Bottom Line

Health unions plan to begin a national strike today as the Ebola response contends with delayed treatment and deaths outside health facilities. Belgian police have searched homes linked to President Félix Tshisekedi’s family in a money-laundering investigation. In Ituri, separate attacks attributed to CODECO have killed civilians and drivers.

Health

Health unions call a national strike for October 15

The Intersyndicale of health workers announced a general strike beginning October 15 over unmet government commitments. Its demands include overdue risk allowances, salary adjustments, promotions and changes to employment status. The unions said they remained open to negotiations backed by a timetable for carrying out an agreement.

Ebola response gains funding as patients continue to seek care late

The World Bank announced $80 million in additional financing for the DRC’s Ebola response and $13 million for regional preparedness. The DRC funding is intended to strengthen surveillance, laboratories, treatment, infection prevention and community engagement.

Delayed treatment remains a concern in affected areas. The Oïcha response coordinator counted 22 Ebola-linked deaths outside health facilities and called for free care. Health officials in Tchomia said patients were arriving late for treatment, while an Ituri organization warned that some patients in Biakato were seeking care in prayer rooms. A laboratory for analyzing Ebola samples has begun operating in Biakato.

Security and Eastern DRC

Separate CODECO-attributed attacks kill civilians and drivers in Ituri

Eleven civilians were reported killed at Jissa in Djugu territory during the night of October 12–13. Local civil society attributed the attack to CODECO and said assailants pillaged and burned a health center.

Separately, gunfire near Pimbo on the RN27 killed at least three drivers, including two foreign nationals and disrupted traffic on the Bunia–Fataki route. Another account put the toll at four. CODECO was also accused of that attack.

Fighting disrupts Nyabiondo; civilians killed around Kaziba

Clashes between Wazalendo and rebel fighters halted activity at Nyabiondo in North Kivu’s Masisi territory. In South Kivu, three days of fighting around Kaziba left at least four civilians dead, emptied several villages and interrupted local activity.

UN envoy says an eastern ceasefire has yet to take hold

A ceasefire in eastern DRC has yet to take hold despite the Washington, Doha and African Union peace initiatives, UN envoy Huang Xia told the Security Council. He described continuing battles and limited withdrawals from rebel-held positions. Over the six months ending September 15, the UN documented 2,186 human-rights violations and abuses attributed to armed groups, alongside violations attributed to state forces.

Governance and Justice

Belgian police search homes linked to Tshisekedi’s family

Belgian police searched homes linked to relatives of President Félix Tshisekedi in Brussels and surrounding areas on October 14 as part of a money-laundering investigation. The inquiry follows complaints alleging diversion of proceeds from mining sites in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga. An account of the complaint names the president’s wife, Denise Nyakeru; his brothers Christian, Jacques and Jean-Claude; and his children Fanny and Anthony. Belgian authorities have not identified the occupants of the properties searched. The family has denied the mining allegations.

Media regulator suspends journalist over remarks on Kabila

The media regulator barred journalist Paulette Kimuntu from media appearances and online communications for 60 days. Kimuntu had defended former president Joseph Kabila as “not a rebel” and argued that, had he led AFC/M23, he could already have reached Kinshasa. The regulator characterized her remarks as glorifying the war in eastern DRC.

Economy and Infrastructure

MetroKin partners target a December start for airport rail line

Africa Finance Corporation and Congolese partners signed a co-development agreement for the first phase of Kinshasa’s MetroKin railway. The planned electrified, double-track line would run roughly 22–25 kilometers from Central Station to N’Djili airport, with eight stations. Its first phase is estimated to cost $877 million. MetroKin’s director now targets December 2026 for construction to begin, two months later than the previous target.

Central bank proposes converting mining dollars into francs

The Central Bank of Congo proposed buying up to 30 percent of the export dollars mining companies repatriate, paying them in Congolese francs. The bank would add the dollars to its reserves. Proposed requirements to pay local mining subcontractors in francs would also increase use of the currency and keep more transactions in domestic banks. The broader draft exchange rules have raised questions about exchange-rate risk and how companies would meet obligations denominated in dollars.

KoBold begins copper drilling near the Zambian border

KoBold Metals has begun core drilling at its South Pedicle copper project in Sakania territory, Haut-Katanga, near the Zambian border. The company’s permits there target copper exploration; its lithium exploration around Manono is a separate project.

Lubumbashi station closures drive up gasoline resale prices

Several fuel stations stopped selling gasoline in Lubumbashi on October 13. Roadside resellers raised prices from about 4,000 Congolese francs per liter to 8,000–10,000 francs in places. Petroleum operators and provincial officials had given no reason for the closures.

Public Services

Electricity returns to Kalemie after maintenance delays

Electricity returned to Kalemie at 3:53 p.m. on October 14, according to local reporting. The restoration followed outages that persisted beyond the scheduled end of maintenance at the Bendera hydroelectric plant.