Browsing: DRC

• In DRC, millions of people remain at risk of anthrax outbreak, a disease that demands the hospitalization of infected patients for better outcomes.
• One case of fatality, 16 suspected cases reported as healthcare infrastructure and transportation remains in dire need.
• WHO notes that anthrax has three forms in humans, all needing prompt medical attention.

The delicate security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could get worse following reports of anthrax outbreak, which threaten to further burden humanitarian response efforts in the war zone.

With insecurity fears escalating, millions of people remain at risk of anthrax outbreak, a disease that demands the hospitalization of infected patients for better outcomes in an area where healthcare infrastructure and transportation is in dire need.

With one reported loss of live, the zone now stares at the risk of plunging into limited humanitarian response even as anthrax outbreak threatens to further cripple …

• Defiant ex-DRC president Joseph Kabila says he has returned to the DRC to “participate in peace efforts”, but his successor, Felix Tshisekedi accuses him of backing the M23 rebels.
• An aide to Joseph Kabila, who left the DRC in 2023, announced that he is seeking “to take part in efforts to find peace in the country.”
• DRC’s conflict, which has been persistent for decades, worsened in January when M23 rebels seized Goma city and soon after, Bukavu.

The roiling crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has taken a fresh twist with former President Joseph Kabila now being directly linked to the M23 rebels, who have claimed large swathes of land in the mineral rich area.

Last week former President Joseph Kabila, who has been residing in South Africa, was warmly received in rebel-held Goma city just days after making a public appearance in Kigali Rwanda, expressing his intent …

• DRC, Indonesia, Chile in talks to form ‘critical minerals OPEC’.
• DRC cobalt export ban rises prices significantly.
• DRC to leverage its dominant market position through ban.

The DRC move to ban cobalt exports has not only sparked price increase of the critical mineral market, but, it has also set off talks of the set up of a ‘critical minerals OPEC.’ Reports show that the DRC, Indonesia, and Chile are key players in the global critical minerals landscape.

DownToEarth, a resource review agency notes in a recent report Critical minerals, development and agency: Are resource-rich countries in control of their mineral wealth? that other critical minerals that may fall under the control of the tripartite include lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements.

“These minerals are essential for the transition to clean energy technologies, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, and energy storage,” it stated in part.

Global demand for …

• DRC cobalt ban is steadily spiking prices for the critical mineral.
• DRC, Indonesia, Chile in talks to form a ‘critical minerals OPEC’.
• To counter the blow, US starts domestic refining.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has banned the export of cobalt in a move designed to push prices up. And, it is working: “There’s been a significant jump,” said Thomas Kavanagh, editor of battery metals at Argus Media, a market intelligence firm.

According to the market expert, after the export ban was instituted in February, “…the price of a key cobalt compound rose by more than 80 per cent. And it could be just the start,” he warns.

According to the expert, “the DRC’s export ban created immediate ripples throughout global commodity markets, triggering significant price volatility and prompting reassessment of supply chain stability for battery manufacturers and other end users.”

In his review, cobalt prices surged …

• Critical minerals are vital for the green energy transition.
• The DRC is the world’s largest miner of critical minerals.
• DRC appeals to US to mine critical minerals and help stop rebel insurgency.

Critical minerals are defining the green energy transition and the DRC is the world’s largest producer. Critical minerals copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and others including rare earth elements, such as lanthanum and yttrium are vital for the green energy transition.

These minerals and metals are essential for emerging technologies powering electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and mobile phones among other modern digital devices and machines.

“The country Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently the world’s largest supplier of cobalt which has defence and aerospace applications as well as being essential for batteries in electric vehicles,” states Cobalt Institute’s factsheet titled “Powering the Green Economy.”

The report points out that most of the critical minerals mined in …

• By harnessing DRC’s vast cobalt reserves and Zambia’s copper wealth, a new joint project aims to create jobs, cut emissions, and position Africa as epicenter of green mobility.
• The DRC-Zambia transboundary Special Economic Zone is set to produce nickel, manganese and cobalt battery precursors.
• A BloombergNEF study established that the project was technically feasible and financially viable, at a cost of $2.7Bn.

In a continent where competition and conflict often overshadows collaboration, two neighbouring nations are defying the odds—and history itself. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, who share a border fraught with regional tensions, are joining forces in an audacious gamble: turning a potential conflict zone into the hub of Africa’s green energy push.

At first glance, the partnership seems improbable. Eastern DRC remains a flashpoint, with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels clashing with Kinshasa’s forces. Yet, just south of the turmoil, the two nations are pioneering a transboundary …

• President Felix Tshisekedi is inviting the U.S. to directly purchase critical minerals from Kinshasa, instead of buying “looted” and “smuggled” minerals from Rwanda.
• Rwanda is under immense pressure from the UN, the U.S., the EU, the UK to cease and withdraw their support for M23 rebels.
• In a 2022 update, UNEP notes that DRC has around 3.5 million metric tonnes of cobalt, making it home to one of the largest reserves of this vital resource.

The escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has taken a new twist with President Felix Tshisekedi inviting the U.S. to directly purchase critical minerals from Kinshasa instead of buying “looted” and “smuggled” minerals through Rwanda.

In a statement on Sunday, Tina Salama, who is the spokesperson of President Tshisekedi, called out Rwanda, noting that the neighboring country has for long been involved in looting and smuggling of vital mineral resources from the …

• Over 6.7 million people out of which 40 per cent are children, have been displaced across conflict-affected provinces in DRC.
• UN warns children are facing summary executions, sexual violence and abduction and recruitment by the warring factions.
• 45 children, who were cared for in a day transit centre in Goma to have been killed, UN reports.

An increasing number of children in the war ton Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing summary executions, sexual violence amid increasing abduction and recruitment by the factions involved in the escalating conflict.

In an update Thursday by the UN Child Rights Committee, children in violence saddled zones of North and South Kivu to the East of the vast country are coming face to face with grave catastrophe.

The UN agency warned that increasingly, armed groups are targeting displaced children and those left helpless in the streets that have been run over by militias.…

• The 8-member bloc will showcase its diverse attractions under the brand “Visit East Africa: Feel the Vibe” during the March 4-6 trade fair in Berlin, Germany.
• EAC aims to attract international tourists and investors by highlighting the region’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and unique attractions.
• The EAC stand at ITB will also provide an opportunity to member countries to showcase their offerings and further penetrate the international market.

Stakeholders in East Africa’s tourism industry have joined forces to make the East African Community (EAC) the word’s next travel and hospitality hotspot during the March 4th-6th, 2025, International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the EAC said it will, for the first time, participate in the global expo as a single entity in the world’s largest tourism trade fair.

According to the EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva, the bloc will showcase its diverse attractions …

• Looters have wiped out with an estimated 7,000 tonnes of critical humanitarian food supplies in Bukavu City.
• Bukavu, the second largest city in DRC fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels at the weekend just weeks after the militia took over Goma in the escalating conflict that worsened in January.
• According to aid organizations, the war in eastern DRC has caused a shortage of humanitarian routes and is now threatening the smooth delivery of essential services in the mineral-rich region.

Food aid in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took a devastating hit over the weekend, with 7,000 tonnes lost to looting, further deepening the crisis as M23 rebels escalate their attacks. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned the looting of thousands of tonnes of relief supplies in the city of Bukavu in the eastern DRC after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels swept in at the weekend, reportedly meeting …