Bottom Line

MONUSCO chief James Swan met Joseph Kabila in Goma, where the FRN set out its objections to renewing the UN mission’s mandate and changing the Constitution. Fighting continued on several Kivu fronts, a suspected ADF attack drove residents from Maikengu, and Ebola treatment centers in Beni were caring for more patients than their stated capacity.

Security and Diplomacy

Swan meets Kabila as FRN sets out its position on Doha and MONUSCO

MONUSCO chief James Swan met Joseph Kabila and other FRN leaders in Goma on Tuesday. The FRN said it would maintain the AFC/M23’s commitments under the Doha peace process, while warning that constitutional change would jeopardize those commitments. It opposed renewing MONUSCO’s mandate and a possible redeployment to South Kivu, though it accepted a limited UN logistical role in verifying a ceasefire.

Fighting continues across Masisi, Walungu and Uvira

FARDC and FRN forces clashed Tuesday around Mirindano and other localities in Masisi territory, North Kivu. Separately, Wazalendo and FRN fighters exchanged fire Monday in Walungu territory. Several days of firing around Katogota and Luvungi in Uvira territory sent families fleeing their homes.

Suspected ADF attack drives residents from Maikengu

Armed men identified by local sources as ADF attacked Maikengu in Lubero territory’s Bapere sector on Tuesday, looting and burning homes and businesses. Residents fled toward Kambau and Nziapanda. It was the first reported attack in Bapere since the fighters withdrew from the area in March.

Dozens of former ADF captives regain freedom in Ituri

About 50 people held by the ADF in Mambasa territory have regained their freedom. Among those reaching safety, 29 were reunited with their families.

Seventy-one soldiers face trial over Walikale revolt and killings

A military court in Walikale is trying 71 FARDC soldiers on charges that include revolt and murder. The case concerns an October incident at Ngora in which two soldiers and a civilian were killed. The trial began with 54 defendants; more soldiers have since been brought before the court.

Health and Humanitarian Needs

Ebola treatment centers in Beni exceed capacity

Beni’s two Ebola treatment centers are caring for about 80 patients despite having roughly 60 beds. Around ten of the patients are children. In Ituri, health authorities have reduced treatment capacity as infections have fallen, but Bunia continues to record confirmed infections and deaths in the community.

Shortages and strikes strain Équateur’s cholera response

Cholera treatment in Équateur province is short of chlorine, specimen-collection kits, medicines and beds. Health workers are also pressing for unpaid bonuses amid a national health-sector strike. Treatment centers at Bolenge and Wangata are affected.

Storm affects more than 7,000 households in Kindu

A storm damaged homes and stripped roofs from schools in Kindu, Maniema. Municipal figures put the number of affected households at 7,278 across the city’s three communes, leaving some families without shelter.

Politics and Governance

C64 takes its constitutional campaign to Paris

Leaders of the opposition C64 coalition met French officials in Paris as they sought international support against a possible constitutional overhaul. The visit extends the coalition’s campaign beyond its domestic objections to constitutional change.

Rights group warns of severe overcrowding at Ndolo prison

Kinshasa’s Ndolo military prison holds more than 2,600 people in space designed for 660, according to the Fondation Bill Clinton pour la paix. Its warning follows the suspension of most new admissions at Makala prison.

Assembly sends road-code reform to Senate

The National Assembly approved a reform of the DRC’s roughly 50-year-old road code and sent it to the Senate. The proposal updates road-safety rules and penalties.

Mining, Economy and Public Services

Justice minister orders inquiries into suspected mining fraud

The justice minister directed prosecutors to investigate suspected illegal mineral extraction and trade in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga. The order follows recent seizures of vehicles, equipment and minerals, including at mining sites already the subject of enforcement operations.

Mulondo agreement allows artisanal miners to return

Mining company PAJECLEM has allocated two blocks at Mulondo in Lualaba to the COMIKAN artisanal-mining cooperative. The arrangement follows more than a year of exclusion from the site and a 2025 disaster in which about 30 miners died.

Butembo merchants continue strike over taxes and levies

Businesses in Butembo remained closed for a second day as merchants protested the number of taxes and levies they face and the way they are collected.

Government releases $35 million toward Onatra retirees’ claims

The government handed Onatra a $35 million check to begin settling payments owed to 4,812 former employees. Their claims date from retirements between 2013 and 2026.

Development program shifts focus to feeder roads

The planning minister acknowledged that the first phase of the 145-territory development program—which focused on schools, health centers and administrative buildings—delivered less than intended. Officials have identified about 3,766 kilometers of agricultural feeder roads as a priority for the next phase, intended to connect farming areas with markets.

Regional Trade

United States plans to end Rwanda’s AGOA benefits

Washington has notified Congress and Rwanda of its intention to end Rwanda’s eligibility for duty-free trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act on January 1, 2027. The U.S. trade representative cited trade barriers, human-rights and rule-of-law concerns, and threats to U.S. security and foreign-policy interests.