The United Nations secretary-general is seeking 320 additional police for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo as tensions over long-delayed elections have caused violence to spread into new areas of the country. The new report by Antonio Guterres to the U.N. Security Council, obtained by The Associated Press, says a recent political agreement reached by the ruling party and opposition to hold presidential elections this year is in peril as the sides engage in brinksmanship.
Category: Congo
Trump’s new immigration order, still more of the same
This week the administration finally released the newest version of the Trump administration’s travel ban. The new order entitled, Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States executive order does not include the controversial religious litmus test that prioritizes Christian refugees over Muslims and eliminates the indefinite suspension of the Syrian refugee resettlement program.
Three mass graves discovered in central Congo: U.N.
Three mass graves have been discovered in central Democratic Republic of Congo, where hundreds have been killed since July in clashes between security forces and a local militia, the top U.N. rights official said on Wednesday. At least 400 people have died and 200,000 have been displaced since the fighting broke out with the Kamuina Nsapu militia.
UN envoy and Church leaders in DR Congo condemn attacks against Catholic facilities
New York, Feb 25 : The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the National Episcopal Conference of Congo, known as CENCO have called for an immediate end to the spate of violent attacks against Catholic facilities in several parts of the country. The UN Organization Stabilization Mission and CENCO, along with the Apostolic Nunciature said they are deeply concerned about recent attacks on parishes and other Catholic facilities.
Congo police open fire on sect supporters in capital Kinshasa
Police in Democratic Republic of Congo launched an assault on the residence of the leader of a separatist religious sect in Kinshasa early on Tuesday and fired live ammunition and tear gas at his supporters, a Reuters witness said. The assault on the home of Ne Muanda Nsemi, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo sect, began around 4:30 a.m. local time.
Congolese pay last respects to Tshisekedi
Members of the Democratic Republic of Congo community gather around the coffin of late Congo’s opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi during a funeral wake in his honour, in Brussels. AFP Photo Tears flowed Sunday as thousands of members of the Congolese diaspora paid their emotional last respects to opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, known affectionately as “papa”, who died in Brussels last week.
The Kalala family.
Social media is abuzz over President Donald Trump’s tweet condemning the actions of a federal appeals court that rejected an appeal to restore the travel ban on refugees and visa holders. The Executive Order banned citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days.
South Carolina-bound refugees affected by president’s immigration ban
A crowd of over 100 people gathered around the Charleston Holocaust Memorial in Marion Square during a demonstration to denounce President Donald Trump’s executive order that bars citizens of seven predominantly Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. The group also expressed support for refugees.
.com | Congolese M23 rebels cross over from Uganda, ‘clash with army’
Armed Congolese rebels crossed back overnight into the country from their longtime refuge in Uganda, prompting fears that a guerilla conflict put to rest in 2013 could be rekindled. At least 200 former members of M23, an ethnic Tutsi group defeated by the Congolese army three years ago, arrived from Uganda and took over a village in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo government spokesperson Lambert Mende told AFP.
a A timeline of DRC’s chase for democracy
Power play: Violence erupted over President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to hold elections and step down. Photo: Eduardo Soteras/AFP Hopes are high that a landmark power-sharing deal between Democratic Republic of Congo’s political opponents will bring an end to a crisis two years in the making.
Penis-Proud Former Energy CEO With Ties To Platinum Partners Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud
Well, the the wacky Aussie with a proclivity for pulling his pecker out at the dinner table and a very intriguing link to Platinum Partners seems to have found himself in another pickle . The former chief executive officer of a company linked to troubled hedge fund manager Platinum Partners was convicted of criminal tax fraud on Wednesday, New York’s attorney general said in a statement.
Congo opposition leader who fled country announces candidacy
A top Congo opposition leader who fled the country has announced his candidacy for president and is commending a new political agreement that might allow him to come home. In a statement Tuesday, Moise Katumbi praised the deal signed by political parties that calls for President Joseph Kabila to leave power after an election that will be held by the end of the year.
.com | DRC set for talks on implementing crisis deal
Opposing sides in the crisis that has gripped DR Congo will this week hold their first talks on implementing a landmark deal on the country’s political future, mediators said on Monday. “An initial meeting for deciding on ways to implement the agreement is scheduled for Tuesday,” Father Donatien Nshole, the spokesman for National Episcopal Conference of Congo , which is overseeing the process, told AFP.
Deal reached to end DRCongo political crisis
The government and opposition parties in the DR Congo on Saturday clinched a hard-won deal over President Joseph Kabila’s fate, ending a political crisis that sparked months of deadly unrest. Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the “end of 2017” but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.
14 Best Skywatching Events of 2017
Another year of skywatching is upon us, and there’s a lot to look forward to in 2017! Here are some of the more noteworthy sky events that will take place this year, including multiple meteor showers, occultations of bright stars and the first total eclipse of the sun for the United States in nearly four decades. Space.com’s Night Sky column will provide more extensive coverage of these events as they draw closer.
Congo president to leave after 2017 vote under new deal
Political parties in Congo have reached a deal that calls for President Joseph Kabila to leave power after the next election. The president’s party had wanted the vote to be held in mid-2018, and the dispute had provoked violent street demonstrations.
All-night talks fail to reach DR Congo deal
Kabila’s second and final five-year term ended on December 20, but he has shown no intention of leaving office soon, sparking violent protests that have left at least 40 people dead this week, according to the United Nations. President Joseph Kabila.
Protesters call for Congo leader Kabila to step down
Residents walk past fuel station closed during demonstrations against Congolese President Joseph Kabila in the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, December 20, 2016. Peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drive past a Congolese riot-police water cannon as they patrol in their armoured personnel carrier during demonstrations in the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, December 20, 2016.
Military deploys across Congo’s capital as Kabila stays on
Military and police deployed across Congo’s capital on Monday amid fears of unrest on the last official day of President Joseph Kabila’s mandate. He intends to stay on after the midnight deadline, said a presidential adviser, who also advised there is “no possibility” of elections in 2017.
Military deploys across Congo’s capital as Kabila stays on
Military and police deployed across Congo’s capital on Monday amid fears of unrest on the last official day of President Joseph Kabila’s mandate. He intends to stay on after the midnight deadline, said a presidential adviser, who also advised there is “no possibility” of elections in 2017.
Joseph Kabila prepares to crush protests in Congo power play
Flares are launched by DRCongo Police forces during a demonstration in Goma on September 19, 2016. At least 17 people, mostly civilians, were killed on September 19, 2016 when clashes erupted ahead of a planned opposition rally in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, a minister said, warning the toll was “provisional”.
Talks over Congo’s delayed presidential vote stall
Officials in Congo say negotiations between the country’s political parties over the nation’s delayed election are now on hold until Wednesday. The announcement Saturday comes as the Catholic church attempts to resolve the impasse between President Joseph Kabila and opposition parties over the vote.
.com | EXCLUSIVE: DRC nationals in SA vow to ‘remove envoy from Pretoria office’
Democratic Republic of Congo nationals living in South Africa are threatening to take things into their own hands and remove their ambassador in Pretoria from office should President Joseph Kabila not step down on Monday. Ilunga Mpanga Kazadi, a Gauteng-based Congolese community leader, told News24 “we will go to the ambassador on Tuesday and ask him to hand over his credentials, and then he must go”.