"Cheated! The rush for critical minerals in the DRC." This is the title of the report just published by the Oakland Institute, an independent American think tank that aims to contribute to major social, economic
and environmental issues. The Congolese press has produced articles on this report.

Actualite.cd begins with the context of the signing after the fall of the cities of Goma and Bukavu to M23 rebels supported by Rwanda.

"In the aftermath of the fall of Goma and Bukavu and after the failure of the Luanda process, the Washington agreement and the Doha process are the two complementary parts of major diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the persistent conflicts in eastern DRC, particularly those involving Rwanda and armed groups such as the M23," according to this online newspaper.

"While US President Donald Trump hailed the 'peace' agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the end of a deadly three-decade war, a new report from the Oakland Institute casts a shadow over this announcement," states the opinion news website.

"Entitled Shafted: The Scramble for Critical Minerals in the DRC, the document asserts that this diplomatic initiative primarily conceals a US strategy aimed at consolidating control over critical Congolese minerals,"
adds Opinion Infos.

For researchers at the Oakland Institute, this diplomatic agreement is not a step towards peace, but rather a "win-lose deal," according to the Kinshasa-based media outlet.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world", according to DeskEco.com.

"According to the study, the United States turned a blind eye to massive exports of tantalum, a metal extracted from coltan, from Rwanda," reports lafortune.net, a media outlet focusing on economic trade issues. It goes on to add that "At its peak, more than half of US tantalum imports came from Rwanda,
despite its limited mining production."

Finances Entreprises focused directly on the plundering of Congolese mineral resources by Rwanda with the tacit agreement of the United States. "The analysis of historical coltan trade data presented in the report shows that the United States played a central role in laundering Congolese minerals smuggled by Rwanda. Total exports of tantalum (extracted from coltan) from Rwanda to the United States increased
15-fold between 2013 and 2018," the daily newspaper reports.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

Virunga National Park announced a new birth on Friday 23 October. During a monitoring patrol, the bio-monitoring assistant and his team observed a female from the Baraka family holding her newborn baby in her arms.

With this birth, the Baraka family now numbers 17 individuals. It is also the sixth birth recorded in this protected area this year, according to park officials.

According to park officials, it was during a routine patrol that an assistant responsible for monitoring primates observed a female from the Baraka family holding a newborn in her arms. The identity of the mother and the sex of the baby have not yet been confirmed, and observations are continuing to determine this information.

"The mother has not yet been identified since some members of the Baraka family are still unnamed, and the sex of the infant remains unknown. Observations will continue during upcoming visits to confirm the details of this birth and monitor the family" said the Virunga National Park.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Virunga National Park continues to face enormous challenges. Since 2022, clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and AFC/M23 rebels have severely disrupted conservation activities.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

The Chief of Staff to the Head of State, Antony Kinzo, acting on the orders of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, has instructed Deputy Prime Minister for the Interior Jacquemin Shabani Lukoo to impose a moratorium on all motions of no confidence or censure until the end of the war in the east of the country. This presidential decision has provoked strong reactions among Congolese politicians.

While the government justifies this measure as necessary to preserve the stability of institutions during a period of security crisis, several observers see it as an authoritarian move and a serious violation of the democratic principles enshrined in the Congolese Constitution.

"This measure aims to allow provincial governors to manage their entities without the constant fear of being removed from office," according to the office of the President of the Republic.

Political analysts believe that this decision reflects a fear of democratic debate and a desire on the part of the regime to protect certain public officials in the face of mounting criticism of the management of state affairs. For them, war cannot be used as a pretext to neutralize the control of the legislative branch, one of the pillars of any democracy.

"It's an indirect way of telling people not to touch the governors or scrutinize their management. Because even recommendations are prohibited. This is a new violation of the constitution, which established provincial assemblies as bodies to oversee the management of provincial governors," said a law researcher at the University of Kinshasa, speaking on condition of anonymity.

This moratorium comes after the dismissal of the governor of Tshopo province, Paulin Lendongolia Lebabonga, who is considered behind the scenes to be one of the President's protégés. On several occasions, provincial assemblies have dismissed other governors without Kinshasa taking any action.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) announced that they had neutralised nine Mobondo militiamen and captured sixty others during a large-scale 72-hour search operation in the Kingakati group, east of Kinshasa.

According to Captain Antony Mualushayi, spokesperson for NGEMBA operations, the forces seized 22 weapons, including 15 AK-47 rifles and several machetes. The equipment is currently being inventoried by units on site, he added. The officer also specified that the two wounded soldiers are receiving appropriate care in military medical facilities.

Finally, the FARDC called on the Mobondo militiamen still on the run to surrender with their weapons "while they still have the opportunity" and thanked the people of Kinshasa, particularly those in the Kingakati group, for their support and cooperation, calling on them to continue to help so that the displaced persons can quickly return to their homes.

The Mobondo militias emerged from an armed community movement that appeared in 2022 in the provinces of Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Kwango, following land and ethnic disputes between the Yaka and Teke communities. Despite several calls for disarmament by the government, these groups continue to sow insecurity in certain rural areas, now spreading to the outskirts of Kinshasa.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma