Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” against a rebel alliance that has besieged swaths of the nation’s mineral-rich east and forced hundreds of local troops and foreign mercenaries to surrender.

General Rudzani Maphwanya of the SANDF reveals that the M23 militia in the DRC has sustained significant casualties during a fierce battle with South African, Malawian, and Tanzanian forces, resulting in the deaths of 13 South African soldiers and three Malawian soldiers.

A potential Ebola outbreak has been reported in the DRC, at a time when the Trump administration has paused communication with the WHO.

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Economic rivalry and ethnic tensions lay at the center of the long-simmering conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the strategically located city of Goma has recently fallen to r

This introduction lays a foundation for the discussion of the East African Community and the battle for the soul of the DR Congo. However, it may be necessary to note that the Congolese hold very strong views that some countries in the East African Community are responsible for the armed rebellion in the eastern part of their country.

President Félix Tshisekedi did not attend the recent EAC summit hosted by President William Ruto to discuss the worsening security crisis in eastern DRC.

The conflict comes amid rising global tensions after Donald Trump’s election, especially between Washington and Beijing, over control of strategic minerals like those present in the Congo.

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

Kagame says militias backed by the DRC, including Rwandan genocidaires FDLR, were responsible for the unrest in eastern Congo.

South Africa often uses its diplomatic heft to position itself as defender of the "global south" on the world stage, but the deaths of 13 of its soldiers in eastern Congo fighting have exposed an inability to project hard power in its own backyard.