Bottom Line

A second Ebola case has been reported in Sud-Ubangi, while the United States has provided another $267 million for treatment centers, protective equipment, surveillance and other response work. A doctor assigned to Kisangani’s Ebola treatment center has also died from the disease.

On Lake Tanganyika, 39 people remain missing after a vessel sank between Kigoma and Kalemie. In Ituri, a security operation and subsequent fire have left families from the Kigonze displacement site without shelter, while Fizi’s territorial administrator estimates that more than 240,000 displaced people are living across the South Kivu territory.

Health

Ebola reaches a second patient in Sud-Ubangi as US funding increases

A second Ebola case has been reported in Sud-Ubangi. The patient, a contact of the province’s first fatal case, was receiving treatment in Bulu Health Zone.

The United States has provided an additional $267 million in direct health and humanitarian assistance, bringing its total assistance for the outbreak to $887 million. The new funding covers additional treatment units and burial teams, protective equipment, surveillance, health supplies and contact tracing.

The East African Community separately trained 120 health professionals in Nairobi and appealed for $45 million to support regional preparedness.

In Kisangani, Dr. Victor Kingombe died after contracting Ebola. He was assigned to the city’s Ebola treatment center and was the first doctor reported killed by the outbreak in Kisangani.

Pweto records more than 400 cholera cases amid water shortage

More than 400 cholera cases have been recorded in Pweto Health Zone in Haut-Katanga since the outbreak began on August 26. The zone’s chief medical officer reported 23 deaths and more than 300 recoveries; another outlet placed the death toll at 37.

The interruption of Pweto’s piped-water supply has forced residents to draw water from Lake Mweru. Health authorities attributed the disruption to the loss of electricity supplied by a Zambian company. The provincial government has provided medicines and water-treatment tablets.

Humanitarian and Public Safety

Thirty-nine people missing after Lake Tanganyika sinking

Thirty-nine people were reported missing and 36 rescued after the MV MJP sank off Kabimba in Tanganyika Province. The vessel was traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie when it went down near Mapera during the early hours of September 23.

The number of passengers aboard had not been established. The vessel was carrying flour, vehicles and other merchandise, but the cause of the sinking remained unknown. Search operations continued.

Kigonze operation and fire leave displaced families without shelter

A security cordon prompted many residents to leave the Kigonze displacement site in Bunia before a fire destroyed shelters and personal belongings. The site had previously housed an estimated 19,000 displaced people.

Some families were subsequently sleeping outside or staying with host households without adequate assistance. The number forced from the site remains unknown.

The cause of the fire has not been established. Some displaced residents accused FARDC personnel of starting it to force them to leave, but no independent evidence supported the allegation.

Fizi administrator estimates more than 240,000 displaced people

Fizi territorial administrator Samy Kalonji estimated that more than 240,000 displaced people were living across the South Kivu territory, including more than 209,000 staying with host families.

The estimate covers displacement associated with violence that intensified between March 2025 and August 2026. It is therefore broader than the 41,952-person count previously reported for several villages affected by recent fighting.

Kalonji said damaged sections of RN5 were slowing humanitarian supplies and commercial traffic into Fizi. The territorial estimate has not been independently corroborated.

Bukavu fires have killed at least 43 people since July

Fires in Bukavu and surrounding areas have killed at least 43 people and destroyed more than 1,500 homes since July, according to estimates compiled from neighborhood officials.

The frequency and circumstances of some fires have prompted suspicions of deliberate ignition. A report on the September 10 school fire said flames were detected at three locations about 500 meters apart, while civil society questioned how another school fire began in buildings without electricity or kitchens. No investigation has established arson or identified an organized campaign behind the fires.

Other reporting identifies unsafe electrical connections, densely packed construction, poorly installed solar equipment, flammable materials and obstructed emergency access as recurring risks.

Eastern DRC Conflict and Diplomacy

Kinshasa presses for implementation of eastern-DRC peace commitments

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa called for full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2773 during her address to the UN General Assembly.

The Security Council unanimously adopted the resolution under Chapter VII in February 2025. It requires M23 to end its offensives, withdraw from areas it controls and dismantle its parallel administrations. It also calls on Rwanda to end support for M23 and withdraw its forces without conditions, while requiring Kinshasa to end support for armed groups including the FDLR and implement commitments to neutralize them.

Suminwa argued that the continued presence of the FDLR could not justify Rwandan forces remaining in the DRC. No outcome has been published from the latest DRC-Rwanda security-coordination meeting, while the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region has announced further ceasefire-verification missions without releasing findings from its earlier visits to Minembwe and Masisi.

Governance and Human Rights

United States removes François Olenga from sanctions list after nine years

The US Treasury removed General François Olenga and the Safari Beach complex from its sanctions list nine years after imposing the restrictions.

Olenga was head of President Joseph Kabila’s military household in 2017, giving him operational control over the Republican Guard. Washington sanctioned him over alleged efforts to suppress political opposition and undermine democratic processes. Safari Beach was designated because the Treasury identified it as owned or controlled by Olenga.

The original sanctions froze assets under US jurisdiction and generally prohibited transactions involving US persons. The delisting notice did not explain why the restrictions were lifted.

CNDH faces loss of top international accreditation

The National Assembly adopted a resolution supporting retention of status A for the National Human Rights Commission, or CNDH.

The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions’ accreditation subcommittee recommended downgrading the commission to status B after finding that it had not adequately addressed concerns about its response to serious violations, complaints system, appointment process, financial independence, regional accessibility and internal disputes. Only seven of its 26 geographic offices had dedicated premises, while just 14.16 percent of its 2024 funding had been disbursed.

The recommendation will not take effect before the alliance’s 2027 review, giving the commission time to demonstrate compliance with the Paris Principles. Status A provides independent participation rights at the UN Human Rights Council and voting and governance rights within the alliance; status B institutions lack those privileges.

Mining and Investment

KoBold reports 14 exploration permits around Manono

US mineral-exploration company KoBold says it holds 14 permits covering more than 3,000 square kilometers in the DRC.

The company is using geological data and artificial-intelligence tools to search for critical-mineral deposits around Manono. The work remains at the exploration stage, with no discovery or mine-development commitment announced.

Seven Chinese nationals expelled over alleged mineral theft

Immigration authorities expelled seven Chinese nationals from Lualaba after accusing them of involvement in mineral theft from the KCC and Metalkol concessions near Kolwezi.

Authorities did not disclose the minerals or quantities involved. The available reporting also did not describe individual prosecutions or establish the allegations through court findings.

Education and Climate

Flooding disrupted schooling for at least 68,165 pupils in 2025

Government data indicate that flooding prevented at least 68,165 pupils from receiving normal schooling in 2025.

The retrospective figure measures disruption associated with climate-related displacement and damage to education infrastructure. The available reporting did not provide a complete provincial breakdown.

Conservation and Livelihoods

Weak market access limits forest-based livelihoods around Kahuzi-Biega

Research around Kahuzi-Biega National Park found that non-timber forest products generated nearly one-quarter of the income of surveyed households and financed 29 percent of their food purchases.

Poor roads, limited market connections and weak processing capacity restricted the income households could earn from these products. The findings concern the communities included in the study rather than all households surrounding the park.