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World Health Organization officials give an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo via videolink. Watch the full video to know more.

W.H.O issues Ebola outbreak warning

Third Ebola case has been detected in DR Congo's Goma within a month. Watch full video to know more.

WION Dispatch: Panic grips Congo as third Ebola case detected

The first Ebola patient in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, Goma, has died, the government said on Tuesday.

The spread of the virus to Goma, a city of roughly 1 million people on the border with Rwanda, has raised fears the outbreak, which is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever, could spread more widely.

The patient was a priest who became infected during a visit to the town of Butembo, one of the epicentres of the outbreak, before taking a bus to Goma, according to Congo's health ministry.

He was being driven from Goma to a clinic in Butembo on Monday to receive treatment when he died, North Kivu province's Governor Carly Nzanzu told an Ebola response meeting.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that health officials had identified 60 people who had come into contact with the pastor since he was taken ill and that half of them had been vaccinated.

Goma, a lakeside city more than 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of where Ebola was first detected a year ago, is the largest city to be affected by the outbreak, which has infected more than 2,500 people and killed nearly 1,700.

Three Ebola cases which originated in Congo were confirmed in neighbouring Uganda a month ago, but no new cases have since been registered in that country.

The first Ebola patient in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, Goma, has died, the government said on Tuesday. The spread of the virus to Goma, a city of roughly 1 million people on the border with Rwanda, has raised fears the outbreak, which is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever, could spread more widely.

The first Ebola patient in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, Goma, has died, the government said on Tuesday. The spread of the virus to Goma, a city of roughly 1 million people on the border with Rwanda, has raised fears the outbreak, which is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever, could spread more widely. The patient was a priest who became infected during a visit to the town of Butembo, one of the epicentres of the outbreak, before taking a bus to Goma, according to Congo's health ministry. He was being driven from Goma to a clinic in Butembo on Monday to receive treatment when he died, North Kivu province's Governor Carly Nzanzu told an Ebola response meeting. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that health officials had identified 60 people who had come into contact with the pastor since he was taken ill and that half of them had been vaccinated. Goma, a lakeside city more than 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of where Ebola was first detected a year ago, is the largest city to be affected by the outbreak, which has infected more than 2,500 people and killed nearly 1,700. Three Ebola cases which originated in Congo were confirmed in neighbouring Uganda a month ago, but no new cases have since been registered in that country.

First Ebola patient in eastern Congo's main city dies

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-army-rejects-international-criminal-court-bid-for-full-rohingya-probe-230916">International Criminal Court</a> judges on Monday convicted a&nbsp;Congolese rebel chief nicknamed "Terminator" of war crimes including massacring civilians and sexual enslavement, in a badly-needed victory for prosecutors in The Hague.

Bosco Ntaganda's forces carried out horrific attacks including one in a banana field that left babies and children disembowelled or with their heads smashed in, judges said.

The 45-year-old was a "key leader" who recruited child soldiers and gave "direct orders to target and kill" non-combatants in the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-300000-flee-congo-violence-complicating-ebola-fight-united-nations-228316"> Democratic Republic of Congo</a>'s Ituri region in 2002 and 2003.

Ntaganda was found guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, directing attacks against civilians, displacing civilians, rape, sexual slavery and enlisting children under the age of 15.

"Mr Ntaganda rallied the troops before battle, he gave direct orders to the troops during operations, and he debriefed them afterward," head judge Robert Fremr said.

Rwandan-born Ntaganda will be sentenced at a later date after judges hear submissions from victims. Judges can give a life sentence.

Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth hailed the verdict as &nbsp;"big win for the survivors", while the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said it was a "day of joy for Ituri victims."

Ntaganda is known for his pencil moustache and a penchant for fine dining proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial, insisting that he was "soldier not a criminal" and that the "Terminator" nickname did not apply to him.

Prosecutors portrayed him as the ruthless leader of ethnic Tutsi revolts amid the civil wars that wracked the DRC after the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda.

Judges said Ntaganda "fulfilled a very important military function" as a leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots rebels and its military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC).&nbsp;

The FPLC killed at least 800 people as it fought rival militias in Ituri for control of valuable minerals. More than 60,000 people have been killed since violence erupted there in 1999.

&nbsp;'Bodies were disembowelled'&nbsp;

In one attack directed by Ntaganda, judges said that soldiers killed at least 49 captives in a banana field behind a village, using "sticks and batons as well as knives and machetes."

"Men, women and children and babies were found in the field. Some bodies were found naked, some had hands tied up, some had their heads crushed. Several bodies were disembowelled or otherwise mutilated," Fremr said.

In other attacks, women were "killed either while resisting rape or after being raped" while people were forced to dig mass graves that they were later killed and thrown into.

Ntaganda was found guilty of personally shooting dead a Catholic priest and as an "indirect perpetrator" for the other crimes by giving "direct orders to target and kill civilians" and other crimes.

These included recruiting child soldiers who "wore uniforms that were often too large for them" but were "punished and suffered physical violence" in the same way as adult soldiers," the judgment said.

The judges said it was "common for female members to be raped", including three girls under the age of 15.

Formerly a Congolese army general, Ntaganda then became a founding member of the M23 rebel group, which was eventually defeated by Congolese government forces in 2013.

Later that year he became the first-ever suspect to voluntarily surrender to the ICC when he walked into the US embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali and asked to be sent to the court, based in the Netherlands.

Ntaganda is one of five Congolese warlords brought before the ICC, which was set up in 2002 as an independent international body to prosecute those accused of the world's worst crimes.

Ntaganda's former FPLC commander Thomas Lubanga was sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2012.&nbsp;

But it has suffered a string of setbacks over recent years with some of its most high-profile suspects walking free, including Ivorian former leader Laurent Gbagbo earlier this year.

It has also been criticised for mainly trying African suspects so far.

The US administration of President Donald Trump has also attacked the court after warning it against prosecuting US service members over war crimes in Afghanistan.

International Criminal Court judges on Monday convicted a Congolese rebel chief nicknamed "Terminator" of war crimes including massacring civilians and sexual enslavement, in a badly-needed victory for prosecutors in The Hague.

International Criminal Court judges on Monday convicted a Congolese rebel chief nicknamed "Terminator" of war crimes including massacring civilians and sexual enslavement, in a badly-needed victory for prosecutors in The Hague. Bosco Ntaganda's forces carried out horrific attacks including one in a banana field that left babies and children disembowelled or with their heads smashed in, judges said. The 45-year-old was a "key leader" who recruited child soldiers and gave "direct orders to target and kill" non-combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri region in 2002 and 2003. Ntaganda was found guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, directing attacks against civilians, displacing civilians, rape, sexual slavery and enlisting children under the age of 15. "Mr Ntaganda rallied the troops before battle, he gave direct orders to the troops during operations, and he debriefed them afterward," head judge Robert Fremr said. Rwandan-born Ntaganda will be sentenced at a later date after judges hear submissions from victims. Judges can give a life sentence. Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth hailed the verdict as "big win for the survivors", while the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said it was a "day of joy for Ituri victims." Ntaganda is known for his pencil moustache and a penchant for fine dining proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial, insisting that he was "soldier not a criminal" and that the "Terminator" nickname did not apply to him. Prosecutors portrayed him as the ruthless leader of ethnic Tutsi revolts amid the civil wars that wracked the DRC after the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda. Judges said Ntaganda "fulfilled a very important military function" as a leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots rebels and its military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC). The FPLC killed at least 800 people as it fought rival militias in Ituri for control of valuable minerals. More than 60,000 people have been killed since violence erupted there in 1999. 'Bodies were disembowelled' In one attack directed by Ntaganda, judges said that soldiers killed at least 49 captives in a banana field behind a village, using "sticks and batons as well as knives and machetes." "Men, women and children and babies were found in the field. Some bodies were found naked, some had hands tied up, some had their heads crushed. Several bodies were disembowelled or otherwise mutilated," Fremr said. In other attacks, women were "killed either while resisting rape or after being raped" while people were forced to dig mass graves that they were later killed and thrown into. Ntaganda was found guilty of personally shooting dead a Catholic priest and as an "indirect perpetrator" for the other crimes by giving "direct orders to target and kill civilians" and other crimes. These included recruiting child soldiers who "wore uniforms that were often too large for them" but were "punished and suffered physical violence" in the same way as adult soldiers," the judgment said. The judges said it was "common for female members to be raped", including three girls under the age of 15. Formerly a Congolese army general, Ntaganda then became a founding member of the M23 rebel group, which was eventually defeated by Congolese government forces in 2013. Later that year he became the first-ever suspect to voluntarily surrender to the ICC when he walked into the US embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali and asked to be sent to the court, based in the Netherlands. Ntaganda is one of five Congolese warlords brought before the ICC, which was set up in 2002 as an independent international body to prosecute those accused of the world's worst crimes. Ntaganda's former FPLC commander Thomas Lubanga was sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2012. But it has suffered a string of setbacks over recent years with some of its most high-profile suspects walking free, including Ivorian former leader Laurent Gbagbo earlier this year. It has also been criticised for mainly trying African suspects so far. The US administration of President Donald Trump has also attacked the court after warning it against prosecuting US service members over war crimes in Afghanistan.

