In January, at least 900 people were killed and over 700,000 displaced in and around the city of Goma, as fighting in the long-running armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo intensified, worsening an acute humanitarian and human rights crisis. The escalation came as the M23 rebel group, allegedly supported by Rwanda, made territorial advances, including the capture of Goma. As well as being a major logistics hub, Goma had been sheltering hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. Clashes between the M23 fighters and the Congolese army were reported by the UN to have damaged the city’s critical infrastructure, cutting off water and electricity supplies, and on 28 January, M23 closed its airport, severely restricting aid access. The UN also reported that food and medical supplies were low, at least two displacement camps had been bombed, and civilians had been subjected to sexual violence, ethnically targeted killings and arbitrary arrest. 

Sources: International Crisis Group, United Nations (1), United Nations (2), Reuters, United Nations (3)

On 13 January, Al Jazeera was suspended from broadcasting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 90 days over an interview it aired with the leader of the M23 rebel group, Bertrand Bisimwa. Citing allegations that the interview had been conducted with ‘the aim of destabilizing the institutions of the republic’, the Congolese media regulator, the Higher Council for Audiovisual and Communication (Le Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication, CSAC), said that it had suspended the broadcaster as a ‘precautionary measure’. In response to the same interview, the communications minister, Patrick Muyaya, had announced four days earlier that he had revoked Al Jazeera journalists’ media accreditation and warned that the government may consider taking more radical measures. These developments came amid growing pressure from authorities on the press over their coverage of the M23 rebels’ military advances in the ongoing conflict in the east of the country.      

Sources: Le Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication, Patrick Muyaya, Committee to Protect Journalists, Associated Press News

On 19 May, the Congolese army announced that it had foiled a coup attempt, having that morning halted an attack by armed men on the house of government minister, Vital Kamerhe, and the Palais de la Nation, the official (but empty) residence of President Félix Tshisekedi. According to the army’s spokesperson, the alleged coup attempt had been led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician who had been living in the United States and who live streamed the attack on Facebook. Around 50 suspected coupists were arrested, including three American citizens. At least two security guards, one civilian and several attackers (including Malanga) were reported to have been killed. NGO, Human Rights Watch voiced concerns that the deceased attackers may have been summarily executed by Congolese soldiers. The small number of alleged coupists and their choice of targets raised widespread questions, including about their motives and the possible impact of the attacks on the DRC’s politics. Government investigations were ongoing at the end of May.

Update: On 13 September 2024, a military court in Kinshasa sentenced 37 people to death for their role in the 19 May coup attempt, having convicted them of a variety of charges, including criminal conspiracy, attack and (in the case of all but one) terrorism. Fourteen defendants were acquitted.

Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Africa Confidential, The Economist, Associated Press News, Jeune Afrique (2), Council on Foreign Relations, Jeune Afrique (3).   

On 1 April, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, appointed Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the country’s first female prime minister. Tuluka is a member of Tshisekedi’s party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, and formerly served as the DRC’s planning minister. The appointment was hailed by the President’s office as reinforcing ‘the positive masculinity advocated by …Tshisekedi’ and was reported by the media as fulfilling his campaign promise to achieve greater gender equality. It comes four months after the country’s December general elections, which were marked by the underrepresentation of women among the candidates and saw just 61 women win seats in the National Assembly (approximately 13 per cent of the 477 elected members).      

Sources: Jeune Afrique, The Africa Report, Reuters, Associated Press News, International IDEA, Inter-Parliamentary Union

In a circular dated 13 March, the Ministry of Justice revealed that in February the government had decided to lift the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) 21-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. According to the circular, the decision was motivated by the need ‘to rid our country’s army of traitors…and to stem the resurgence of acts of terrorism and urban banditry.’ A date was not given for the implementation of the decision. The weaknesses of the DRC’s judicial system, recently acknowledged by President Tshisekedi, have given rise to fears amongst Congolese rights activists that the reinstatement of the death penalty will lead to summary executions. Jeune Afrique reported security sources who indicated that the ‘public execution of soldiers’ accused of collaborating with Rwanda and the M23 rebels operating in the east of the country were likely already being planned. Amnesty International called the government’s decision ‘a huge step backward’ and ‘even more alarming’ in the context of growing state repression.  

Sources: Jurist, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), LUCHA, Amnesty International, The Africa Report