The Latest Breaking News from DRC

The Congolese armed forces have accused the M23 rebel group of breaching a recent ceasefire, claiming that they killed at least 50 people in a massacre earlier this week and warning that the army would defend civilians from attacks.

Pope Francis I has rescheduled his long-delayed trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan for 31 January to 5 February 2023 – cutting out a stop over in the troubled eastern DRC, but fulfilling a long-held wish to accompany other Christian leaders to South Sudan.

The armed group was warned that if they did not cease fire after the deadline, force would be used to push them out.

Congolese government has rejected any direct talks with M23, while the armed group says it has no plans to withdraw.

For nearly three decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been embroiled in violence. Millions of people have been killed, and an estimated 5.6 million others displaced by civil wars, local feuds and cross-border conflicts.

Leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and other countries in East Africa have called for a ceasefire in the eastern DRC from Friday evening, as well as the immediate withdrawal of the M23 rebel group.

DR Congo and Rwanda have struck a deal to end months of fighting between Congolese troops and rebels in eastern DRC. The agreement was reached with the mediation of the East African community, but it hinges on the withdrawal of M23 rebels from occupied areas.

Regional African leaders, including from Rwanda and DRC, agree on the cessation of hostilities from Friday.

Fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national army and the rebel group M23 has displaced thousands of people in the eastern border city of Goma. Formed 10 years ago, the Rwanda-backed Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) soon made its first mark when it briefly occupied Goma, a city of…