International Criminal Court convicts 'Terminator' warlord guilty of Congo atrocities

Judges at the International Criminal Court on Monday convicted Bosco Ntaganda, a former Congolese military leader, on charges of atrocities including murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers. Ntaganda, 45, was convicted for acts committed while he was military operations chief at the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-2003.

Court convicts Congo's Ntaganda of war crimes

A garbage dump in the Democratic Republic of Congo's bustling capital Kinshasa may be an odd place for most people to seek inspiration. But for Congolese musician and the founder of Fulu Muziki group Piscko Crane, this is the perfect place to find the recycled material he will use to create his band's unique sound.

In Kinshasa? Check out the Fulu Muziki band's 'garbage' music

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Watch this video to know more.

People flee ethnic violence in Congo

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-panel-decides-not-to-declare-international-ebola-emergency-227302">treatment of patients at risk from Ebola</a>, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday.

At least 161 people have been killed in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past week, local officials said on Monday, in an apparent resurgence of ethnic clashes between farming and herding communities.

"Violence in northeastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to have displaced more than 300,000 since early June. The situation in Ituri province has deteriorated since the middle of last week, with multiple attacks involving the Hema and Lendu groups," the UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told a news briefing.

The UNHCR fears that the escalation could engulf large parts of the province, amid reports of killings, kidnappings and sexual violence unleashed against civilians, he said. The government is trying to bring the clashes under control, he added.

As Congolese flee violence at "this massive scale", fears are that more people will try to seek safety in Uganda, crossing Lake Albert, Baloch said.

An Ebola epidemic in Congo, which spread to Uganda last week, has caused 2,168 infections since August, including 1,449 deaths, with Ituri accounting for about 10 per cent of cases and deaths, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

"We are always saying the mobility of the population in North Kivu and Ituri is a risk factor," Jasarevic told the briefing.

"So every time you have people moving in high numbers, it is more complicated to do the work of follow-up, contact tracing, follow up on the people who are supposed basically to be observed on a daily basis for 21 days," he said, referring to the disease's incubation period.

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and treatment of patients at risk from Ebola, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday.

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and treatment of patients at risk from Ebola, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday. At least 161 people have been killed in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past week, local officials said on Monday, in an apparent resurgence of ethnic clashes between farming and herding communities. "Violence in northeastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to have displaced more than 300,000 since early June. The situation in Ituri province has deteriorated since the middle of last week, with multiple attacks involving the Hema and Lendu groups," the UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told a news briefing. The UNHCR fears that the escalation could engulf large parts of the province, amid reports of killings, kidnappings and sexual violence unleashed against civilians, he said. The government is trying to bring the clashes under control, he added. As Congolese flee violence at "this massive scale", fears are that more people will try to seek safety in Uganda, crossing Lake Albert, Baloch said. An Ebola epidemic in Congo, which spread to Uganda last week, has caused 2,168 infections since August, including 1,449 deaths, with Ituri accounting for about 10 per cent of cases and deaths, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. "We are always saying the mobility of the population in North Kivu and Ituri is a risk factor," Jasarevic told the briefing. "So every time you have people moving in high numbers, it is more complicated to do the work of follow-up, contact tracing, follow up on the people who are supposed basically to be observed on a daily basis for 21 days," he said, referring to the disease's incubation period.

More than 300,000 flee Congo violence, complicating Ebola fight: United Nations

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organisation confirmed on Twitter that Uganda has now recorded three cases of Ebola, in the first spread across the country's porous western border with the DRC where more than 2,000 cases of the highly contagious virus have been registered.

Uganda's health ministry said on Tuesday that a woman of Congolese origin, who is married to a Ugandan, had gone with her child and four other family members to take care of her father in the DRC, who later died of Ebola.

"The boy who tested positive for Ebola in Kasese yesterday passed on last night in the isolation unit," a health ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The minister for health (Ruth Aceng) will be briefing the country about the death of the boy and arrangements to bury the body."

The official said the child was likely to be buried Wednesday.

DRC Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said the family were placed in isolation after being identified as in contact with an Ebola patient.

"During the isolation, some family members crossed into Uganda. As soon as they crossed, we contacted the Ugandan authorities," he told AFP in an interview Wednesday.

Uganda's health ministry said the family members had been identified and were placed in isolation in Bwera, a town near the border with DRC.&nbsp;

"Two more samples were sent to UVRI (Uganda Virus Research Institute) and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda," the WHO Uganda posted on its Twitter account, citing a briefing from Ugandan Health Minister Ruth Aceng in Kasese in the country's west.

Eight other people in contact with the family had been tracked down and were being monitored, the health ministry said.

High alert

East Africa has been on high alert since the outbreak in the eastern DRC.

According to the WHO, Uganda vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers in 165 facilities with an experimental drug designed to protect them against the virus.

South Sudan has also declared a state of alert and vaccinated health workers.

Uganda has experienced several outbreaks in the past, most recently in 2012, while in 2000 more than 200 people died in an outbreak in the north of the country.&nbsp;

The Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda.

"This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now," Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;

The DRC has struggled to contain the outbreak which was first recorded in North Kivu province and then spread to neighbouring Ituri and has left over 1,300 dead.

Efforts to tackle the crisis have been hampered both by militia attacks on treatment centres and by the hostility of some local people to the medical teams.

Five workers have been killed, according to an AFP tally, and important preventative work, such as vaccination programmes and burials of Ebola victims, has been delayed.

The outbreak is the 10th in Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was identified in 1976.

It is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead.

Ebola is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organisation confirmed on Twitter that Uganda has now recorded three cases of Ebola, in the first spread across the country's porous western border with the DRC where more than 2,000 cases of the highly contagious virus have been registered. Uganda's health ministry said on Tuesday that a woman of Congolese origin, who is married to a Ugandan, had gone with her child and four other family members to take care of her father in the DRC, who later died of Ebola. "The boy who tested positive for Ebola in Kasese yesterday passed on last night in the isolation unit," a health ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The minister for health (Ruth Aceng) will be briefing the country about the death of the boy and arrangements to bury the body." The official said the child was likely to be buried Wednesday. DRC Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said the family were placed in isolation after being identified as in contact with an Ebola patient. "During the isolation, some family members crossed into Uganda. As soon as they crossed, we contacted the Ugandan authorities," he told AFP in an interview Wednesday. Uganda's health ministry said the family members had been identified and were placed in isolation in Bwera, a town near the border with DRC. "Two more samples were sent to UVRI (Uganda Virus Research Institute) and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda," the WHO Uganda posted on its Twitter account, citing a briefing from Ugandan Health Minister Ruth Aceng in Kasese in the country's west. Eight other people in contact with the family had been tracked down and were being monitored, the health ministry said. High alert East Africa has been on high alert since the outbreak in the eastern DRC. According to the WHO, Uganda vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers in 165 facilities with an experimental drug designed to protect them against the virus. South Sudan has also declared a state of alert and vaccinated health workers. Uganda has experienced several outbreaks in the past, most recently in 2012, while in 2000 more than 200 people died in an outbreak in the north of the country. The Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda. "This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now," Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday. The DRC has struggled to contain the outbreak which was first recorded in North Kivu province and then spread to neighbouring Ituri and has left over 1,300 dead. Efforts to tackle the crisis have been hampered both by militia attacks on treatment centres and by the hostility of some local people to the medical teams. Five workers have been killed, according to an AFP tally, and important preventative work, such as vaccination programmes and burials of Ebola victims, has been delayed. The outbreak is the 10th in Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was identified in 1976. It is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead. Ebola is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.

