Bottom Line

A plane crash in Kenge killed 17 people, including the two highest-ranking military magistrates, prompting the nationwide suspension of TRACEP Congo Aviation, multiple investigations and three days of national mourning. AFC/M23 recaptured Remeka as fighting continued across separate North and South Kivu fronts. At least 12 people died in a Lake Kivu shipwreck while 41 people remain missing from the MV MJP sinking on Lake Tanganyika. The government adopted a 180-day Ebola response plan, but infections among doctors and the dispersal of families from Kigonze have exposed continuing weaknesses in the response.

Security and Eastern DRC

AFC/M23 recaptures Remeka as fighting continues across the Kivus

AFC/M23 recaptured Remeka and attacked government-aligned positions at Kaleta and Miko, reversing part of the tactical gains reported by FARDC and Wazalendo on September 23. Renewed fighting near Mindjendje and Muhororo again stopped traffic on the Masisi–Walikale road.

Separately, FARDC/Wazalendo and Twirhaneho/AFC forces fought across several villages in Itombwe in South Kivu beginning on September 26. Local sources also accused AFC/M23 forces of killing three civilians in Walungu and compelling residents from Minova, Kalungu and the high plateaus to attend an ideological activity. The field reports show sustained fighting across separate fronts but do not establish a decisive advantage for either side across the wider theater.

Two generals go on trial over the fall of Bukavu

The High Military Court opened proceedings against Major General Yav Avul Ngola Robert and Brigadier General Ehonza Uketi André over the February 2025 fall of Bukavu. Prosecutors accuse them of offenses including cowardice, demoralizing troops, abandoning defensive positions and undertaking combat without adequate offensive capacity. The charges have not been adjudicated, and the next hearing is scheduled for October 9.

Public Safety and Transport

Kenge crash kills 17 and removes the leaders of military justice

A TRACEP Congo Aviation Let 410 crashed in Kenge on September 25, killing 13 passengers and four crew members. The victims included Joseph Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, first president of the High Military Court, and Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, auditor general of the FARDC—the two highest-ranking officials in the military-justice system.

The government suspended TRACEP Congo Aviation throughout the country, opened technical and judicial investigations and declared three days of national mourning beginning Monday. The cause has not been established. TRACEP suffered another crash in Walikale in July, killing one pilot.

At least 12 die in another lake disaster

At least 12 bodies were recovered after a motorboat sank on Lake Kivu during the night of September 26–27 near Idjwi in South Kivu. The number of passengers and missing people remained unsettled. Another local account said more than 80 people were aboard, five were rescued and more than 70 were missing.

The disaster follows the sinking of the MV MJP on the Kigoma–Kalemie route across Lake Tanganyika. Authorities now count 43 survivors and 41 missing and have prohibited nighttime travel by small craft and made life jackets compulsory.

Thirty-one prisoners escape after guards leave Inongo prison

Thirty-one of the 38 detainees at Inongo central prison escaped after military guards reportedly abandoned their posts over an unpaid detachment allowance promised by the provincial government. Authorities began searching for the fugitives.

Health and Humanitarian

Ebola plan advances as infections expose response weaknesses

The government approved a revised 180-day multisectoral Ebola plan intended to provide a common framework for response operations. In Ituri, health teams have introduced school focal points, daily symptom checks and follow-up for exposed pupils following confirmed infections and a child’s death. The World Bank said it had mobilized $175 million and planned an additional $80 million.

In Tshopo, medical unions said one doctor had died after contracting Ebola and two others were infected. They alleged shortages of gloves, disinfectant and protective equipment, inadequate staffing and delays in treatment and warned that non-emergency services could be suspended if the deficiencies were not addressed.

Kigonze dispersal threatens displaced families and Ebola surveillance

The Bureau international des droits de l’homme characterized the departures from the Kigonze displacement site as forced decongestion conducted without adequate consultation or assistance. It called for security assessments before families are returned to Djugu and for shelter, water and health services for people unable to return.

Families subsequently fled following a military operation marked by gunfire and followed by a fire. The UN warned that dispersing the displaced population could impede Ebola-response work. The circumstances of the operation, the cause of the fire and the provincial government’s response to the forced-departure allegations remain unresolved.

Kangbayi prison runs out of food while holding nine times its capacity

Civil society said some prisoners at Kangbayi in Beni had gone nine days without food. The prison held approximately 2,358 detainees despite having been designed for 250. Prison sources confirmed a prolonged food-stock shortage, while churches and volunteers were supplying some essential assistance.

DRC and World Bank begin work on a ten-year health partnership

The health ministry and World Bank opened consultations on a health partnership covering 2027–2036. The proposed framework covers universal health coverage, health facilities, staffing and the resilience of services in conflict-affected areas. The consultations are intended to establish investment and reform priorities; no final framework or financing amount has been announced.

Politics and Governance

C64 files complaint as prosecutors postpone activist’s burial

The C64 opposition coalition filed a military-justice complaint against Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani, Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba, senior police officials and UDPS figures over violence surrounding its September 15 demonstration. The allegations have not been adjudicated.

Separately, prosecutors ordered the body of activist Manassé Lomboto to remain at the morgue while the investigation into his death continues, postponing his burial.

Kinshasa and AFC/M23 remain divided over national dialogue

Kinshasa used its UN messaging to invite Congolese actors reluctant to join the proposed national dialogue while insisting that an internal process must not recast what the government describes as foreign aggression as a purely domestic dispute.

AFC/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa rejected the Kinshasa initiative and said his movement would prioritize the Doha negotiations. The positions leave the parties divided over whether an internal dialogue should complement the externally mediated peace processes and who should determine its structure.

Economy, Trade and Mining

DRC retains tariff-free United States market access through 2028

The United States confirmed that the DRC remains eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act through December 2028. The decision preserves duty-free access to the United States for qualifying Congolese exports following the extension of the program through the end of 2028.

Government orders a single identifier for businesses

Tshisekedi instructed the government to replace the identifiers used by different public services with one business identifier. The proposed reform is intended to reduce duplicated registration procedures and formalization costs. No implementation timetable or technical integration plan was announced.

KoBold digitizes 300,000 pages of geological archives

KoBold Metals said it had digitized approximately 300,000 pages of geological material held by the University of Lubumbashi and made the data accessible online. The work forms part of KoBold’s 2025 agreement with the government and expands access to historical exploration information from the Copperbelt.

Environment and Conservation

Government begins designing a sovereign carbon registry

The environment ministry and central bank began designing a national registry for carbon projects, credits and transactions. The World Bank is expected to provide technical and financial support. The initiative follows the enactment of a new carbon law earlier this month; the registry itself remains in the design stage and has not yet been launched.

Authorities investigate hippopotamus deaths in the Semuliki

The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation and health authorities warned communities not to touch or consume hippopotamus carcasses found in the Semuliki area near Virunga National Park. Laboratory tests are underway. An earlier hippopotamus death in the region tested positive for anthrax, but the cause of the current deaths has not been established.