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☆ Congo's Katumbi promises security in restive east
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsCongo's Katumbi promises security in restive eastPostedWith less than a month until Democratic Republic of Congo's election, presidential candidate Moise Katumbi has told residents in Goma that he will make security a priority if he wins. David Doyle has more.

Persons: Congo's, Moise Katumbi, David Doyle Organizations: Democratic Locations: restive, Democratic Republic, Goma

☆ Congo Election Chief Promises 'Rebrand' Amid Concerns Over December Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

CENI is undergoing "rebranding" to show people it has changed since past elections that were marred by irregularities and violence, CENI president Denis Kadima told Reuters in an interview in Washington on Friday. The 2011 elections, followed by the 2018 elections, have left many people so disappointed with the institution," said Kadima. He cited, as an example, that some of the 24 presidential candidates were in exile or barred from participating in 2018. Kadima, who was appointed in 2021, said observers from groups including the U.S.-funded Carter Center and the European Union were expected to monitor the elections. Washington remains concerned about "possible violence, threats to the press freedom and freedom of peaceful assembly, and attempts by certain parties to manipulate the vote," the spokesperson said.

Persons: Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Denis Kadima, CENI, Kadima, Critics, Felix Tshisekedi, Simon Lewis, Sonia Rolley, Grant McCool Organizations: Democratic, Electoral, Reuters, Carter Center, European Union, Kadima, State Department Locations: Democratic Republic, United States, Africa's, Washington, U.S, Congolese

☆ Congo Ruling Coalition Backs Tshisekedi for December Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Ange KasongoKINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi was officially nominated on Sunday as candidate for the Dec. 20 presidential election by his ruling political coalition the Sacred Union. Tshisekedi is seeking a second term in the vast nation, which is the world's top cobalt supplier and No. 3 copper producer, after winning a disputed first term in a 2018 vote. On Sunday, a congress of the Sacred Union coalition that includes political heavyweights such as Defence Minister Jean Pierre Bemba and Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, picked Tshisekedi unanimously. Tshisekedi, the son of Congo's beloved long-term opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, promised to root out corruption and authoritarianism and has rejected accusations by rights groups and critics that he has fallen short on his promises.

Persons: Ange Kasongo, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, Tshisekedi, Jean Pierre Bemba, Vital Kamerhe, Felix Tshisekedi, Andre Mbata, Congo's, Etienne Tshisekedi, Martin Fayulu, Bate Felix, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Democratic, Sacred Union, Sacred Union coalition, Defence, Economy, Union, Tshisekedi Locations: Ange Kasongo KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of, Rwanda, Republic, Kinshasa, Tshisekedi

☆ Rwandan forces crossed Congolese border, Congo's army says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 27 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's army said Rwandan defense forces crossed the Congolese border on Thursday and attacked border security forces, potentially escalating tensions between the African neighbours. "The ensuing clashes enabled the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) to repel the Rwandan terrorists who had perpetrated this intolerable provocation," the statement said, adding that the authors of the attack retreated to Rwanda. A Rwandan government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Congo and Rwanda have been involved in a dispute since last year over the resurgence of the M23 rebel group, a militia active in eastern Congo which Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing. United Nations experts have also said they have evidence that Rwandan troops have fought alongside the M23 in eastern Congo and provided the rebels with weapons and supplies.

Persons: GOMA, Djaffar Al Katanty, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, Chris Reese, Sandra Maler Organizations: Democratic, Armed Forces, Rwandan, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of, Rwandan, Congolese, Congo, Rwanda, Kinshasa

Exports last year were 94 metric tonnes, up 25% on 2021. Last year's exports totaled 44 metric tonnes in both wrought and unwrought form. As of September 2022 the DLA was storing 14 metric tonnes of germanium metal and 6.9 metric tonnes of scrap. An outright ban could be counter-productive, as China found out when it halted exports of rare earths to Japan in 2010. China has no shortage of pressure points to push, from rare earths to cobalt to lithium and even electric vehicle batteries.

Persons: Germany's, Wei Jianguo, Barbara Lewis Organizations: U.S, Chips, Export, United States Geological Survey, Alliance, Defense Logistics Agency, Teck Resources, Agency, Solutions, Democratic, Gecamines, World Trade Organization, China, Toyota, Honda, Audi, Commerce, China Daily, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, United States, Teck, NYR.BR, Clarksville, Tennessee, New York, Australia, Europe, Democratic Republic of Congo's, Russia, Japan, Beijing, West