Five year old boy dies from Ebola in Uganda; two more cases detected

Martin Fayulu, who claims he was robbed of victory in the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, on Sunday called for people power to drive President Felix Tshisekedi from power, an AFP journalist reported.

Citing popular uprisings in Algeria and Sudan, Fayulu told a meeting of several thousand supporters in Kinshasa the Congolese could achieve the same thing.

"This time, we have returned to call for and to obtain the resignation of Felix Tshisekedi, he's a disgrace, he sold out the country,'' Fayulu said.&nbsp;

"You, the people are stronger than any army in the world. In Sudan and in Algeria, the people got the departure of the leaders. Here we have to do the same thing against Kabila and Tshisekedi,'' Fayulu added.

Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in early April after weeks of mass protests, and several regime officials and businessmen close to him have been sacked or detained over alleged graft.

People's protests in Sudan led to a military council ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on April, and on Sunday the protesters agreed on a joint civilian-military council to pave the way towards the civilian rule.

In DR Congo, Fayulu has repeatedly branded last December's presidential election result a stitch-up between Tshisekedi and the outgoing president Joseph Kabila.

He was officially credited with 34.8 per cent of the vote against 38.5 per cent for Tshisekedi but insists he picked up around 60 per cent of the vote.

Tshisekedi replaced Kabila who yielded power after 18 turbulent years at the helm of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country.

But Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament, as well as provincial assemblies and his supporters, also dominated elections for the governorships across the country.

Martin Fayulu, who claims he was robbed of victory in the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, on Sunday called for people power to drive President Felix Tshisekedi from power, an AFP journalist reported.

Martin Fayulu, who claims he was robbed of victory in the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, on Sunday called for people power to drive President Felix Tshisekedi from power, an AFP journalist reported. Citing popular uprisings in Algeria and Sudan, Fayulu told a meeting of several thousand supporters in Kinshasa the Congolese could achieve the same thing. "This time, we have returned to call for and to obtain the resignation of Felix Tshisekedi, he's a disgrace, he sold out the country,'' Fayulu said. "You, the people are stronger than any army in the world. In Sudan and in Algeria, the people got the departure of the leaders. Here we have to do the same thing against Kabila and Tshisekedi,'' Fayulu added. Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in early April after weeks of mass protests, and several regime officials and businessmen close to him have been sacked or detained over alleged graft. People's protests in Sudan led to a military council ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on April, and on Sunday the protesters agreed on a joint civilian-military council to pave the way towards the civilian rule. In DR Congo, Fayulu has repeatedly branded last December's presidential election result a stitch-up between Tshisekedi and the outgoing president Joseph Kabila. He was officially credited with 34.8 per cent of the vote against 38.5 per cent for Tshisekedi but insists he picked up around 60 per cent of the vote. Tshisekedi replaced Kabila who yielded power after 18 turbulent years at the helm of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country. But Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament, as well as provincial assemblies and his supporters, also dominated elections for the governorships across the country.

Opposition leader urges people power to oust DR Congo president

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo continued to battle the ongoing <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-end-of-ebola-outbreak-difficult-to-predict-194843">Ebola outbreak</a> Wednesday after the health ministry announced the virus had caused 565 deaths, in what experts called the worst epidemic in the central African nation's history.

According to the most recent figures published by the health ministry on Tuesday, 500 of the people who died were confirmed cases of the virus.

A total of 900 cases have been registered, 835 of which are confirmed and 65 are probable cases of Ebola.

DRC's health minister, Oly Ilunga Kalenga, on Tuesday held a press conference in the capital and assured people the situation was relatively under control, hoping the epidemic in the towns of Beni, Mandima, and Kalunguta would come to an end within the upcoming weeks.

This Ebola outbreak emerged shortly after DR Congo's government declared an end to another outbreak of the disease in the west of the country in June last year and was first reported on August 1 in the conflict-affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had suspended its activities in two Ebola treatment centres at the end of February after armed assailants had attacked an Ebola treatment centre in northeastern DRC.

The attack in the city of Butembo was the second in just over a week as armed men set another treatment centre ablaze in Katwa town, leaving two Ebola patients dead.

“In light of these two violent incidents, we have no choice but to suspend our activities until further notice. As medical responders, it is very painful to have to leave behind patients, their families and other members of the community at such a critical time in the Ebola response,” MSF emergency desk manager, Hugues Robert, said.

On November 30, the World Health Organization confirmed that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the second-worst in history after the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic which resulted in 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths.

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people or animals and is widely feared for its mortality rate of up to 90 per cent and for causing heavy internal and external bleeding.

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo continued to battle the ongoing Ebola outbreak Wednesday after the health ministry announced the virus had caused 565 deaths, in what experts called the worst epidemic in the central African nation's history.

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo continued to battle the ongoing Ebola outbreak Wednesday after the health ministry announced the virus had caused 565 deaths, in what experts called the worst epidemic in the central African nation's history. According to the most recent figures published by the health ministry on Tuesday, 500 of the people who died were confirmed cases of the virus. A total of 900 cases have been registered, 835 of which are confirmed and 65 are probable cases of Ebola. DRC's health minister, Oly Ilunga Kalenga, on Tuesday held a press conference in the capital and assured people the situation was relatively under control, hoping the epidemic in the towns of Beni, Mandima, and Kalunguta would come to an end within the upcoming weeks. This Ebola outbreak emerged shortly after DR Congo's government declared an end to another outbreak of the disease in the west of the country in June last year and was first reported on August 1 in the conflict-affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had suspended its activities in two Ebola treatment centres at the end of February after armed assailants had attacked an Ebola treatment centre in northeastern DRC. The attack in the city of Butembo was the second in just over a week as armed men set another treatment centre ablaze in Katwa town, leaving two Ebola patients dead. “In light of these two violent incidents, we have no choice but to suspend our activities until further notice. As medical responders, it is very painful to have to leave behind patients, their families and other members of the community at such a critical time in the Ebola response,” MSF emergency desk manager, Hugues Robert, said. On November 30, the World Health Organization confirmed that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the second-worst in history after the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic which resulted in 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people or animals and is widely feared for its mortality rate of up to 90 per cent and for causing heavy internal and external bleeding.

DR Congo Ebola outbreak death toll rises to 565

Preliminary results from Democratic Republic of Congo`s tumultuous presidential election will be delayed past Sunday`s deadline, the head of the election commission told Reuters.&nbsp;

The commission, known as CENI, had received only 47 per cent of vote tally sheets as of Saturday, said its president, Corneille Nangaa, and it was not yet clear when the results would be ready.

The delay is the latest setback in a disorganised poll to pick a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the country of 80 million people since his father was assassinated in 2001.&nbsp;

The December 30 vote could mark Congo`s first democratic transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. But tensions rose after observers reported a litany of irregularities that the opposition says are part of the ruling party`s effort to steal the election.&nbsp;

The opposition, represented by its two main candidates Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi, and the ruling coalition all say their candidates have won.&nbsp;

"It will not be possible to announce the results tomorrow," Nangaa said.&nbsp;

A CENI spokesman later said that the commission was holding a meeting on Sunday to decide when they will be announced.&nbsp;

Worried that disputes and delays could spark the kind of violence seen after the 2006 and 2011 elections, the United Nations Security Council met on Friday to discuss how to react, but was unable to reach an agreement, according to an internal report seen by Reuters.

