Bottom Line

Former justice minister Constant Mutamba has received a second public-funds conviction, this time over money intended for victims of the 2000 fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan forces in Kisangani. Government-aligned forces made several tactical gains against AFC/M23 in North Kivu, but the rebels recovered one position and fighting continued in South Kivu, leaving no decisive overall shift. South Kivu also recorded 1,133 cholera cases and 20 deaths in two weeks, while the latest Ebola count reached 7,475 confirmed cases and 3,605 deaths.

Justice

Mutamba receives second public-funds conviction in just over a year

The Court of Cassation sentenced former justice minister Constant Mutamba to 10 years of forced labor for embezzlement involving the fund that administers Uganda’s reparations to victims of the June 2000 fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan forces in Kisangani.

Prosecutors accused Mutamba of directing irregular disbursements from the fund, including a $14 million payment to Congo Energy and several other transfers. The court ordered the $14 million returned to the fund and awarded it $300,000 in damages. Former fund coordinator Chançard Bolukola received a seven-year sentence.

Mutamba is a former presidential candidate who served as justice minister from May 2024 until resigning during a separate corruption case. He had presented himself as an anti-corruption reformer, but was convicted in September 2025 of embezzling $19 million intended for a prison in Kisangani. The new ruling is his second public-funds conviction in little more than a year.

Security

Government-aligned forces make limited gains as fighting continues across the Kivus

Recent fighting has produced several tactical gains for FARDC and Wazalendo forces in Masisi and Walikale, including the recapture of Miko, Remeka, Kaleta, Kasake, Humura, Rutoboko, Ngululu and Mahanga. AFC/M23 nevertheless retained Malemo, recovered Kibati after a government withdrawal and continued to control the Malemo–Kalembe–Kalonge–Ihula axis.

The balance of the latest exchanges therefore slightly favors government-aligned forces in parts of North Kivu, but the available reporting does not establish a decisive change across the wider theater. In South Kivu, fighting continued around Point Zéro and spread toward villages near Minembwe.

The disrupted services are civilian rather than administrative services operated by either belligerent. In several Fizi villages, schools have not reopened, medical work and commercial activity have stopped, and NGOs have suspended humanitarian assistance. Local civil society estimated that 41,952 people had been displaced.

Health and Humanitarian

South Kivu records 1,133 cholera cases and 20 deaths in two weeks

South Kivu recorded 651 cholera cases and 13 deaths in epidemiological week 37, following 482 cases and seven deaths the previous week. The combined two-week toll was 1,133 cases and 20 deaths. Bukavu, Kabare, Walungu and Uvira were among the most affected areas. Ibanda health zone in Bukavu alone recorded 167 cases during week 37.

Ebola reaches 7,475 confirmed cases and 3,605 deaths

The latest available national breakdown, based on data through September 16, records 7,475 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,605 deaths. Sud-Ubangi remained at one confirmed case, which was fatal; the latest figures do not show an additional case there.

Ituri accounted for 41 of the 71 cases added in the latest daily update, followed by North Kivu with 27. Response capacity remains uneven: health facilities in Bambu face chronic underfunding, staff shortages and limited ability to refer patients. Médecins Sans Frontières deployed a rapid-response team but said wider operational support was needed, particularly outside the principal response centers.

Politics and Civic Space

Rights inquiry examines alleged Force du Progrès role in C64 march violence

The National Human Rights Commission confirmed that people carrying machetes, sticks and other weapons blocked the C64 march in Limete and called for an independent investigation. The commission did not identify the group. Contemporaneous reporting, however, described the attackers as youths presented as members of Force du Progrès, a structure affiliated with the UDPS. C64 has made the same attribution and blamed the group for the death of opposition activist Manassé Lomboto.

The controversy has also widened over the application of restrictions on demonstrations. Ebola-related limits were invoked to restrict C64 gatherings in several cities, while the UDPS subsequently announced its own nationwide march for September 22 in support of the proposed referendum and national dialogue. The announced UDPS demonstrations have not faced equivalent Ebola-related prohibitions.

Economy and Trade

Government intervenes as maize prices rise across the Kasai region

The Economy Ministry sent an emergency mission to Mbuji-Mayi after maize prices increased across Kasaï Oriental and neighboring Lomami Province. In Kabinda, the capital of Lomami, a standard measure rose from CDF 3,000 to as much as CDF 5,000 in two weeks.

The ministry cited difficulty moving some consignments and suspected speculation within the distribution chain. Traders in Mbuji-Mayi had previously identified depleted stocks, seasonal planting demand and long delays in transporting maize by rail to Mwene-Ditu. The government says stocks held by the Service national remain sufficient, suggesting that transport and market distribution—not only total availability—are contributing to the price increase.

DRC and Tanzania target a trade agreement within 90 days

The DRC and Tanzania have begun work on a bilateral trade agreement they intend to complete within 90 days. The proposed arrangement would coordinate customs, freight-management and mineral-export agencies and seek to reduce the time and cost of moving Congolese imports and exports through Tanzania.

The initiative follows the presidents’ August commitment to modernize the Central Corridor through Dar es Salaam, Kigoma and Kalemie, including road, lake and eventual rail connections. The clearest near-term consequences would be for mineral exports and transport, customs and logistics services. Geographically, the agreement would matter most for Tanganyika and other eastern and southeastern provinces that use the corridor to reach the port of Dar es Salaam. The sector-specific terms have not yet been negotiated.

Government review counts 1,072 parafiscal revenue measures

A government review has provisionally identified 1,072 revenue-generating measures administered by public bodies. Authorities intend to determine which should be retained, combined, abolished or transferred to the general state budget.

Parafiscal charges are compulsory fees and levies collected outside the main tax system, often for licenses, permits, inspections or services supplied by ministries, agencies, provinces and local authorities. A World Bank assessment found that Congolese businesses could face more than 400 such charges collected through national and local bodies, plus more than 300 provincial levies. Some lack a clear legal basis or are imposed discretionarily.

The charges generated only about 0.3 percent of gross domestic product in the World Bank’s assessment but imposed a disproportionate financial and administrative burden on small and medium-sized businesses. Their number, overlapping collection channels and uncertain application increase compliance costs, discourage investment and create repeated opportunities for unofficial demands.

Energy and Environment

Draft cooking-gas law completes national validation

A draft law establishing a regulatory framework for liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, completed national validation after consultations involving public institutions, businesses and civil society. The proposal would regulate production, imports, distribution and exports but still requires formal adoption.

The DRC remains principally dependent on imported LPG. Its small formal market is concentrated around Kinshasa and the western supply corridor, while domestic production remains prospective. A World Bank assessment found that more than 95 percent of Congolese households relied on biomass for cooking and that LPG distribution was constrained by high equipment costs and a limited supply network.

Replacing some firewood and charcoal consumption with LPG could reduce household exposure to smoke and pressure on forests. The draft’s sponsors identify wood energy as the country’s second-largest driver of deforestation after slash-and-burn agriculture.