Bottom Line

Renewed suspected ADF attacks in Mambasa and the continued spread of Ebola are the most immediate developments in today’s Brief. Elsewhere, opposition parties remain at odds with Tshisekedi over the terms of a proposed national dialogue, while competing union positions leave some uncertainty over the September 1 school reopening.

Politics

Opposition resistance continues over terms of Tshisekedi’s proposed national dialogue

The political dispute over President Félix Tshisekedi’s proposed national dialogue continued on Saturday. President Félix Tshisekedi’s UDPS backed the initiative, while the C64 opposition coalition maintained its rejection of the process and its planned September 15 march against constitutional change and a possible third presidential term. Kabund criticized the proposed dialogue as a process being imposed on Tshisekedi by regional and international pressure.

The dispute is principally centered on the terms of participation. Tshisekedi outlined participation conditions, saying political critics will not be excluded because of their views but ruling out participation by those who have taken up arms against the state. This effectively separates the proposed domestic political dialogue from negotiations with the AFC/M23 through the Doha process. Opposition actors have meanwhile contested the conditions and framework under which a national dialogue would take place.

Washington welcomed the initiative, describing it as an inclusive and constructive dialogue. That external support does not resolve the disagreement over format and participation. The August 29 statements therefore largely clarify and reinforce existing positions rather than indicate that the dialogue process itself has advanced.

What to Watch: Whether the presidency proposes a concrete format, mediator or timetable capable of changing opposition calculations, and whether the C64 proceeds with its September 15 mobilization.

Conflict & Security

Seven civilians reported killed in another suspected ADF attack in Mambasa

Local reporting from Amani said at least seven civilians were killed early Saturday in the locality, more than 30 kilometers west of Biakato in Ituri’s Mambasa territory, in an attack attributed locally to the ADF. Amani is in the Babila Teturi groupement, within the Babila Babombi chefferie. Around 20 houses were reportedly burned and several people remained missing. The figures were described as provisional and were based on local authority and civil-society accounts.

The attack followed the Mabakuha incursion reported on August 28 in the Babila Babombi chefferie. Residents were already reported leaving parts of the area because of fears of further attacks.

AFC/M23 challenges Kinshasa’s control over higher education in Goma

AFC/M23’s statement said universities operating in areas under its control could rely on East African Community mechanisms as it sought to reassure institutions in Goma about the validity of their studies and qualifications. The statement followed Kinshasa’s suspension of academic activities for the 2026–27 year at 11 public institutions in Goma and Bukavu whose management structures had been changed by the AFC/M23.

The claim should not be confused with formal recognition of degrees by the EAC. Regional qualification mechanisms exist for cooperation and mutual recognition, but that does not itself give the AFC/M23 authority to issue nationally recognized Congolese diplomas.

Assessment: The dispute illustrates how territorial control is producing parallel administrative arrangements beyond security and taxation. Higher education provides another arena in which the AFC/M23 is attempting to maintain public institutions despite Kinshasa withholding recognition.

Military presence reported at Kitutu mining sites despite withdrawal order

Civil-society representatives in Kitutu, Mwenga territory, told Radio Okapi that soldiers and Wazalendo fighters remained at mining sites one month after Tshisekedi ordered the removal of armed personnel operating illegally in mines. They alleged involvement in mineral trading and intimidation; Radio Okapi said it had not obtained a response from the FARDC spokesperson in South Kivu.

The report is a local allegation rather than independent confirmation, but it identifies a specific compliance gap against a presidential instruction.

Health

Ebola deaths reach 2,786 as the outbreak expands to 60 health zones

Government figures reported 5,794 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,786 deaths, alongside 1,293 recoveries, according to figures presented to the Council of Ministers. The outbreak is now affecting 60 health zones across six provinces; Biena and Manguredjipa in North Kivu were among the latest zones reported affected.

Vaccination in Kisangani has begun, while authorities also reported the start of Ervebo vaccination in Buta in Bas-Uélé.

Radio Okapi reported continuing community deaths and resistance to response teams around Bunia, while MONUSCO deployed a mobile operating base at Niania in Mambasa to protect treatment centers, health workers and Ebola-response personnel. According to medical sources cited by Radio Okapi, the Niania health area had recorded more than 200 confirmed cases and 123 deaths, although the report did not specify the period covered by those figures.

The response continues to face overlapping constraints. In Mambasa, Ebola teams are operating in areas affected by suspected ADF activity, while community resistance is also complicating efforts to contain transmission.

Education

Teachers’ unions split over September 1 school reopening

The Intersyndicale called for reopening, easing—but not eliminating—the threat of disruption to the 2026–27 school year after talks with the government over working conditions, unpaid and newly registered teachers, pensions, health coverage and delayed provincial salaries. SYECO called for a boycott and urged parents to keep children at home, citing demands including a $500 monthly salary and payment of teachers not yet on the payroll, while the Intersyndicale warned that further action could follow if the government fails to honor its commitments.

The reopening will also take place under unusually difficult conditions in Ebola-affected provinces. Ituri maintained the start date while introducing prevention measures in schools, despite concerns from teachers and parents. In Bukavu, meanwhile, local teachers’ union and parents’ representatives said on August 29 that they were preparing for a September 1 reopening despite the city remaining under AFC/M23 control.

What to Watch: Teacher and student attendance on September 1, particularly where boycott calls, Ebola-related concerns or conflict-related disruption could affect the reopening.

Other Developments

Police biometric identification moves toward operational rollout

The government says the operational rollout of biometric identification and physical verification of Congolese National Police personnel is imminent, beginning in Kinshasa before extending to all 26 provinces. The initiative itself is not new: Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani launched the identification program in July following an audit of police personnel records. The latest announcement therefore points to movement toward implementation rather than a new policy initiative.

Quarterly retirement plan ordered for an aging civil service

Tshisekedi instructed the government to develop and execute a permanent quarterly plan to retire more than 300,000 public servants who have reached or exceeded the statutory retirement age. The directive covers the general administration and special regimes and calls for payment of end-of-career benefits and pensions.

The government was also told to report progress by sector for 2026, prepare 2027 projections and identify more durable financing mechanisms. The scale of the instruction makes funding, payroll verification and replacement planning central implementation questions.

What to Watch: The first quarterly targets, their budgetary cost and whether retirements are accompanied by verified pension payments rather than administrative removal alone.