central Africa

Two army officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been sentenced to life in prison by a military court in North Kivu province for fighting at Goma airport. Videos of Major Rimenze Kangingo Bisimwa and Captain Mukando Muzito Paulin insulting each other and throwing punches were shared on social …

Héritier Magayane, a journalist working for the national broadcaster in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had his throat slit in the province of North Kivu. The announcement was made by the country’s officials. Heritier Magayane’s colleagues say his murder could be linked to his work, …

Chadian army was attacked on the night of August 4-5 by elements of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. The attack left 20 soldiers dead and several others missing. The Chadian army, which has just suffered the biggest attack since the death of Idriss Déby last April, is currently …

After months of suspension by the authorities, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has withdrawn from Cameroon’s North-West region. The charity said it could not stay where it was “not allowed to provide care to people”. “Unfortunately, we cannot keep our staff on standby any longer, so we have no …

The military governor of Ituri province in eastern Congo, Mr Johnny Luboya Nkashama, has condemned the killing of 16 people taken hostage by suspected Islamists. Mr Luboya said the army was sending reinforcements to boost security. He told a public meeting the objective was to allow people to return to …

The Security Council of the United Nations has extended by one year an arms embargo against the Central African Republic. The vote took place on Thursday in New York among the 15 council members, with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by China. Nicolas de Riviere, the French ambassador …

Nearly 200 people have been killed since January in “an alarming increase in attacks” by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN says. According to the UN refugee agency, 40,000 had been forced to flee their homes during the same …

The 77-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso is aiming for re-election in the first round on Sunday in Congo-Brazzaville, where members of civil society have expressed “serious reservations” about the transparency of the election. “One shot, K-O” is written on the campaign posters of the candidate of the Congolese Labor Party …

30 people have been killed in fighting between government troops and the Codeco militia in the eastern province of Ituri , the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says. The military said 11 civilians, two soldiers and a policeman were killed. Sixteen militiamen died in an army counter-offensive. Codeco, …

In Congo, security forces have started voting in the town of Dolisie, ahead of Wednesday’s presidential election. They are a total of 12,000 soldiers and police to vote. Congolese authorities say this would free up security forces, and allow them to focus on securing polling stations on Wednesday. But most …