The United States condemned a lack of transparency in the contest, while China, a major investor, lauded the process.&nbsp;

"Tensions were mounting while the CENI tabulated the results, notably in light of posturing by parties and candidates," Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo, told the meeting, according to the internal report.&nbsp;

But the 15 council members "differed in their appreciation of the problems that beset the process and were divided over the question of whether the Council should issue a press statement", the report went on to say.&nbsp;

A negative international reaction could be problematic for Kabila, whose government has defended the election`s organisation, and could weaken the legitimacy of Kabila`s hand-picked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, should he be declared winner.&nbsp;

Inflame the situation

In the meeting, France pushed for the publication of a statement that recognised that Congo`s election had allowed people to exercise their democratic right and called for calm, but criticised the government`s decision to cut access to the Internet and some media outlets.&nbsp;

The United States, which has threatened to impose sanctions against those who undermine the election process and has deployed troops to Gabon in case its citizens need rescuing from any violence, backed the statement, alongside Britain, Ivory Coast, Belgium and others.&nbsp;

South Africa, long a Kabila ally, said the statement could "inflame" the situation if issued before the results, the report said. Russia said it could be seen as an attempt to skew public opinion. China "lauded the manner in which elections were conducted", the report said, and said a statement should not be published before the results.&nbsp;

Congo`s Catholic church body, CENCO, said this week that it had identified the victor based on its own tallies collected by 40,000 observers, though it did not name the winner. The declaration was widely seen as a warning to authorities against rigging the vote.&nbsp;

Preliminary results from Democratic Republic of Congo`s tumultuous presidential election will be delayed past Sunday`s deadline, the head of the election commission told Reuters.

Preliminary results from Democratic Republic of Congo`s tumultuous presidential election will be delayed past Sunday`s deadline, the head of the election commission told Reuters. The commission, known as CENI, had received only 47 per cent of vote tally sheets as of Saturday, said its president, Corneille Nangaa, and it was not yet clear when the results would be ready. The delay is the latest setback in a disorganised poll to pick a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the country of 80 million people since his father was assassinated in 2001. The December 30 vote could mark Congo`s first democratic transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. But tensions rose after observers reported a litany of irregularities that the opposition says are part of the ruling party`s effort to steal the election. The opposition, represented by its two main candidates Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi, and the ruling coalition all say their candidates have won. "It will not be possible to announce the results tomorrow," Nangaa said. A CENI spokesman later said that the commission was holding a meeting on Sunday to decide when they will be announced. Worried that disputes and delays could spark the kind of violence seen after the 2006 and 2011 elections, the United Nations Security Council met on Friday to discuss how to react, but was unable to reach an agreement, according to an internal report seen by Reuters. The United States condemned a lack of transparency in the contest, while China, a major investor, lauded the process. "Tensions were mounting while the CENI tabulated the results, notably in light of posturing by parties and candidates," Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo, told the meeting, according to the internal report. But the 15 council members "differed in their appreciation of the problems that beset the process and were divided over the question of whether the Council should issue a press statement", the report went on to say. A negative international reaction could be problematic for Kabila, whose government has defended the election`s organisation, and could weaken the legitimacy of Kabila`s hand-picked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, should he be declared winner. Inflame the situation In the meeting, France pushed for the publication of a statement that recognised that Congo`s election had allowed people to exercise their democratic right and called for calm, but criticised the government`s decision to cut access to the Internet and some media outlets. The United States, which has threatened to impose sanctions against those who undermine the election process and has deployed troops to Gabon in case its citizens need rescuing from any violence, backed the statement, alongside Britain, Ivory Coast, Belgium and others. South Africa, long a Kabila ally, said the statement could "inflame" the situation if issued before the results, the report said. Russia said it could be seen as an attempt to skew public opinion. China "lauded the manner in which elections were conducted", the report said, and said a statement should not be published before the results. Congo`s Catholic church body, CENCO, said this week that it had identified the victor based on its own tallies collected by 40,000 observers, though it did not name the winner. The declaration was widely seen as a warning to authorities against rigging the vote.

Congo election results delayed past Sunday deadline

Ben Affleck visits Nobel Peace laureate's hospital in DR Congo

Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died of Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading fast.

The World Health Organization said Friday that 200 cases of the deadly virus have been registered in the outbreak first detected on August 1, with 165 of them laboratory confirmed and 35 considered probable.

The UN agency voiced concern over the swelling number of cases in recent weeks, especially in the town of Beni, near the Ugandan border.

"Insecurity that has increased in the city is one of the reasons why we are seeing these new cases coming up," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.

The latest outbreak -- the 10th in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976 -- emerged in the highly-restive northeastern region of North Kivu, which is home to a clutch of armed groups.

The authorities in Beni have announced measures to protect health workers after a number of incidents where response teams were assaulted.

Fears and misconceptions about the virus have led to widespread mistrust and resistance to Ebola response workers, including those who come into communities wearing hazmat suits to orchestrate burials.

UN employee taken ill&nbsp;

A staff member of the UN mission MONUSCO was among the latest victims of the virus, the UN and health ministry said on Friday.

The employee was exposed in Beni where the health ministry said it was concerned by a "significant increase in the number of confirmed cases".

Two Red Cross volunteers were also last week seriously injured when they were attacked during the burial of a suspected Ebola victim.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told AFP Friday that it was doing everything it could to minimise the risk to its volunteers on the ground.

But IFRC Secretary-General Elhadj As Sy stressed that the organisation would never resort to using armed escorts in the areas.

"We never use military or armed group protection to do our work... That is not part of our modus operandi," he told AFP.

He said it was not surprising that people living in an area affected by armed conflict would be "totally overwhelmed with another shock like the Ebola crisis," and might have "wrong reactions".&nbsp;

"It is not unusual for us to experience these kind of difficulties," he told AFP, adding that much of his organisation's work involved engaging with community members to build acceptance of the Ebola response work. &nbsp;

While IFRC is taking "additional safeguards" to protect its volunteers, Sy stressed that there were no plans to withdraw from problematic areas.

"It is exactly when it is most difficult, in the time that it is most risky, that we are needed most," he said.

WHO meanwhile did temporarily suspend its work trying to halt the outbreak in Beni last month amid increased attacks by armed oppositions groups.

Jasarevic said Friday that the agency had resumed its work there, but lamented that continued attacks and violence between government and rebels, while not directly targeted at Ebola responders, meant teams were "not able to function fully".

"On a daily basis, we can't go for a couple of hours to some areas because there is either a shooting going on, or there is a protest by groups in the city against this violence," he said.

Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died of Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading fast.

Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died of Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading fast. The World Health Organization said Friday that 200 cases of the deadly virus have been registered in the outbreak first detected on August 1, with 165 of them laboratory confirmed and 35 considered probable. The UN agency voiced concern over the swelling number of cases in recent weeks, especially in the town of Beni, near the Ugandan border. "Insecurity that has increased in the city is one of the reasons why we are seeing these new cases coming up," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva. The latest outbreak -- the 10th in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976 -- emerged in the highly-restive northeastern region of North Kivu, which is home to a clutch of armed groups. The authorities in Beni have announced measures to protect health workers after a number of incidents where response teams were assaulted. Fears and misconceptions about the virus have led to widespread mistrust and resistance to Ebola response workers, including those who come into communities wearing hazmat suits to orchestrate burials. UN employee taken ill A staff member of the UN mission MONUSCO was among the latest victims of the virus, the UN and health ministry said on Friday. The employee was exposed in Beni where the health ministry said it was concerned by a "significant increase in the number of confirmed cases". Two Red Cross volunteers were also last week seriously injured when they were attacked during the burial of a suspected Ebola victim. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told AFP Friday that it was doing everything it could to minimise the risk to its volunteers on the ground. But IFRC Secretary-General Elhadj As Sy stressed that the organisation would never resort to using armed escorts in the areas. "We never use military or armed group protection to do our work... That is not part of our modus operandi," he told AFP. He said it was not surprising that people living in an area affected by armed conflict would be "totally overwhelmed with another shock like the Ebola crisis," and might have "wrong reactions". "It is not unusual for us to experience these kind of difficulties," he told AFP, adding that much of his organisation's work involved engaging with community members to build acceptance of the Ebola response work. While IFRC is taking "additional safeguards" to protect its volunteers, Sy stressed that there were no plans to withdraw from problematic areas. "It is exactly when it is most difficult, in the time that it is most risky, that we are needed most," he said. WHO meanwhile did temporarily suspend its work trying to halt the outbreak in Beni last month amid increased attacks by armed oppositions groups. Jasarevic said Friday that the agency had resumed its work there, but lamented that continued attacks and violence between government and rebels, while not directly targeted at Ebola responders, meant teams were "not able to function fully". "On a daily basis, we can't go for a couple of hours to some areas because there is either a shooting going on, or there is a protest by groups in the city against this violence," he said.

Community fears grow as DR Congo Ebola death toll climbs to 125

Eighteenteen people, including 12 civilians, were killed in a rebel attack on the village of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive east, witnesses told AFP on Sunday.

