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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Kinshasa

Head of State

President Félix Tshisekedi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa

An employee of Chinese company CMOC holds a form of cobalt hydroxide produced at the Tenke Fungurume mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 17, 2023. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

Opinion | Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: how China-US mineral war is taking shape

The US approach of deploying capital and diplomatic leverage must make up for China’s years-long head start in building its reserves.

20 Feb 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine war: report

20 Feb 2026 - 2:44PM

China-Latin America relations

China’s Chalco, Rio Tinto buy Brazil’s CBA for US$886 million to secure minerals

3 Feb 2026 - 10:51AMvideocam

Africa

Over 200 dead in DR Congo after landslide collapses mines: rebel authorities

The nation is a major supplier of coltan - dug out by hand - which contains a key component for smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.

31 Jan 2026 - 5:44PMvideocam

An aerial view of miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 200 people are feared dead after a landslide. File photo: AFP

Africa

The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy African rebel group

Kidnapped, drugged and forced to loot, survivors detail life inside the ADF’s hidden forest camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

26 Dec 2025 - 1:54PM

China-Africa relations

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

21 Dec 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Africa

Rwanda-backed rebels enter key DR Congo town, as Trump peace deal crumbles

M23 advance in DR Congo comes less than a week after after the signing of a peace deal in Washington.

11 Dec 2025 - 2:29PM

A deserted street in Uvira on Tuesday as M23 forces advanced towards the town. Photo: AFP

Africa

‘Miracle’ Africa peace deal, signed at Trump’s urging, already unravelling

A US-backed agreement to end one of Africa’s longest wars is at risk as DR Congo and Burundi condemn Rwanda and M23 rebel advances.

9 Dec 2025 - 3:40PM

US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:51AMvideocam

Africa

Trump praises African leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

‘Historic’ agreement aims to end conflict in eastern DR Congo and unlock access to the region’s critical mineral reserves for the US.

5 Dec 2025 - 4:44PM

US President Donald Trump at the signing ceremony with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President FelixTshisekedi in Washington. Photo: AP

United States

US Institute of Peace renamed after ‘greatest dealmaker’ Trump

‘Donald J. Trump’ emblazes Washington headquarters of the US Institute of Peace in time for a peace deal signing.

4 Dec 2025 - 1:25PM

United States

Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in US to sign peace deal

The Congolese government says its signing is conditional on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo.

29 Nov 2025 - 11:39AM

Switzerland

Red Cross to cut 2,900 jobs, slash budget as donors shift focus towards defence

Failure to prevent conflict and provide humanitarian relief risks ‘a world of ever more and greater suffering’, president warns.

21 Nov 2025 - 9:05PM

United States

Opinion | Don’t blame China for America’s authoritarian turn

America’s authoritarian turn didn’t start with Donald Trump and has been decades in the making.

19 Nov 2025 - 9:30AM

US President Donald Trump participates in a reenlistment ceremony for soldiers during a military parade commemorating the Army’s 250th anniversary on his 79th birthday on June 14 in Washington. Photo: AP

Europe’s refugee crisis

UK toughens asylum policy as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Policy overhaul seeks greater control over who can remain in Britain as tens of thousands of people claim asylum.

18 Nov 2025 - 1:34PM

Migrants in Gravelines, northern France, walk in the water to board a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain. Photo: AP

Africa

At least 32 killed in DR Congo after bridge at mine collapsed

Authorities say overcrowding and panic - allegedly sparked by soldiers’ gunfire - caused the bridge to fall at the copper and cobalt mine.

17 Nov 2025 - 1:05PM

Climate change

The world has a decade to save the biggest tropical carbon sink

Report warns that further damage to Africa’s vast tropical forests risks undermining the world’s fight against climate change.

10 Nov 2025 - 2:59PMvideocam

Science

Science drives China’s westward expansion in Africa

Discoveries of large untapped mineral deposits in West Africa are behind Beijing’s push to invest heavily in exploration and mining.

26 Oct 2025 - 4:05PMvideocam

After almost three decades of false starts, Guinea’s massive Simandou iron ore mine is on track to deliver its first shipment this year, in a significant breakthrough for Chinese hopes of breaking its dependence on Australia and Brazil. Photo: Rio Tinto Simfer

Africa

DR Congo military court sentences ex-president to death for treason

Joseph Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, was convicted in absentia of crimes including collaborating with M23 anti-government rebels.

1 Oct 2025 - 1:19PM

US-China relations

US invests in Zambia project in bid to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals

USTDA will provide US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa to fund feasibility study on expanding the copper and cobalt mine.

19 Sep 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Africa

DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal outlines US role in minerals sector

Among regulatory initiatives and reforms, the deal calls for third-party inspections of mine sites and working with private sector partners.

14 Sep 2025 - 4:38PM

A Congolese artisanal miner internally displaced by the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, digs in an open-pit mine, in Mangaredjipa near Beni, North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo, on August 31. Photo: Reuters

Africa

Dozens slaughtered in gun and machete attack at DR Congo funeral

Allied Democratic Forces rebels blamed for a deadly attack on residents at a village mourning ceremony.

