Dernières infos – en

Judith Verweijen

When thinking of armed groups in the eastern DR Congo, the image that likely comes into the minds of many is that of soldiers in army fatigues brandishing AK-47s against the backdrop of the wilderness of the bush or green hilltops. Probably few would think of ministers and businesspersons in Kinshasa, Goma or Bukavu, or the persons that figure on the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission as candidates of the 2011 elections. Yet, such civilian figures might have more influence over the life cycle of armed groups than military leaders in the field. In fact, some of the most important leaders of armed groups wear a suit rather than a uniform.

The Ugandan military said Friday it is investigating the circumstances under which a Congolese military helicopter fired a bomb on the Ugandan side of the common border.

A spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency in Uganda says more than 5,000 Congolese have crossed into Uganda to escape renewed fighting between Congo's military and M23 rebels.

Peter Clottey

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) information minister says Kinshasa is seeking the extradition of M23 rebels who fled to neighboring countries following recent clashes with the national army (FARDC).

BY NICK LONG,

Kigali — Mining experts say warring parties in eastern Congo are missing the big picture. They say armed groups are fighting over surface-level mines and blocking access to billions of dollars in mineral deposits deeper underground. Could unlocking that potential be the key to sustainable peace?

The new round of fighting between Congolese government forces and the M23 rebels is reaching a dramatic climax. With the Congolese army having swept through all of the major towns that the M23 held––Kibumba, Rumangabo, Rutshuru, Kiwanja, and since this afternoon Bunagana––the M23 may be nearing its end. This would be historic––it would be the first time the Congolese government had defeated a major rebellion, and it would be the first time since 1996 that an armed group allied to Rwanda is not present in the eastern Congo

N/A

Officials in eastern Congo say heavy fighting has erupted in a rebel stronghold near the border with Uganda.

Congo's United Nations-backed army closed in on the last pockets of territory held by M23 rebels in the east on Wednesday, a Congolese commander and a local resident said.

Government forces said they captured the rebel stronghold of Rutshuru on Sunday in a third day of fierce fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in which one U.N. peacekeeper was killed and another injured.