Congo, M23 fighters

Why DR Congo's army struggles against the smaller M23
M23 fighters, backed by Rwanda, continue to advance into eastern DR Congo. "One of the main factors explaining the weakness of the FARDC lies in systemic corruption," suggested Alain De Neve, a researcher at the Royal Higher Institute for Defense in Brussels,
Why Congo’s vast army is struggling
ITS soldiers are underpaid and underarmed. Its ranks are riddled with factions pursuing their own interests. And successive presidents are said to have kept it weak for fear of a coup.
Why Congo’s Vast Army Is Struggling to Fight a Far Smaller Militia
Congo’s army has appeared too weak and dysfunctional to stop a militia that has swept through the eastern part of the country in recent weeks.
For Congo and M23, accepting talks was first step. Agenda is next
The question of peace between M23 and the Congolese government is also about a truce between Kigali and Kinshasa. Both have been elusive.
Armed groups covet cocoa in eastern DR Congo
Despite the risks from deadly armed groups roaming the countryside, Judith Kahindo walks alone every day to her isolated cocoa plantation in the war-torn North Kivu region of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
East DR Congo mines mint Rwanda-backed M23's fortune
Mine shafts snake under the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's mountains, but instead of the Congolese government their rich veins are making a mint for the Rwanda-backed M23.
ACROSS AFRICA | The historical fissures of DR Congo's M23 Crisis
Join Georja Calvin-Smith for a weekly look at stories from across the continent. This week she's joined by journalist, Michaela Wrong to discuss some of the historical relationships between DR Congo and its neighbours that have fed into the current scramble to respond to wins by the M23 insurgency.
DR Congo conflict forces halt at world's 3rd biggest tin mine
Advancing anti-government fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo forced the temporary closure of the world's third most productive tin mine, its operator said in a statement received by AFP Friday.
Rwanda-backed M23 welcomes talks to end DR Congo conflict
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group cautiously welcomed Thursday the prospect of direct negotiations with the Congolese government to end the conflict in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
M23-DR Congo govt talks set for March 18
Direct peace talks between AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government are set to start in Luanda, on March 18, Angola’s presidency announced in a statement on Wednesday, March 13. The possibility of the talks was initially announced on Tuesday,

Southern African forces to leave DR Congo

The New Times on MSN2h
FDLR is entrenched in DR Congo Presidential Guard, says Makenga
The FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, is embedded in the Congolese army (FARDC), especially the Presidential Guard, and is continuously being rearmed, according ...
Embattled Congo President Considers Sitting Down With M23 Rebels
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has long ruled out dialogue with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels ...
Congo’s broken ranks
CONGOLESE soldiers in a mix of fatigues and street clothes crowded into a chapel recently to stand trial for crimes including ...
The Gazette12d
Congo army desertion trials spotlight a force in tatters
Their statements during the court martial proceedings highlighted the dysfunction of an army that has now lost more territory in eastern Congo than ever before to Rwanda-backed M23 fighters ...
France 24 on MSN1d
Trump to DR Congo’s rescue? What we know about a proposed US-Congolese mining deal
Congolese authorities are hoping to conclude an agreement with the Trump administration on the country's mining resources in ...
Al Jazeera on MSN2d
‘People need a break’: DRC conflict reignites dark memories of Congo wars
Is a deadly past replaying for Congolese as M23 rebels march on Kinshasa amid presence of Rwandan and Ugandan troops?
The Observer3d
Minembwe airfield bombed as fighting intensifies between Congolese army and M23 rebels
More than 10 fighters from the March 23 Movement (M23) have reportedly been killed in a series of airstrikes and bombings ...
New Vision on MSN23h
Burundi troops killed in fighting with M23 in DR Congo: military
Twenty Burundian troops have been killed in fighting with the M23 armed group and Rwandan troops supporting it in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, military sources told AFP on Thursday."We have ...