☆ Congo's Catholic church questions government's election preparations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The country's Catholic church has a long history of promoting democracy in the vast African country where organising elections has been complicated by financial and logistical problems, and where disputes over vote tampering have frequently caused widespread unrest. The election commission, CENI, has made insufficient progress creating a tripartite consultation framework between the majority, the opposition and civil society, and not invited international observers to ensure fair elections, CENCO said. The election commission did not respond to the comments and told Reuters that it will address the electorate on Sunday. The Catholic church is currently gearing up to monitor elections scheduled for December in which President Felix Tshisekedi will seek a second term in office. Reporting by Ange Kasongo; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: CENCO, Martin Fayulu, Felix Tshisekedi, Ange Kasongo, Anait, David Evans Organizations: Democratic, National Episcopal Conference of, Catholic, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of, National Episcopal Conference of Congo

☆ World Bank suspends $1 bln worth of project funding in Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sonia Rolley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The suspension will affect more than 600,000 beneficiaries, including victims of sexual violence, the World Bank told Congo's finance minister last week in a letter seen by Reuters. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed its authenticity. On May 4, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi dissolved the structure, the "Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of Congo", by presidential order and created another public fund. A spokesperson for Congo's finance ministry said he was waiting for the go-ahead from the presidency before he could comment. Four of Congo's main opposition politicians wrote to the leaders of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank last week asking them to conduct an audit of their funds in Congo, saying they suspected misuse.

A fresh downpour loosened the earth on a hillside above a village in Vuveyi Lac area, burying the victims as they slept in their houses below, said Alain Kiwewa, Lubero's military administrator. Repeated recent downpours have also raised the water table in the broader region, increasing the likelihood of flooding, said meteorology and hydrology engineer Theodore Lokakao Ilemba. "It's everywhere in the Congo and in Rwanda, it worsens (the impact of) the rainfall and all pre-existing problems like water drainage and land use," he said. Rains also triggered flooding and landslides in neighbouring Rwanda last week, killing 130 people and destroying more than 5,000 homes. Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trudeau: Canadian lithium costs more because it doesn't use slave labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in China with "slave labor" as he discussed his country's efforts to ramp up production of the metal used in electric vehicle and other batteries. Canada has significant sources of lithium, Trudeau said, but, he added, China has made strategic choices over the decades that have made it by far the world's largest producer. Because we don't use slave labor," Trudeau said in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. REUTERS/Blair GableThe United States has alleged use of forced labor by China in sectors including mining and construction. Last year, a U.S. law took effect banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor.

☆ Trudeau points to 'slave labor' in China lithium production
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in China to "slave labor" as he discussed his own country's efforts to ramp up production of the metal used in electric vehicle and other batteries. Canada has significant sources of lithium, Trudeau said, but China has made strategic choices over the decades that have made it by far the world's largest producer. Because we don't use slave labor," Trudeau said in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The United States has alleged use of forced labor by China in sectors including mining and construction. China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels.

KINSHASA, March 24 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi has appointed the country's former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was detained for over 10 years for war crimes, as the country's defence minister in a sweeping government reshuffle. The reshuffle, which was more extensive than observers had predicted, came ahead of an expected presidential election on Dec. 20, in which Tshisekedi is likely to seek a second term. "This a deeply political shuffle," said Jason Stearns, Director of the Congo Research Group and Professor at Canada's Simon Fraser University. Tshisekedi appointed Vital Kamerhe, his former chief of staff who was released from prison in Dec. 2021 following as embezzlement conviction, as economy minister. Bemba, a former rebel leader was arrested in 2008 by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his troops in the Central African Republic between 2002 and 2003.

☆ East Congo militants kill at least 22 in string of attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19 (Reuters) - Suspected militants killed at least 22 people in a string of attacks across the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri and North Kivu provinces overnight Saturday, officials and activists said on Sunday. The incidents were the latest in a stream of continuous violence that has plagued eastern Congo for years, despite increasing interventions from the country's army and U.N. peacekeepers. At least 12 people were killed Saturday in simultaneous raids across several villages in Ituri province. Congo's government declared a state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri in 2021, in an attempt to stem rampant militia violence in the country's vast mineral-rich east. "Even when we are under siege, the enemy still surprises us every day," said Delphine Malekani, an activist in North Kivu.

☆ Demonstrators in DR Congo demand pope meet sexual abuse victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Benoit Nyemba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luc GnagoKINSHASA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Around two dozen activists and sexual abuse victims demonstrated in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital on Thursday across the road from a cathedral where Pope Francis was meeting clergy. They held up placards, including some demanding that the pope meet with clergy abuse victims in the country. The demonstration in Kinshasa was organised by Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), an international group, one of many that have been bringing attention to sexual abuse in the worldwide Church. There were no plans for the pope to meet with victims of sexual abuse in Congo, where about 50% of the population is Roman Catholic. The 86-year-old pope has met with many victims of sexual abuse, both in Rome and on foreign trips.

