Bottom Line

Former allies of Joseph Kabila are taking opposing positions on his new armed front. In Ituri, threats attributed to CODECO have driven thousands of displaced people from their camps toward MONUSCO bases. Tshopo authorities have suspended health facilities accused of failing to report Ebola patients to response teams.

Politics and Security

Kabila’s armed turn divides former allies

The announcement of Joseph Kabila’s Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN) has divided his former political allies. Marie-Ange Mushobekwa and Allegra Fosh distanced themselves from an armed approach, while former health minister Félix Kabange Numbi declared his support for Kabila in a written statement. Patrick Nkanga left the PPRD on the day the front was announced, though his resignation did not name Kabila or the FRN as its cause.

Thousands flee displacement sites in Djugu

People fled the Roe and Djangi displacement sites in Ituri after threats of attacks attributed to CODECO. MONUSCO said about 4,750 people gathered near its base at Roe and another 1,400 sought refuge at Drodro. Peacekeepers reinforced their positions and fired warning shots to deter armed men from approaching civilians. Local reporting also described an attack at Rhoo and a death at Blukwa.

Mobondo fighters demand payments from Kwamouth farmers

In southeastern Kwamouth, Mai-Ndombe province, armed men identified by the military as Mobondo are demanding payments from farmers to reach and cultivate their fields. An army spokesman said the fighters operate under a commander known as Cobra and have resisted disarmament. Mobondo groups emerged from the land and customary-fee conflict between Teke landholders and Yaka farmers that began in 2022.

Government-aligned South Kivu authorities suspend demonstrations

South Kivu’s Kinshasa-aligned provincial government suspended public demonstrations in areas under its control after a security meeting in Uvira on October 12. The governor’s office cited infiltration risks and described remarks by former president Kabila as hateful and divisive, without identifying specific passages. It gave no end date for the order.

Health

Tshopo suspends facilities over Ebola reporting violations

Tshopo authorities have suspended some health facilities for treating suspected or confirmed Ebola patients without notifying response teams, Governor Paulin Lendongolia said. He also described assaults on health workers and damage to response equipment, and warned that further violations could bring sanctions.

Public Services and Governance

Fizi’s brief mobile-service restoration fails

Residents of Fizi and Baraka are again pressing for mobile service after months of disruption. Vodacom service returned last week but failed again within 24 hours, according to local reporting. Residents protested and delivered demands for the networks to be restored; the wider interruption dates from July.

Commission questions management of university fees

A National Assembly commission says it found no proof that designated shares of a $10 annual fee paid by public-university students reached their intended recipients. Its report also questioned the decision to channel the payments through an account managed by Higher Education Minister Marie-Thérèse Sombo’s office. The findings were presented to lawmakers on October 7.

Kalemie remains without normal power after maintenance period

Several Kalemie neighborhoods remained without electricity on October 12, the scheduled end of maintenance at the Bendera hydroelectric plant. Residents had not received a revised timetable from the national utility for the return of normal service.

Economy and Infrastructure

DRC and U.S. review strategic projects

The DRC–U.S. task force reviewed Grand Inga, the Lobito Corridor and strategic assets proposed for bilateral cooperation at its second meeting on October 12. The government is still selecting priority projects and arranging further technical discussions with American partners. Its proposed assets include mineral projects at Rubaya and Manono.

Government outlines national transport-corridor program

The government has set out a program of 13 corridors and 22,800 kilometers of roads intended to connect isolated regions with domestic markets and export routes. One proposed route, the Corridor de la paix, centers on a 1,080-kilometer highway between Mbuji-Mayi in Kasaï-Oriental and Bukavu in South Kivu. Transport and border infrastructure are also under discussion for the World Bank’s 2027–2036 partnership with the DRC.

Mineral-processing bill advances in the Assembly

The National Assembly declared a proposal on local processing of minerals admissible, allowing lawmakers to consider it further. The proposal has not been adopted.