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Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hold talks Oct. 31, 2022, in Sochi, Russia.

Military & Security

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Armenia's and Azerbaijan's Leaders Meet in Moscow, an APEC Summit in Detroit

U.S.-China Relations

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Rwanda

M23 fighters guard the area during a meeting between the rebel group and East African Regional Force (EACRF) officials at the Rumangabo camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Jan. 6, 2023.

The latest flare-up over an alleged airspace violation increases the risk of Congolese retaliatory measures that could limit the progress of peace processes in eastern Congo.

Rwanda's Attack on a Congolese Jet Escalates Border Tensions

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Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

Economics

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GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in Africa

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We discuss the latest flare-up of violence near the country's eastern border with Rwanda and what it means for other nearby nations. 


Essential Geopolitics: What’s Going on in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Colombia

A Chinese military vessel on Aug. 5, 2022, sails off Pingtan Island, Fujian province, one of mainland China's closest points to Taiwan. Beijing is likely to continue rolling out new methods of economic coercion against U.S. and Taiwanese companies in the coming week.

The Weekly Rundown: Colombia's President Takes Office, China Coerces Taiwan

A man holds a copper-rich piece at a mine in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, in July 2016. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Tensions between the world’s largest cobalt-producing country and the Chinese firm operating one of its largest mines risk disrupting global supplies of the element, which is key to electric vehicle production.

Congo's Revenue Dispute With China Threatens Cobalt, Copper Exports

A Congolese army tank heads toward the eastern city of Goma on May 25, 2022, amid clashes with M23 rebels. 

Rwanda’s alleged support of militants active in eastern Congo will continue to undermine efforts to restore stability in the war-torn, resource-rich region.

Rwanda's Role in Congo’s Forever War

Uganda

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, speaks during the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

East African Integration

Congo's ports will grant the East African Community access to the Atlantic Ocean, but the country's overall poor infrastructure and security will limit the volume of trade with other bloc members. 

How Congo's EAC Membership Will Alter Trade in East Africa

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The Weekly Rundown: EU and Chinese Officials Talk Trade, Israel Hosts an Abraham Accords Summit

A man supervises a conveyor belt loaded with raw cobalt at a plant in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Feb. 16, 2018. 

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

President Tshisekedi's push to renegotiate the contracts inked by his predecessor is unlikely to make the Central African country's mining sector any less volatile.

What to Make of Congo's Revenue Dispute With Mining Giant China Molybdenum

Environmental Issues

Outgoing Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila (L) embraces newly inaugurated President Felix Tshisekedi on Jan. 24, 2019, in Kinshasa.

The end of a fragile coalition between two major political players in the Democratic Republic of Congo promises more unrest.

A Political Struggle in the Congo Intensifies

Namibia

Zambia

People wearing masks gather in a granite quarry in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for an Easter celebration.

Current disruptions may provide only a short-term challenge for the region’s lucrative mining operations. But they will come just ahead of a longer-term blow to revenue caused by the pandemic-induced global recession.

COVID-19 Shakes Up Southern Africa’s Mining Sector 

COVID-19

Chinese mining company CMOC (previously China Molybdenum Co. Ltd.) announced that it finalized a deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo's state-run mining company Gecamines to resolve a nearly year-long dispute over royalty payments from the Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt mine, Bloomberg reported on April 19.

Congo: Gecamines and CMOC Reach Royalties Settlement Over Tenke Fungurume Mine

The Congolese government expects to reach an agreement overhauling $6 billion of an infrastructure-for-minerals deal with Chinese investors this year, according to Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi, Reuters reported Jan. 18.

Congo: Government Expects $6 Billion Overhaul in Mining Deals

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said in a Jan. 9 public address that Rwanda "cannot keep hosting refugees" from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Al Jazeera reported Jan. 10.

Rwanda, Congo: Kagame Says Rwanda 'Cannot Keep Hosting' Congolese Refugees

The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed two resolutions that eased a weapons embargo imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and renewed the mandate of the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in the Congo for another year, AP reported Dec. 20.

Congo: U.N. Renews Peacekeeping Mandate, Eases Weapons Embargo

The M23 rebel group said it is ready to withdraw from occupied territory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in support of "regional efforts to bring long lasting peace," Reuters reported Dec. 6.

Congo: M23 Rebels Ready to Withdraw From Occupied Areas

Chinese mining company CMOC Group Ltd. (formerly China Molybdenum Company Ltd.) could take legal action against the Democratic Republic of the Congo's state mining company Gecamines over the company's ongoing blockage of cobalt exports from the Congo's Tenke Fungurume mine, Reuters reported Dec. 5.

Congo: China's CMOC Threatens Legal Action Over Blocked Mining Exports

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Independent National Electoral Commission announced that it scheduled the country's next presidential election on Dec. 20, 2023, Jeune Afrique reported Nov. 26.

Congo: Electoral Commission Schedules Elections for December 2023

Kenyan President William Ruto officially deployed an estimated 900 troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern North Kivu province as part of the East African Community's regional force created to help the Congolese government combat the myriad rebel groups still active in the region, Reuters reported Nov. 2.

Congo: Kenya Officially Deploys to North Kivu

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

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<p>The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a massive country in Central Africa. It is bordered by the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Republic of the Congo to the west. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is roughly the size of Western Europe, and much of its territory is covered by dense jungle and is difficult to navigate. Its mammoth size and position in Central Africa have long drawn interest from outsiders. From the French and Belgian imperial conquests of the Congo River in the 19th and early 20th centuries to Cold War superpower intrigue and regional wars in the post-independence period, the country has attracted more than its fair share of foreign meddling. Since independence, the country has struggled to manage its extensive territories and its ethnic and regional divisions. It can be said that under the best of circumstances, the country is weak and prone to internal cleavages. Kinshasa, the political capital, simply does not have the resources to exercise a monopoly on force. By extension, the country&#39;s infrastructure remains woefully underdeveloped. Instead, the decades since independence have seen countless rebellions and other forms of insurrection in Katanga and other regions. Given this instability, the country&#39;s deep pockets of natural resources and its security vacuums have made it an attractive place for neighboring states and foreign powers to intrude. In regional terms, this has included Rwanda, Uganda and many other states over the years, and the United States and the Soviet Union fought for influence there after 1960. Additionally, the U.N. presence in the Congo is one of the longest-running operations for the international organization, tracing its origins back to 1960. The country&#39;s unwieldy size and difficult terrain profoundly constrain any movement beyond its status as a failed state. As such, it will remain a source of interest and concern for states near and far for many years to come.</p>

Congo, Dem. Rep.

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SITUATION REPORTS

Congo: Gecamines and CMOC Reach Royalties Settlement Over Tenke Fungurume Mine

Congo: Government Expects $6 Billion Overhaul in Mining Deals

Rwanda, Congo: Kagame Says Rwanda 'Cannot Keep Hosting' Congolese Refugees

Congo: U.N. Renews Peacekeeping Mandate, Eases Weapons Embargo

Congo: M23 Rebels Ready to Withdraw From Occupied Areas

Congo: China's CMOC Threatens Legal Action Over Blocked Mining Exports

Congo: Electoral Commission Schedules Elections for December 2023

Congo: Kenya Officially Deploys to North Kivu

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