Bottom Line

A court has dissolved Joseph Kabila’s former ruling party. Opposition senators boycotted a vote on the referendum law as plans for a national dialogue raised a separate dispute over who may participate. The DRC has left an international financial gray list, while fighting and disruptions to the Ebola response continue in the east.

Politics and Diplomacy

Court dissolves Kabila’s PPRD

The Council of State ordered the dissolution of Joseph Kabila’s PPRD, moving beyond its earlier administrative suspension. The party rejected the ruling. Several former allies have distanced themselves from Kabila’s decision to lead the armed Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN), but the PPRD has not repudiated him as a party.

Referendum law advances as dialogue participation remains contested

The Senate readopted a revised referendum law on Saturday after changes responding to Constitutional Court observations on 13 articles. All 78 senators who voted supported it, but opposition senators left the sitting. Some warned that advancing the law without broader agreement could jeopardize a national dialogue.

The terms of that dialogue are also in dispute. President Félix Tshisekedi said an organizing committee would be named soon and ruled out talks with people he considers aligned with Rwanda unless they break those ties. The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes called for an inclusive dialogue while rejecting the FRN’s proposed use of force for political ends.

Prince Epenge transferred to Makala prison

Opposition figure Prince Epenge was transferred to Makala prison after a request for provisional release was denied. He faces an accusation of spreading false information concerning the September 15 death of Manassé Lomboto, an ADD Congo security official. Tshisekedi has attributed Lomboto’s death to illness, while opposition leader Martin Fayulu has linked it to injuries sustained during a confrontation that day. The cause remains disputed. Epenge was arrested on October 25 as he prepared to travel to a C64 opposition meeting in Rome. His lawyer was detained on Saturday and later released* after filming Epenge’s arrival at the prison.

Tshisekedi seeks Russian diplomatic support on eastern DRC

During a meeting in Moscow, Tshisekedi asked Russia to support implementation of a UN Security Council resolution on eastern DRC and renewal of MONUSCO’s mandate. The current mandate expires on December 20. The two governments also signed three agreements covering an intergovernmental commission and cooperation in education and health.

Security

Government-aligned forces claim gains in Masisi

FARDC-backed forces said they retook two FRN-held hill positions near Kazinga in Masisi territory on Saturday after several hours of fighting. In neighboring Walikale, clashes around Burubi and the Kashebere–Kibati axis gave way to a precarious lull.

FRN road closures disrupt supplies in Walikale

The FRN’s closure of the Goma–Walikale and Nyabiondo–Pinga roads* has restricted travel and trade. Traders say potatoes and tilapia brought from Goma have become scarce in Walikale-centre. Residents in Pinga reported paying 10,000 Congolese francs for a bar of soap previously sold for 1,000, and 5,000 francs for a packet of salt previously sold for 1,500.

Separate armed-group attacks kill seven near Bule

A CRP attack on an army position at Bule, in Ituri’s Djugu territory, reportedly killed one soldier and three militiamen. In a separate attack attributed to CODECO, three people were killed and six wounded near the Plaine Savo displacement site. The CRP is led by Thomas Lubanga and aligned itself with AFC/M23 in July 2025*; CODECO is a Lendu-linked armed-group coalition long active in Djugu. Both operate in a territory marked by longstanding Hema–Lendu conflict.

Health

Treatment-center attack and worker deaths strain Ebola response

Assailants burned two rooms of an Ebola treatment center in Bafwasende before it opened. The local health-zone chief said doctors brought in to support the response had returned to Kisangani after a nurse was killed in the area, leaving suspected patients to seek care at Nia-Nia. Separately, two doctors died of Ebola within two days: Safari Samuel in Ituri and Marie-France Shogogo in North Kivu.

Investigation documents unpaid Ebola workers and unreliable payrolls

An Actualité.cd investigation documented repeated work stoppages among unpaid Ebola-response personnel, affecting safe burials, decontamination, health checks and outbreak-data reporting. Health Minister Roger Kamba said roughly 20 percent of names on response payroll lists were fictitious and that only 25 of 83 organizations had submitted records of how they spent response funding.

Cholera kills 14 in Mbandaka

An October 30 health bulletin recorded 129 cholera cases and 14 deaths* in Mbandaka’s Wangata and Bolenge health zones, Équateur province. Eleven people died outside treatment centers. Authorities have introduced health checks at river landing points.

Economy and Infrastructure

DRC leaves international financial gray list

The Financial Action Task Force removed the DRC from its gray list on October 30, ending four years of enhanced monitoring. The intergovernmental body assesses countries’ safeguards against money laundering and terrorist financing. Its decision followed reforms to financial oversight, investigations and sanctions, and an on-site assessment of their implementation.

Assembly advances 2027 budget to committee

After two days of debate, the National Assembly accepted the proposed $24.8 billion 2027 budget for detailed committee examination. The draft would introduce taxes on digital-payment commissions, foreign digital services and gambling and progressively end fuel-price subsidies for mining, brewing, forestry and telecommunications companies*.

DRC–UAE trade agreement enters into force

The DRC’s comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the United Arab Emirates has entered into force, according to the UAE trade minister*. Signed earlier this year, it provides for broad tariff reductions and simpler customs procedures, with cooperation envisaged in logistics, energy and manufacturing.

Contracts signed for 13 airports

The transport ministry signed contracts with four companies to build or modernize 13 airports*, including facilities at Kalemie, Mbandaka, Tshikapa, Matadi and Muanda. The government says the treasury will finance work on runways, terminals, control towers and freight facilities, with the first handovers expected in late 2028.

Rights group alleges continued military presence at mines

Justicia ASBL estimates that about 5,000 soldiers and police remain at mining sites* in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga despite a July government instruction restricting such deployments. The group alleges that some security personnel are directly involved in mining activities.

Kisangani faces longer scheduled power cuts

SNEL is increasing scheduled power cuts across Kisangani* after output at the Tshopo hydroelectric plant fell to about 11 megawatts against estimated city demand of 45 megawatts. The utility attributed the loss of generation to higher Congo River levels reducing the plant’s effective water drop.