A doctor at the local hospital reported seeing 18 dead bodies, "including 12 civilians and four soldiers or rebels." Eight people were injured, of whom five were civilians, in the attack late Saturday.

The Beni region is under siege from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years.

Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni, in the North Kivu province near the border with Uganda, since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region.

"The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city," the doctor told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi.

According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 1630-1700 GMT.&nbsp;

Heavy and light calibre gunfire was heard for several hours until after midnight local time. It was not known whether the army counter-attacked.

The rebels targeted areas near the centre of the trading settlement of several hundred thousand inhabitants.

The ADF is a militia initially created by Muslim rebels to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, but also operates in the DRC.

The group has been in the east of the country since 1995 and are accused by the UN and Congolese authorities of committing a series of civilian massacres since 2014.

However, in 2015 the New York University Study Group on Congo said it was not just the ADF behind the killings and that other armed elements, including members of the Congolese army, were also to blame.

North Kivu, one of the most populated areas of the DRC, is home to a number of armed groups that kill or abduct civilians.

Eighteenteen people, including 12 civilians, were killed in a rebel attack on the village of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive east, witnesses told AFP on Sunday.

Eighteenteen people, including 12 civilians, were killed in a rebel attack on the village of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive east, witnesses told AFP on Sunday. A doctor at the local hospital reported seeing 18 dead bodies, "including 12 civilians and four soldiers or rebels." Eight people were injured, of whom five were civilians, in the attack late Saturday. The Beni region is under siege from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years. Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni, in the North Kivu province near the border with Uganda, since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region. "The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city," the doctor told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi. According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 1630-1700 GMT. Heavy and light calibre gunfire was heard for several hours until after midnight local time. It was not known whether the army counter-attacked. The rebels targeted areas near the centre of the trading settlement of several hundred thousand inhabitants. The ADF is a militia initially created by Muslim rebels to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, but also operates in the DRC. The group has been in the east of the country since 1995 and are accused by the UN and Congolese authorities of committing a series of civilian massacres since 2014. However, in 2015 the New York University Study Group on Congo said it was not just the ADF behind the killings and that other armed elements, including members of the Congolese army, were also to blame. North Kivu, one of the most populated areas of the DRC, is home to a number of armed groups that kill or abduct civilians.

18 dead in rebel attack on Congo village

Two more people have died from&nbsp;Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Tuesday, as aid agencies battled to persuade sceptical residents about the severity of an outbreak that has killed 27 since April.

One of the deaths occurred in Mbandaka, according to a daily healthy ministry bulletin.

A nurse also died in the village of Bikoro, the town near where the outbreak was first detected in early May, ministry spokeswoman Jessica Ilunga told.

At the central market in Mbandaka, where vendors in colourful fabrics hawk smoked monkeys, some residents said they were unmoved by warnings not to consume bushmeat since a case of Ebola&nbsp;was discovered in the city of 1.5 million last week.

"Despite your&nbsp;Ebola&nbsp;stories, we buy and eat monkey meat," said one woman named Carine, a mother of eight children. "We have eaten that since forever. That is not going to change today. Ebola, that's in Bikoro."

Experts who have studied the&nbsp;Ebola&nbsp;virus since its discovery in 1976 along the&nbsp;Ebola&nbsp;river in Congo, then Zaire, say its suspected origin is forest bats.

Links have also been made to the carcasses of freshly slaughtered animals eaten as bush meat.

Seven new confirmed cases were also registered in Bikoro, the ministry said, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 28.

More than 11,300 people died in an&nbsp;Ebola&nbsp;outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2013 and 2016, during which health authorities were widely criticized for their slow response.

This time, health officials are particularly concerned by the disease's presence in Mbandaka, a crowded trading hub on the Congo River with road, water and air links to Congo's capital, Kinshasa.

Four cases have been confirmed in the city's Wangata neighbourhood and two more are suspected.

The urban setting sets this outbreak apart from the eight others that have struck Congo since the 1970s in mostly containable, rural settings.

The government and international partners have deployed significant resources to the northwestern Equateur province. Health officials administered an experimental vaccine on Monday to 33 medical workers and Mbandaka residents, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.

The WHO said vaccine manufacturer Merck has provided it with 8,640 doses of the vaccine and an additional 8,000 doses are expected to be available in the coming days.

The vaccine takes seven to 10 days to generate a strong enough immune response to ensure a person is fully protected.

Those vaccinated are instructed to follow the same strict infection control and hygiene practices as anyone who is not vaccinated.

The US&nbsp;government has added $7 million to the initial $1 million it previously committed to fighting the virus in Congo, US&nbsp;Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said on Tuesday.

The World Bank Group’s Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility on Tuesday also approved a $12 million grant towards efforts to contain the virus.

"The risk of spreading within the country and to neighbouring nations remains real," said Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "One of the lessons we learned in our response to other deadly&nbsp;Ebola&nbsp;outbreaks is that complacency can kill."

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed 25 epidemiologists to Mbandaka and Bikoro to support the government's surveillance work, its director John Nkengasong told a news briefing in Geneva.

It hopes to move a mobile laboratory from Sierra Leone to Congo that could, among other things, help detect the presence of the virus in human samples and conduct genetic sequencing to see if it is mutating.

One of the deaths occurred in Mbandaka, according to a daily healthy ministry bulletin

Two more people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Tuesday, as aid agencies battled to persuade sceptical residents about the severity of an outbreak that has killed 27 since April. One of the deaths occurred in Mbandaka, according to a daily healthy ministry bulletin. A nurse also died in the village of Bikoro, the town near where the outbreak was first detected in early May, ministry spokeswoman Jessica Ilunga told. At the central market in Mbandaka, where vendors in colourful fabrics hawk smoked monkeys, some residents said they were unmoved by warnings not to consume bushmeat since a case of Ebola was discovered in the city of 1.5 million last week. "Despite your Ebola stories, we buy and eat monkey meat," said one woman named Carine, a mother of eight children. "We have eaten that since forever. That is not going to change today. Ebola, that's in Bikoro." Experts who have studied the Ebola virus since its discovery in 1976 along the Ebola river in Congo, then Zaire, say its suspected origin is forest bats. Links have also been made to the carcasses of freshly slaughtered animals eaten as bush meat. Seven new confirmed cases were also registered in Bikoro, the ministry said, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 28. More than 11,300 people died in an Ebola outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2013 and 2016, during which health authorities were widely criticized for their slow response. This time, health officials are particularly concerned by the disease's presence in Mbandaka, a crowded trading hub on the Congo River with road, water and air links to Congo's capital, Kinshasa. Four cases have been confirmed in the city's Wangata neighbourhood and two more are suspected. The urban setting sets this outbreak apart from the eight others that have struck Congo since the 1970s in mostly containable, rural settings. The government and international partners have deployed significant resources to the northwestern Equateur province. Health officials administered an experimental vaccine on Monday to 33 medical workers and Mbandaka residents, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva. The WHO said vaccine manufacturer Merck has provided it with 8,640 doses of the vaccine and an additional 8,000 doses are expected to be available in the coming days. The vaccine takes seven to 10 days to generate a strong enough immune response to ensure a person is fully protected. Those vaccinated are instructed to follow the same strict infection control and hygiene practices as anyone who is not vaccinated. The US government has added $7 million to the initial $1 million it previously committed to fighting the virus in Congo, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said on Tuesday. The World Bank Group’s Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility on Tuesday also approved a $12 million grant towards efforts to contain the virus. "The risk of spreading within the country and to neighbouring nations remains real," said Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "One of the lessons we learned in our response to other deadly Ebola outbreaks is that complacency can kill." The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed 25 epidemiologists to Mbandaka and Bikoro to support the government's surveillance work, its director John Nkengasong told a news briefing in Geneva. It hopes to move a mobile laboratory from Sierra Leone to Congo that could, among other things, help detect the presence of the virus in human samples and conduct genetic sequencing to see if it is mutating.

Two more die of Ebola in Congo, seven new cases confirmed

Five rangers and a driver were killed on Monday in an ambush in the Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo's famed haven for gorillas and other endangered species, the park said.

"We have sadly lost six rangers," park spokesman Joel Malembe told AFP, adding that the team was ambushed while driving between the sectors of Lulimba and Ishasha, near the border with Uganda.

A seventh ranger, the team's leader, was wounded, he said.