☆ Tens of thousands welcome Pope Francis in Democratic Republic of Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jillian Kumagai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis stands next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31,...more

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Francis said. [1/9] Pope Francis sits next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31, 2023. The pope criticised rich countries for ignoring the tragedies unfolding in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. On Wednesday, Francis will celebrate Mass at a Kinshasa airport that is expected to draw more than a million people.

Here are some of the key areas agreed on after two weeks of negotiations hosted in Montreal, Canada. CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND RESTORATIONDelegates committed to protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, fulfilling the deal's highest-profile goal, known as 30-by-30. Wealthier countries should contribute at least $20 billion of this every year by 2025, and at least $30 billion a year by 2030. BIG COMPANIES REPORT IMPACTS ON BIODIVERSITYCompanies should analyse and report how their operations affect and are affected by biodiversity issues. This reporting is intended to progressively promote biodiversity, reduce the risks posed to business by the natural world, and encourage sustainable production.

☆ Death toll after Congo capital floods rises to 169, U.N. says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Paul Lorgerie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] People look at a damaged road after heavy rains caused floods and landslides, on the outskirts of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Justin MakangaraKINSHASA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The death toll after heavy flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa this week has risen to 169, the United Nations' humanitarian office (OCHA) said on Friday, citing authorities. read moreA joint team from OCHA and Congo's social affairs ministry visited the worst-hit neighborhoods on Thursday to assess the damage. The team estimated that around 38,000 people had been impacted by the floods, OCHA said in a statement Friday. Poorly regulated rapid urbanization has made the city increasingly vulnerable to flash floods after intense rains, which have become more frequent due to climate change.

☆ Congolese government ups toll in massacre to 272 civilians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paul Lorgerie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arlette BashiziKINSHASA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's government on Monday said 272 civilians were killed in a massacre in the eastern town of Kishishe last week, raising the death toll from a previous estimate of 50. It also said the rebels were backed by members of the Rwandan army, a frequent accusation by the Congolese government which Rwanda has consistently denied. Congo's army and the M23, a Tutsi-led militia, have been locked in fighting for months in the country's east. The death toll was announced by Congolese industry minister Julien Paluku, speaking at a press briefing with government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The United States urges Rwanda to honor commitments made in Luanda, including ending Rwanda's support to M23," Blinken said on Twitter.

The flurry of deals comes even as warnings emerge that lithium prices, driven to records by rapid growth in electric vehicles, may peak next year because of a looming supply glut. It also bought majority stakes in the Lakkor Tso Lithium Salar mine in China's Tibet region and the Xiangyuan lithium mine in Hunan province. Zijin has a market capitalisation of about $35 billion and net profit of 15.7 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) last year. Some firms are also working to develop alternative battery materials, which could reduce lithium demand in the long term. Zijin told investors recently it made its mine acquisitions based on lithium carbonate prices of 100,000 yuan a tonne.

Reuters reported in August that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, elected as Brazil's president at the end of October, would seek a partnership with the two other leading rainforest nations to pressure the rich world to finance forest conservation. The rapid destruction of rainforests, which through their dense vegetation serve as carbon sinks, releases planet-warming carbon dioxide, imperiling global climate targets. "South-to-south cooperation - Brazil, Indonesia, DRC - is very natural," the Democratic Republic of Congo's Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba said prior to the signing. In the agreement, the alliance said that countries should be paid for reducing deforestation and maintaining forests as carbon sinks. Talks on the alliance to protect rainforest until now had foundered due to "institutional difficulties," Teixeira said.

The pledge was praised widely at last year's COP26 climate summit, particularly as Brazil, Indonesia and Congo all signed on. To fulfill the pledge, the world would need to ensure 10% less area is deforested on average each year from 2021 to 2030. Most countries under the pledge have yet to detail plans for passing stronger forest protections or implementing them. BRAZILThe biggest rainforest country also leads the world in deforestation, as the Amazon falls rapidly to illegal logging, agriculture and land speculation. Deforestation driven by land-clearing for palm oil plantations continued to slow in the first seven months of the year - even as palm oil prices soared.

☆ Global climate change protests demand compensation ahead of COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They are timed to coincide with global leaders meeting in New York City at the U.N. General Assembly this week. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Read More'DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES'Irreparable damage caused by climate change has heightened developing countries' demands for "Loss & Damage" compensation at COP27 in Egypt in November. "The Least Developed Countries are bearing the brunt of the devastating consequences of climate change," Senegal's environment minister Abdou Karim Sall told a meeting in Dakar last week. The United States and 27-country European Union have historically resisted steps that could require rich nations to pay compensation for causing climate change. Malpass later clarified he was not a climate change denier, after facing a flurry of calls to resign.

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