10 Sep 2025 - 5:40PM

A charred wreckage of a truck following an attack by Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels. Photo: Reuters

Africa

In DR Congo, cash shortage forces rebel-held city to use damaged banknotes

Residents in Bukavu are using older, perforated banknotes put back into circulation, but some shopkeepers refuse to accept them.

9 Sep 2025 - 12:14AM

Israel-Gaza war

UN human rights chief slams Israel’s ‘mass killing’ of Palestinians in Gaza

Volker Turk expresses horror at the ‘genocidal rhetoric’ and ‘disgraceful dehumanisation’ of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.

8 Sep 2025 - 7:47PM

China-Africa relations

China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

Infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore, it is about shaping global supply lines, one analyst notes.

6 Sep 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

Beijing will invest US$1.4 billion to rehabilitate the Tazara Railway. Photo: Shutterstock

Africa

New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo kills 15, prompting WHO response

The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing.

5 Sep 2025 - 1:32PM

A health worker puts on Ebola protection gear in 2019. DR Congo has recorded 15 outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976. File photo: AP

Middle East

Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Al-Mansour Holdings is looking to tap into six resource-rich sub-Saharan countries for minerals, oil and gas.

4 Sep 2025 - 3:17PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says

The US has framed it as key to de-risking from China, but Nicholas Fournier says Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a purely commercial entity’.

23 Aug 2025 - 8:39PM

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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: how China-US mineral war is taking shape

The US approach of deploying capital and diplomatic leverage must make up for China’s years-long head start in building its reserves.

Over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine war: report

China’s Chalco, Rio Tinto buy Brazil’s CBA for US$886 million to secure minerals

Over 200 dead in DR Congo after landslide collapses mines: rebel authorities

The nation is a major supplier of coltan - dug out by hand - which contains a key component for smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.

The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy African rebel group

Kidnapped, drugged and forced to loot, survivors detail life inside the ADF’s hidden forest camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

Rwanda-backed rebels enter key DR Congo town, as Trump peace deal crumbles

M23 advance in DR Congo comes less than a week after after the signing of a peace deal in Washington.

‘Miracle’ Africa peace deal, signed at Trump’s urging, already unravelling

A US-backed agreement to end one of Africa’s longest wars is at risk as DR Congo and Burundi condemn Rwanda and M23 rebel advances.

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

Trump praises African leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

‘Historic’ agreement aims to end conflict in eastern DR Congo and unlock access to the region’s critical mineral reserves for the US.

US Institute of Peace renamed after ‘greatest dealmaker’ Trump

‘Donald J. Trump’ emblazes Washington headquarters of the US Institute of Peace in time for a peace deal signing.

Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in US to sign peace deal

The Congolese government says its signing is conditional on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo.

Red Cross to cut 2,900 jobs, slash budget as donors shift focus towards defence

Failure to prevent conflict and provide humanitarian relief risks ‘a world of ever more and greater suffering’, president warns.

Opinion | Don’t blame China for America’s authoritarian turn

America’s authoritarian turn didn’t start with Donald Trump and has been decades in the making.

UK toughens asylum policy as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Policy overhaul seeks greater control over who can remain in Britain as tens of thousands of people claim asylum.

At least 32 killed in DR Congo after bridge at mine collapsed

Authorities say overcrowding and panic - allegedly sparked by soldiers’ gunfire - caused the bridge to fall at the copper and cobalt mine.

The world has a decade to save the biggest tropical carbon sink

Report warns that further damage to Africa’s vast tropical forests risks undermining the world’s fight against climate change.

Science drives China’s westward expansion in Africa

Discoveries of large untapped mineral deposits in West Africa are behind Beijing’s push to invest heavily in exploration and mining.

DR Congo military court sentences ex-president to death for treason

Joseph Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, was convicted in absentia of crimes including collaborating with M23 anti-government rebels.

US invests in Zambia project in bid to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals

USTDA will provide US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa to fund feasibility study on expanding the copper and cobalt mine.

DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal outlines US role in minerals sector

Among regulatory initiatives and reforms, the deal calls for third-party inspections of mine sites and working with private sector partners.

Dozens slaughtered in gun and machete attack at DR Congo funeral

Allied Democratic Forces rebels blamed for a deadly attack on residents at a village mourning ceremony.

In DR Congo, cash shortage forces rebel-held city to use damaged banknotes

Residents in Bukavu are using older, perforated banknotes put back into circulation, but some shopkeepers refuse to accept them.

UN human rights chief slams Israel’s ‘mass killing’ of Palestinians in Gaza

Volker Turk expresses horror at the ‘genocidal rhetoric’ and ‘disgraceful dehumanisation’ of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.

China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

Infrastructure is no longer just about moving ore, it is about shaping global supply lines, one analyst notes.

New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo kills 15, prompting WHO response

The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing.

Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Al-Mansour Holdings is looking to tap into six resource-rich sub-Saharan countries for minerals, oil and gas.

Angola rail project not aimed at countering China, CEO says

The US has framed it as key to de-risking from China, but Nicholas Fournier says Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a purely commercial entity’.

Opinion | Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: how China-US mineral war is taking shape