Later the authorities said the dead comprised five rangers and a driver, who were ambushed in the centre of the sprawling park.

<img alt="gorillas.png" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="684" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/gorillas.png" width="1014" />

Established in 1925, Virunga is thought to be Africa's oldest national park.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, it covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,011 miles), or three times the size of Luxembourg, along a swathe of eastern DR Congo abutting the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world's population of critically-endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

But it is located in DR Congo's North Kivu province, where armed groups are fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, and poaching is a major threat.

The park's director, Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian national, was himself wounded in a road ambush between the park and Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in May 2014.

On April 2, a park ranger died in an attack by armed men. He was guarding the site of a hydroelectric plant that is under construction.&nbsp

Established in 1925, Virunga is thought to be Africa's oldest national park.

Five rangers and a driver were killed on Monday in an ambush in the Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo's famed haven for gorillas and other endangered species, the park said. "We have sadly lost six rangers," park spokesman Joel Malembe told AFP, adding that the team was ambushed while driving between the sectors of Lulimba and Ishasha, near the border with Uganda. A seventh ranger, the team's leader, was wounded, he said. Later the authorities said the dead comprised five rangers and a driver, who were ambushed in the centre of the sprawling park. Established in 1925, Virunga is thought to be Africa's oldest national park. One of the most important conservation sites in the world, it covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,011 miles), or three times the size of Luxembourg, along a swathe of eastern DR Congo abutting the border with Uganda and Rwanda. Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world's population of critically-endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos. But it is located in DR Congo's North Kivu province, where armed groups are fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, and poaching is a major threat. The park's director, Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian national, was himself wounded in a road ambush between the park and Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in May 2014. On April 2, a park ranger died in an attack by armed men. He was guarding the site of a hydroelectric plant that is under construction.

Five park rangers, driver killed in Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga wildlife sanctuary

The United Nations issued a warning to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) estimating more than two million children to be at risk of dying from starvation.

Millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid&nbsp;is not provided, the UN report said.

United Nation humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock&nbsp;during his Geneva briefing informed that he will be visiting the country to meet donors.

Reuters reported Laerke as saying, &quot;We have a great responsibility in the DRC...now is the time to stay the course&quot;.&nbsp;

The kids that are at the&nbsp;risk includes about 300,000 children from Kasai region only.

Congo&#39;s central Kasai region is facing major rebellion conflict between rebel militia and government forces which is now converting into ethnic violence.&nbsp;

The violence&nbsp;intensified after Joseph Kabila, the president refused to step down from his post even after his tenure was ended in December 2016.

Militia mostly made up of Luba people (an ethnic group of Congo) led by Kamwina Nsapu has selectively killed non-luba people.

Reports say that by June 2017, more than 3,300 people have been killed in violence since October 2016 and 20 villages were completely destroyed.

 
&nbsp;

According to the issued warning, millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid is not provided

The United Nations issued a warning to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) estimating more than two million children to be at risk of dying from starvation. Millions of children may die of acute malnutrition in coming months if the necessary aid is not provided, the UN report said. United Nation humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock during his Geneva briefing informed that he will be visiting the country to meet donors. Reuters reported Laerke as saying, "We have a great responsibility in the DRC...now is the time to stay the course". The kids that are at the risk includes about 300,000 children from Kasai region only. Congo's central Kasai region is facing major rebellion conflict between rebel militia and government forces which is now converting into ethnic violence. The violence intensified after Joseph Kabila, the president refused to step down from his post even after his tenure was ended in December 2016. Militia mostly made up of Luba people (an ethnic group of Congo) led by Kamwina Nsapu has selectively killed non-luba people. Reports say that by June 2017, more than 3,300 people have been killed in violence since October 2016 and 20 villages were completely destroyed.

2 million children at risk of dying from starvation in Congo: United Nations

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo blocked the internet in Kinshasa and set up roadblocks throughout the city ahead of planned protests Sunday demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power.

Catholic church leaders have called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila&#39;s 17-year rule, three weeks after a similar protest on New Year&#39;s Eve that ended in deadly violence.

The authorities have banned all demonstrations, and at around midnight (2300 GMT Saturday), the internet, email and social media messaging networks were cut in the capital, AFP correspondents said.

Security forces have installed roadblocks on major routes into Kinshasa, while armed officers are conducting ID checks.

The church has also called for rallies in several other cities including Lubumbashi and Goma, but the government has banned all demonstrations since September 2016, when anti-Kabila protests turned violent.

The head of the Muslim community in DR Congo has backed the church, urging the authorities to allow the march to take place despite no official permission being granted.

&quot;I ask the authorities to avoid repressing the march,&quot; Cheikh Ali Mwinyi M&#39;Kuu, legal representative of the Muslim community, told AFP on Saturday.

&quot;If they decide to repress, there will be no peace. But if they let the march take place, they will respect the constitution and peace will prevail.&quot;

The previous anti-Kabila march, on December 31, descended into a bloody crackdown after police and security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

Protest organisers said 12 people were killed, while the United Nations reported at least five dead. The authorities said no deaths that day were linked to the demonstration.

The country&#39;s powerful Catholic Church, one of the few institutions to nationally enjoy broad credibility, condemned what it called &quot;barbarism&quot; and the UN and France sounded their concern over the death toll.

&#39;Terrified for my children&#39;&nbsp;

The church has been joined by a group of eight intellectuals in calling for the march to be peaceful.

The so-called &quot;secular committee of coordination&quot; has called on people to march after mass &quot;with our peace branches, our bibles, our rosaries, our crucifixes, to save the Congo&quot;.

Arrest warrants have been issued against at least five members of the committee, a magistrate told AFP, prompting them to go into hiding.

&quot;We&#39;re scared. I&#39;m just like everyone else, I&#39;m scared. I&#39;m terrified for my children, who have been alone since December 28,&quot; said Kandolo, a member of the group in Kinshasa.

The committee has called for the release of political prisoners, to allow the return of exiled political opponents and, above all, a guarantee that Kabila will stand down and not seek a third term.

Kabila, 46, has been in power since 2001, at the helm of a regime widely criticised for corruption, repression and incompetence.

His constitutional term in office expired in December 2016, but he stayed on -- a move that stoked a bloody spiral of violence.

Under an agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, he was allowed to stay in office provided new elections were held in 2017.

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo blocked the internet in Kinshasa and set up roadblocks throughout the city ahead of planned protests Sunday demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo blocked the internet in Kinshasa and set up roadblocks throughout the city ahead of planned protests Sunday demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power. Catholic church leaders have called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila's 17-year rule, three weeks after a similar protest on New Year's Eve that ended in deadly violence. The authorities have banned all demonstrations, and at around midnight (2300 GMT Saturday), the internet, email and social media messaging networks were cut in the capital, AFP correspondents said. Security forces have installed roadblocks on major routes into Kinshasa, while armed officers are conducting ID checks. The church has also called for rallies in several other cities including Lubumbashi and Goma, but the government has banned all demonstrations since September 2016, when anti-Kabila protests turned violent. The head of the Muslim community in DR Congo has backed the church, urging the authorities to allow the march to take place despite no official permission being granted. "I ask the authorities to avoid repressing the march," Cheikh Ali Mwinyi M'Kuu, legal representative of the Muslim community, told AFP on Saturday. "If they decide to repress, there will be no peace. But if they let the march take place, they will respect the constitution and peace will prevail." The previous anti-Kabila march, on December 31, descended into a bloody crackdown after police and security forces opened fire on demonstrators. Protest organisers said 12 people were killed, while the United Nations reported at least five dead. The authorities said no deaths that day were linked to the demonstration. The country's powerful Catholic Church, one of the few institutions to nationally enjoy broad credibility, condemned what it called "barbarism" and the UN and France sounded their concern over the death toll. 'Terrified for my children' The church has been joined by a group of eight intellectuals in calling for the march to be peaceful. The so-called "secular committee of coordination" has called on people to march after mass "with our peace branches, our bibles, our rosaries, our crucifixes, to save the Congo". Arrest warrants have been issued against at least five members of the committee, a magistrate told AFP, prompting them to go into hiding. "We're scared. I'm just like everyone else, I'm scared. I'm terrified for my children, who have been alone since December 28," said Kandolo, a member of the group in Kinshasa. The committee has called for the release of political prisoners, to allow the return of exiled political opponents and, above all, a guarantee that Kabila will stand down and not seek a third term. Kabila, 46, has been in power since 2001, at the helm of a regime widely criticised for corruption, repression and incompetence. His constitutional term in office expired in December 2016, but he stayed on -- a move that stoked a bloody spiral of violence. Under an agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, he was allowed to stay in office provided new elections were held in 2017.

