Intense clashes  resumed between M23 rebels and a coalition of government forces, local militias known as Wazalendo and the Burundian army.

M23 to attend peace conference, but DRC government boycotting

Opposition officials in the DRC have accused the government of blocking their attempts to travel to the forum hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation

The foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner. (Photo: UNE.CD)

DRC foreign minister confirms ongoing talks with US on minerals

Therese Wagner said no deal had been made with the Trump administration but Kinshasa was exploring forms of cooperation

Rwandan President Paul Kagame. (X)

Diplomats are booted as DRC conflict goes on

Questions asked about whether the expulsions and the collapse of the peace talks are linked

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola. Photo: Phill Magakoe/Gallo Images

SA downplays icing of Russian foreign minister as ‘family photo’ cancelled

South Africa attributes the cancellation of a photograph of foreign ministers at the G20 meeting to logistical constraints, rather than Western diplomats avoiding Russia’s Sergey Lavrov

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola defended South Africa’s involvement in the DRC, arguing that it would be “reckless” not to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country’s volatile eastern region. (File photo)

Withdrawal worse than surrender, says Lamola during DRC debate in parliament

The ANC and its GNU partners are divided over South Africa’s military involvement in the DRC, as opposition parties call for an immediate withdrawal of troops

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola

Lamola mends fences with Rwandan counterpart

The two ministers spoke a day after Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame took exception to a statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa and launched a verbal attack on X

Opposition parties have slammed the department of defence and state-owned military manufacturer Denel after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) told parliament it had uncovered irregularities in procurements and the awarding of contracts

Political parties slate defence department, Denel after SIU uncovers procurement irregularities

In one Special Investigating Unit inquiry, Denel was paid more than R8 billion by Armscor for 264 Badger vehicles but only produced a fraction of those

Ronald Lamola. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Lamola condemns Rwanda’s role in DRC conflict as SA loses more soldiers

The South African Defence Force confirmed four more of its troops have died, bringing the number lost in the rebel advance on Goma to 13