The disabled are left to fend for themselves in the Democratic Republic of Congo
KIKWIT, DR Congo, (IPS) – The outlook for people living with disabilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains bleak, despite a variety of efforts to improve their lot and bring them in from the margins of society. ”There are roughly 9.1 million people with disabilities in Congo, 11 percent of the total population of 60 [...]
There is no hope for free and fair elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) – With six weeks to go before the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civil society organisations say the elections will not be fair, as many doubt the ability of the country’s electoral authorities to ensure transparency. The DRC is set to go to the polls on Nov. 28, in [...]
DRC parliament adopts bill to create specialised court for serious violations of human rights
KINSHASA, (IPS) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s parliament this month adopted a bill creating a Specialised Court for serious violations of human rights. The involvement of jurists from outside the DRC in running the court has quickly become a major talking point. The legislation, adopted on Aug. 12, says the new court will deal with [...]
Kinshasha hit by water shortages
KINSHASA (IPS) - In recent months, no one in the Congolese capital has been spared the effects of water shortages. Where spending entire days criss-crossing Kinshasa in search of water with battered containers in hand was previously the unhappy task of women and children, now men in suits have joined the fray. ”I know of many of [...]
Sixteen people die as U.N. aircraft crash at Kinshasha airport
KINSHASA, April 4, 2011 (AFP) – At least 16 people were killed when an aircraft operated by the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo crashed on landing at Kinshasa airport Monday, an AFP correspondent witnessed. The aircraft broke up into several pieces when it hit the runway in torrential rain as the pilot was trying [...]
DR Congo voting reform ‘a fraud’: opposition
KINSHASA (AFP) – Opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Sunday a plan to hold presidential elections in just one round of voting was a fraud aimed at keeping Joseph Kabila in power. Kabila’s government floated the idea this week, saying a one-round vote would cut costs and prevent a flare-up of tensions as [...]
Stalking elusive rebel Kony in DR Congo’s jungles
NAPOPO, DR Congo (AFP) – Perched at this hilltop lookout, surveying the thick jungle below where Lord’s Resistance Army rebels roam, a Ugandan colonel tersely explained the task for his men – catching Joseph Kony. “We are here for Kony,” Colonel Stefano Mugerwa said, referring to Africa’s most wanted war criminal. Kony, whose LRA is [...]
Prisoners escape from Jail in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In the remote north-west part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly 200 prisoners have been reported to have escaped from a jail. The break-out happened on Tuesday as a hearing was taking place in their prison in Gemena. The aim of the hearing was to try to reduce the backlog of defendants awaiting trial. [...]
ICC halts Thomas Lubanga’s trial at the Hague
An immediate halt has been placed on the trial of accused Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, saying the Office of the Prosecutor refused to turn over information to his defence. The ICC said in a statement that the trial judges ordered the stay in the first case to come before the ICC because “the fair trial [...]
49 Civilians Reportedly Killed by the DR Congo Army in Mbandaka
According to the BBC, the Democratic Republic of Congo army had killed 49 civilians after retaking the airport in Mbandaka from rebels earlier this month. A human rights group the Asadho campaign group, reported that witnesses told them that nine people arrested three months earlier were accused of being rebels and killed in cold blood. [...]