DR Congo blocks internet ahead of banned protests

I got a chance to cover the peacekeeping mission in Congo, and I was excited. But to reach Congo in one piece was a challenge. 
&nbsp; 
Journalists often don&rsquo;t realise how privileged they are by being very close to the seat of power. I was part of the privileged lot when I got the opportunity to travel with former PM Manmohan Singh for the BRICS Summit to South Africa in 2013. It was a straight 10-hour flight from Delhi to Durban. 
&nbsp; 
But this time, the deal was different.

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This time, we had to stop at four different airports to reach DR Congo&rsquo;s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda. Congo is still five hours away. But the journey was a revelation to me, especially the way it happened. Often such revelations don&rsquo;t hit you when you travel with a delegation. I could see Indians all around. Some were going to Zambia and some to adjoining region. The person who came to pick me up from Kigali airport belonged to Nagpur. 
&nbsp; 
Himanshu Hoode came to Africa four years back to make money. When I asked him why Rwanda, which was war torn two decades back, he said, &ldquo;It is the safest place today and full of opportunities.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with the different nationalities of Africa. They were not tourists or people resembling faces from TV channels. They were workers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and common people. Within this commonness, I felt extremely elevated. Lastly, Kigali is cold. I felt stupid thinking that I&rsquo;m about to hit equatorial humidity. It is pleasant and there is chill in the air. I already feel welcome.&nbsp;

We had to stop at four different airports just to reach Congo’s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda

I got a chance to cover the peacekeeping mission in Congo, and I was excited. But to reach Congo in one piece was a challenge. Journalists often don’t realise how privileged they are by being very close to the seat of power. I was part of the privileged lot when I got the opportunity to travel with former PM Manmohan Singh for the BRICS Summit to South Africa in 2013. It was a straight 10-hour flight from Delhi to Durban. But this time, the deal was different. I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with different nationalities of Africa × This time, we had to stop at four different airports to reach DR Congo’s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda. Congo is still five hours away. But the journey was a revelation to me, especially the way it happened. Often such revelations don’t hit you when you travel with a delegation. I could see Indians all around. Some were going to Zambia and some to adjoining region. The person who came to pick me up from Kigali airport belonged to Nagpur. Himanshu Hoode came to Africa four years back to make money. When I asked him why Rwanda, which was war torn two decades back, he said, “It is the safest place today and full of opportunities.” I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with the different nationalities of Africa. They were not tourists or people resembling faces from TV channels. They were workers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and common people. Within this commonness, I felt extremely elevated. Lastly, Kigali is cold. I felt stupid thinking that I’m about to hit equatorial humidity. It is pleasant and there is chill in the air. I already feel welcome.

En route to Congo, a brief stopover at cold Kigali: A reporter's diary

The United Nations on Friday set up a special investigation of the attack that killed 15 UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month and wounded 43 others.

The December 7 attack in the Beni territory of North Kivu province was one of the worst to target UN peacekeepers in recent history in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Dmitry Titov, a Russian national who has worked in UN peacekeeping to lead the special investigation that will also look into other attacks against peacekeepers in that area, a UN statement said.

&quot;This special investigation will include a focus on the 7 December attack in Semuliki, in which 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, 43 wounded and one remains missing,&quot; it said.

The United Nations has said the ambush of the peacekeeping base was carried out by suspected ADF rebels, a shadowy group dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims that is one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region.

UN investigators will examine the circumstances surrounding the attacks, evaluate the response of the UN peacekeepers and make recommendations on how to prevent such violence, the UN said.

Two military officers from Tanzania will take part in the investigation that will travel to the DR Congo later this month and to countries in the region.

The attack was the bloodiest against MONUSCO, the UN force deployed in the DR Congo since 1999, and the worst against a UN force since the death of 24 Pakistani peacekeepers in Somalia in June 1993.

DR Congo&#39;s huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased in 2017.

North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups.

Since October 2014, the hardline ADF -- or Allied Democratic Forces -- has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region, where last week&#39;s attack also took place.&nbsp;

Uganda&#39;s defense ministry said in late December that it had launched air and artillery strikes against the ADF in DR Congo, killing over 100 of its fighters in a joint operation with the DR Congo&#39;s army.

The United Nations on Friday set up a special investigation of the attack that killed 15 UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month and wounded 43 others

The United Nations on Friday set up a special investigation of the attack that killed 15 UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month and wounded 43 others. The December 7 attack in the Beni territory of North Kivu province was one of the worst to target UN peacekeepers in recent history in the Democratic Republic of Congo. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Dmitry Titov, a Russian national who has worked in UN peacekeeping to lead the special investigation that will also look into other attacks against peacekeepers in that area, a UN statement said. "This special investigation will include a focus on the 7 December attack in Semuliki, in which 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, 43 wounded and one remains missing," it said. The United Nations has said the ambush of the peacekeeping base was carried out by suspected ADF rebels, a shadowy group dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims that is one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. UN investigators will examine the circumstances surrounding the attacks, evaluate the response of the UN peacekeepers and make recommendations on how to prevent such violence, the UN said. Two military officers from Tanzania will take part in the investigation that will travel to the DR Congo later this month and to countries in the region. The attack was the bloodiest against MONUSCO, the UN force deployed in the DR Congo since 1999, and the worst against a UN force since the death of 24 Pakistani peacekeepers in Somalia in June 1993. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased in 2017. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. Since October 2014, the hardline ADF -- or Allied Democratic Forces -- has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region, where last week's attack also took place. Uganda's defense ministry said in late December that it had launched air and artillery strikes against the ADF in DR Congo, killing over 100 of its fighters in a joint operation with the DR Congo's army.

UN to investigate DR Congo attack on peacekeepers

Sudan&#39;s Janjaweed, Uganda&#39;s Lord&#39;s Resistance Army and other notorious militias are wreaking havoc on wildlife in central&nbsp;Africa, poaching and trafficking elephants, hippopotamuses, buffaloes and other animals, a monitor said Friday.

The threat comes from &quot;highly organised armed groups who are linked to human rights violations and ongoing political instability&quot; as well as state actors, armed pastoralists and&nbsp;poachers, Traffic said in a report.

Joseph Kony, a self-styled mystic and prophet who launched a bloody rebellion three decades ago, &quot;tasked a group of LRA fighters with obtaining 100 tusks... over the course of nine months&quot; from the Garamba natural reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Traffic said.

The report also tracked poaching in Bili in DRC and the Chinko reserve in the Central African Republic. The research covered nearly 90 villages in the region.

&quot;This region is perhaps the most remote and underdeveloped on the continent,&quot; said Liz Williamson, one of the authors of the report.

&quot;The lack of governance and enforcement has rendered local communities and wildlife an easy target for exploitation by armed groups, while illegal wildlife trade fuels continued instability across the landscape.&quot;

Exacerbating the problem was endemic corruption in a region mired in poverty, but things were improving in DR Congo where poaching by government soldiers has been declining in the past few years due to &quot;stronger collaboration with park enforcement authorities,&quot; it said.

The pastoralist threat

But animals are also under threat from pastoralists like the Fulani, who are spread over a swathe of western and central&nbsp;Africa, and the Mbororo, a Fulani sub-group which kill Giant Eland -- a Savannah antelope -- and buffaloes &quot;to sell as bushmeat and to poison predators.

&quot;Fulani have also been reported as trafficking wildlife products such as ivory and leopard skins across borders, primarily to South Sudan and Uganda,&quot; Traffic said.

And there were armed &quot;poachers&nbsp;targeting large mammals, including bongo, buffalo, elephant and hippopotamus in the protected areas&quot; selling their meat to individuals and restaurants and transporting high-value products such as ivory, skins and other trophies further afield.

