Bottom Line

Government-aligned forces say they have taken a position in Walikale as fighting continues on separate eastern fronts. Opposition leaders have opened talks in Rome while Prince Epenge remains detained in Kinshasa. The DRC and United States have convened a Grand Inga coordination committee, and an anticorruption inquiry is seeking to trace nearly 13 billion francs intended for agriculture in Kwango.

Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs

Government-aligned forces take Rushihe as fighting continues on separate fronts

Local accounts say FARDC and Wazalendo forces took Rushihe hill above Katobo in North Kivu’s Walikale territory. The position overlooks the surrounding area.

Separately, fighting continued around Gipimo in South Kivu’s Fizi territory. In Rutshuru, an ambush against a Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) convoy disrupted farming around Kabizo and Katovu. An FRN-appointed territorial official accused Wazalendo fighters of killing five civilians at Kabizo.

CODECO-attributed attacks drive families from Djugu villages

Armed men identified by local sources as CODECO fighters attacked three villages in Djugu’s Sombuso groupement on Sunday. Houses were burned, livestock was stolen and families fled, including toward Uganda.

Politics and Governance

C64 opens Rome talks while Prince Epenge remains detained

The five leaders of the opposition Coalition Article 64—Martin Fayulu, Moïse Katumbi, Delly Sesanga, Augustin Matata Ponyo and Jean-Marc Kabund—opened a two-day meeting in Rome on Monday. They demanded the release of Prince Epenge, who was prevented from traveling with them from Kinshasa.

Epenge’s allies say he is being held at the National Cyberdefense Council, a security service attached to the presidency. According to an associate, he faces an accusation of spreading false rumors after calling the death of ADD Congo security member Manassé Lomboto an assassination. Lomboto died on September 15 after being beaten during violence around a C64 march; responsibility for the attack remains disputed.

Nearly 13 billion francs in Kwango agriculture payments questioned

The anticorruption agency is seeking an account of 12.96 billion Congolese francs it says left the Treasury for Kwango agriculture programs. The money was intended in part for agricultural equipment and the 2025–26 farming campaign. Kwango’s agriculture minister says her ministry was never notified of the payments, has no accounts matching those cited by the agency and received none of the money. Provincial authorities and civil society have called for an investigation into where the funds went.

Asset declarations planned for all public servants

The government announced plans to require all public servants to declare their assets and interests, along with those of their immediate families. The requirement previously applied to a narrower group of senior officials. It is intended to expose conflicts of interest and unexplained wealth; the government plans to begin the expanded process before the end of the year.

Government cancels 2024 e-visa contract

The government canceled a concession signed in 2024 for an electronic-visa system, citing legal, financial and contractual shortcomings found in a review. It plans a new procurement process, with preparatory workshops in November and bids expected to be evaluated in early 2027.

Cabinet backs rapid-alert system for threatened journalists

The cabinet approved a protection mechanism proposed by Journaliste en danger, a Congolese press-freedom organization. The plan would give journalists a rapid way to report threats to designated contacts in the justice system, security services, media regulator and journalist organizations. It also envisages protection, legal assistance and follow-up on attacks. Reporters Without Borders has called for an independent legal mandate and provincial contact points.

Health

Ebola closes an Ituri clinic as a patient leaves care in Nord-Ubangi

The Ania health center in Ituri’s Aru territory has been closed for about a week after Ebola infections among patients and staff. In Nord-Ubangi, a patient with confirmed Ebola reportedly left care at Wapinda.

At Wamba’s Ebola treatment center in Haut-Uélé, workers threatened to strike over allowances unpaid since August. A water shortage in Butembo is complicating handwashing and other prevention measures, while Ituri education officials say more than 2,000 schools need prevention supplies. Butembo health authorities plan to begin vaccinating frontline workers against Bundibugyo Ebola on November 9.

More than 90 detainees reported ill at Bulungu prison

Civil society in Bulungu, Kwilu, says one prisoner has died and more than 90 others are ill amid shortages of food and medicine at the central prison. Its representative says the prison has gone months without central-government support.

Mining and the Economy

Artisanal miners resume Kolwezi protests over mineral sales

After demonstrations last week, artisanal miners returned to Kolwezi’s streets on Monday, saying they still lack accessible outlets for selling their minerals. Barricades and confrontations disrupted traffic, businesses and schools. Miners object to having to sell through the Musompo trading center, which they say is too far away.

Separately, a protocol signed Friday began a relocation and compensation process for more than 20,000 miners at Kamilombe. Mines Minister Louis Watum visited Kolwezi as the dispute over mining and sales controls continued.

DRC and United States convene Grand Inga committee

DRC and U.S. officials held the first meeting of a joint coordination committee for Grand Inga in Paris on Monday. Envisaged in their December 2025 strategic-partnership agreement, the committee discussed phased development of the proposed Congo River hydropower project, electricity transmission, financing and the division of risks. The World Bank attended.

Banana port-linked economic zone clears initial review

A commission gave its approval in principle to a special economic zone proposed by ARISE IIP at Banana in Kongo Central’s Muanda territory. The roughly 984-hectare project beside the port under construction is planned for logistics, agro-industry, building-materials businesses and training facilities. ARISE IIP projects $104 million in investment and 50,000 direct and indirect jobs. The developer has also worked on the Kin-Malebo zone at Nsele, near Kinshasa; Maluku, also near the capital, is the country’s pilot special economic zone.

Public Services

Kinshasa agrees to pay two months of municipal salary arrears

Kinshasa’s provincial administration and the urban-workers’ union agreed on payment of two months of salary arrears on November 6. The union called a strike last week and says some categories of employees are owed as much as 20 months of pay.