Bottom Line

FARDC and Wazalendo forces reported tactical gains against AFC/M23 in Masisi, although counterattacks left the field situation contested. A judicial inquiry opened into violence surrounding the C64 opposition demonstrations, while uneven restrictions on rival political marches continued. Parliament began another review of the referendum bill, and road construction advanced on two important corridors in central DRC. Elsewhere, a fire forced patients from part of Mambasa’s main hospital, and deteriorating telecommunications services prompted parliamentary scrutiny.

Security

Fighting continues around several positions in Masisi

FARDC and Wazalendo forces reported recapturing several positions from AFC/M23 along the Ngungu axis and in the Katoyi sector of Masisi territory, North Kivu. The reported gains included Miko, Remeka, Kaleta, Kasake, Mutongo, Katoyi-Centre and Ngululu. Fighting continued around Mitimingi, Miano and Remeka as Wazalendo fighters attempted to take Mitimingi and AFC/M23 counterattacked positions it had recently lost. The reported government gains indicate a tactical advantage on these fronts, but not a decisive shift in territorial control.

Politics and Governance

Judicial inquiry opens as restrictions on political demonstrations remain uneven

Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa ordered a judicial inquiry into violence and other incidents surrounding the C64 opposition demonstrations. The investigation is expected to address allegations of assaults, arrests and interference with demonstrators.

Authorities in Lubumbashi subsequently released around 100 C64 activists detained during the September 15 mobilization. In Kolwezi, meanwhile, the city government authorized a UDPS demonstration after preventing the C64 from marching. The differing decisions have deepened questions about whether restrictions on public demonstrations are being applied consistently.

Referendum bill enters another 15-day committee review

The National Assembly returned the proposed referendum law to its political, administrative and legal committee for a 15-day review. The bill would establish procedures for organizing national and local referendums and is central to the dispute over a possible constitutional revision.

The Constitutional Court previously approved the legislation subject to reservations concerning 13 articles. The most politically consequential provisions would allow the president, following a major institutional dysfunction, to establish a multidisciplinary commission whose proposed constitutional changes could be considered by national and provincial legislators sitting as a constituent assembly before being submitted to a referendum. Public accounts identify the affected articles but do not reproduce the court’s precise limiting interpretation.

The parliamentary review proceeds as the UDPS organizes support for the referendum process and opposition groups argue that the law could provide a route to changing presidential term limits.

Health

Fire forces patients from part of Mambasa hospital

A fire forced the evacuation of patients from part of Mambasa General Referral Hospital in Ituri on Monday evening. The roof structure beside the intensive-care unit was damaged, and beds and other medical equipment were removed from the affected buildings; some equipment was reportedly partially damaged. Patients in intensive care were among those moved to safety.

The Ebola treatment center under construction at the hospital was not affected. The cause remains undetermined, and the hospital had no fire-control equipment.

Education

More than 700 children remain out of school in Kalonge

More than 700 children had not returned to school two weeks into the academic year in the Kalonge groupement of Kalehe territory, South Kivu. The affected children are concentrated in Fendula, Rambo, Mule, Chaminunu, Cibinda and Cifunzi.

Local reporting attributes the absences to household poverty, displacement and the destruction of schools. Community representatives warned that prolonged exclusion from school could increase children’s exposure to recruitment by armed groups operating in the area.

Justice

Haut-Katanga appeal-court president killed at his home

Vincent Mwana Mulenda, president of the Haut-Katanga Court of Appeal, was killed during an armed attack at his home in Lubumbashi. His daughter was injured. The attackers reportedly demanded money and the keys to a vehicle, but their motive has not been established.

The justice minister ordered an investigation into the killing. No reliable evidence currently links the attack to Mulenda’s judicial duties, political activity or a known professional dispute.

Infrastructure and Services

Road works advance on two central DRC corridors

Construction advanced on sections of the RN1 and RN2 serving the Kasai and Lomami regions. On the RN1, 43 kilometers have been paved between Kamwesha and Kananga, while 46 kilometers have received a road base and the Kaluebo bridge has opened. Thirty additional trucks were deployed after customs, fuel-supply, geotechnical and weather-related delays.

The European Union is providing €180 million for the RN1 rehabilitation through the European Development Fund. The original tender anticipated a 30- to 36-month implementation period beginning in 2020, leaving the project substantially behind its initial schedule. The section forms part of the principal road connection between the Atlantic coast, the Kasai region and the Copperbelt and complements the east-west trade route associated with the Lobito Corridor.

On the RN2 in Lomami, 10.5 kilometers of finished pavement, 38 kilometers of foundation and nearly 50 kilometers of earthworks have been completed. The 134.5-kilometer contract includes 15 kilometers of urban roads in Kabinda and has a 36-month implementation period, with 40 paved kilometers targeted by the end of 2026.

The RN2 work forms part of the World Bank’s $500 million Transport and Connectivity Support Project, which covers the wider Mbuji-Mayi–Kabinda–Mbanga corridor and associated digital connectivity.

Parliament seeks answers over deteriorating mobile and internet service

National Assembly member Adèle Bazizane asked the telecommunications minister to explain persistent deterioration in mobile-phone and internet services and identify measures planned to improve them.

Complaints include unstable internet connections, interrupted calls, difficulty accessing online platforms and rapid depletion of data allowances. Similar problems have been reported in Kinshasa and several provinces, affecting professional activity, digital transactions, online education and access to information. The parliamentary question does not yet include a government response or establish how much of the country is affected.

Kin-Malebo industrial zone awaits approvals needed for operations

The Kin-Malebo special economic zone has installed 10 megawatts of electricity capacity and completed 4.5 kilometers of internal roads. Sixteen prospective industrial operators have expressed interest, while the government projects that the zone could eventually host more than 40 businesses and create approximately 5,000 direct jobs.

The 530-hectare site in N’sele, eastern Kinshasa, lies between the RN1 and the Congo River. The Industrial Promotion Fund describes the zone as part of the government’s industrialization program. A planned one-stop administrative service and approvals for some equipment remain outstanding.

Mining and Commodities

Lithium-product prices fall sharply

The government’s weekly export-price schedule recorded declines across all four lithium products tracked for September 21–26. Lithium hydroxide fell almost 19 percent to $18,073 per tonne, carbonate declined about 14 percent to $19,814, concentrate dropped about 10 percent to $2,055 and sulfate fell about 10 percent to $6,367.

The reversal could weaken the prospective economics of undeveloped Congolese lithium deposits, including Manono, and affect investment decisions in a sector the DRC is seeking to develop beyond its established copper and cobalt industries.