&quot;Hunting serves as an income-generator for people living around protected areas and about 20 percent of men in northeast DRC reported that they engage in small-scale poaching,&quot; it said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has previously found that&nbsp;Africa&#39;s elephant numbers fell by 111,000 between 2006 and 2015.&nbsp;

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species said the elephant population in southern&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;and much of East&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;is now either stable or increasing but illegal killings remain high across the continent.&nbsp;

Sudan's Janjaweed, Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and other notorious militias are wreaking havoc on wildlife in central?Africa, poaching and trafficking elephants, hippopotamuses, buffaloes and other animals, a monitor said Friday

Sudan's Janjaweed, Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and other notorious militias are wreaking havoc on wildlife in central Africa, poaching and trafficking elephants, hippopotamuses, buffaloes and other animals, a monitor said Friday. The threat comes from "highly organised armed groups who are linked to human rights violations and ongoing political instability" as well as state actors, armed pastoralists and poachers, Traffic said in a report. Joseph Kony, a self-styled mystic and prophet who launched a bloody rebellion three decades ago, "tasked a group of LRA fighters with obtaining 100 tusks... over the course of nine months" from the Garamba natural reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Traffic said. The report also tracked poaching in Bili in DRC and the Chinko reserve in the Central African Republic. The research covered nearly 90 villages in the region. "This region is perhaps the most remote and underdeveloped on the continent," said Liz Williamson, one of the authors of the report. "The lack of governance and enforcement has rendered local communities and wildlife an easy target for exploitation by armed groups, while illegal wildlife trade fuels continued instability across the landscape." Exacerbating the problem was endemic corruption in a region mired in poverty, but things were improving in DR Congo where poaching by government soldiers has been declining in the past few years due to "stronger collaboration with park enforcement authorities," it said. The pastoralist threat But animals are also under threat from pastoralists like the Fulani, who are spread over a swathe of western and central Africa, and the Mbororo, a Fulani sub-group which kill Giant Eland -- a Savannah antelope -- and buffaloes "to sell as bushmeat and to poison predators. "Fulani have also been reported as trafficking wildlife products such as ivory and leopard skins across borders, primarily to South Sudan and Uganda," Traffic said. And there were armed "poachers targeting large mammals, including bongo, buffalo, elephant and hippopotamus in the protected areas" selling their meat to individuals and restaurants and transporting high-value products such as ivory, skins and other trophies further afield. "Hunting serves as an income-generator for people living around protected areas and about 20 percent of men in northeast DRC reported that they engage in small-scale poaching," it said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has previously found that Africa's elephant numbers fell by 111,000 between 2006 and 2015. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species said the elephant population in southern Africa and much of East Africa is now either stable or increasing but illegal killings remain high across the continent.

Militias, poachers have wreaked havoc on central Africa's wildlife: Monitor

At least 20 killed after a gold mine collapsed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sud Kiv area on Sunday.&nbsp;

The province&#39;s mines minister Apollinaire Bulindi said the death toll was likely to rise &quot;because many people were working in a disorderly way in this quarry,&quot; referring to &quot;illegal miners&quot;.

The incident took place overnight in Makungu mine in the Fizi district of Sud Kivu.&nbsp;

&quot;We (the provincial authorities) do not control this quarry, these are soldiers who are working there...,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Sud Kivu province has some of Democratic Republic of Congo`s richest mineral deposits.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Local mines minister Apollinaire Bulindi said the death toll is likely to increase as many 'illegal miners' were in the quarry

At least 20 killed after a gold mine collapsed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sud Kiv area on Sunday. The province's mines minister Apollinaire Bulindi said the death toll was likely to rise "because many people were working in a disorderly way in this quarry," referring to "illegal miners". The incident took place overnight in Makungu mine in the Fizi district of Sud Kivu. "We (the provincial authorities) do not control this quarry, these are soldiers who are working there...," he added. Sud Kivu province has some of Democratic Republic of Congo`s richest mineral deposits. (WION with inputs from AFP)

At least 20 dead in Congo gold mine collapse

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to quell the anti-Kabila protests and punish those involved.&nbsp; 
 
Attorney general Flory Kabange Numbi told reporters, &quot;The Congolese national police are actively seeking out the ... authors of these grave acts of murder and plunder.&quot; 
 
He also said migration officials will prevent the perpetrators from escaping the country.&nbsp; 
 
For months, the opposition has been organising protests against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over. Scores of people were killed in the riots, Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
According to the Human Rights Watch, the riots left at least 37 protesters and six policemen dead. The police however said 32 people had died inlcuding four policemen.&nbsp; 
 
Etienne Tshisekedi, who organised the protests told a Belgian television channel that around 100 were killed.&nbsp; 
 
The protests are still taking place in Kinshasa, and on Wednesday 50 troops were deployed to stop the protests.&nbsp; 
 
The President&#39;s office issued a statement calling for calm and asked the citizens to go about their daily activities, now that security is ensured, Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
UN asks Congo to show restraint 
 
The UN Security Council warned the Congolese government not to aggravate the situation and show restraint.&nbsp; 
 
The US Special Envoy for Africa&#39;s Great Lakes region said targeted sanctions will imposed on people who are involved in the violence.&nbsp; 
 
Moise Katumbi, exiled leader said, &quot;Without sanctions, they will continue killing people like mosquitoes.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

For months protests have been organised against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to quell the anti-Kabila protests and punish those involved. Attorney general Flory Kabange Numbi told reporters, "The Congolese national police are actively seeking out the ... authors of these grave acts of murder and plunder." He also said migration officials will prevent the perpetrators from escaping the country. For months, the opposition has been organising protests against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over. Scores of people were killed in the riots, Reuters reported. According to the Human Rights Watch, the riots left at least 37 protesters and six policemen dead. The police however said 32 people had died inlcuding four policemen. Etienne Tshisekedi, who organised the protests told a Belgian television channel that around 100 were killed. The protests are still taking place in Kinshasa, and on Wednesday 50 troops were deployed to stop the protests. The President's office issued a statement calling for calm and asked the citizens to go about their daily activities, now that security is ensured, Reuters reported. UN asks Congo to show restraint The UN Security Council warned the Congolese government not to aggravate the situation and show restraint. The US Special Envoy for Africa's Great Lakes region said targeted sanctions will imposed on people who are involved in the violence. Moise Katumbi, exiled leader said, "Without sanctions, they will continue killing people like mosquitoes." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Congo threatens to punish those behind anti-Kabila riots

Police had to resort to firing tear gas shells to quell protesters&nbsp;in the streets of the opposition stronghold of Lubumbashi on Friday as agitatotrs&nbsp;demanded Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila&#39;s resignation.&nbsp; 
 
The demonstrations were led by exiled leader Etienne Tshisekedi of Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the country&#39;s main opposition party, UN-backed Radio Okapi reported.&nbsp; 
 
It&#39;s pertinent to mention that elections were scheduled for November in Congo but the electoral commission said the vote registry will not be complete till July 2017. 
 
The President&#39;s opponents have accused him of stalling the vote, but his supporters deny the charges.&nbsp; 
 
Kabila is being pressured by Western powers to not remain in power beyond when his mandate runs out on December 19, international news agency Reuters has observed.&nbsp; 
 
The constitution limits him to two elected terms, but the country&#39;s highest court ruled he can remain in power until the election takes place even if that falls beyond the end of his mandate in December. 
 
Analysts fear that if that happens it may push Congo to another civil war. The last civil war took place between 1996-2003, which killed millions of people.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The demonstrations were led by exiled leader Etienne Tshisekedi of Union for Democracy and Social Progress

Police had to resort to firing tear gas shells to quell protesters in the streets of the opposition stronghold of Lubumbashi on Friday as agitatotrs demanded Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila's resignation. The demonstrations were led by exiled leader Etienne Tshisekedi of Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the country's main opposition party, UN-backed Radio Okapi reported. It's pertinent to mention that elections were scheduled for November in Congo but the electoral commission said the vote registry will not be complete till July 2017. The President's opponents have accused him of stalling the vote, but his supporters deny the charges. Kabila is being pressured by Western powers to not remain in power beyond when his mandate runs out on December 19, international news agency Reuters has observed. The constitution limits him to two elected terms, but the country's highest court ruled he can remain in power until the election takes place even if that falls beyond the end of his mandate in December. Analysts fear that if that happens it may push Congo to another civil war. The last civil war took place between 1996-2003, which killed millions of people. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Anti-Kabila protests erupt in Congo opposition stronghold

Judges at the world&#39;s only permanent war crimes court will on Tuesday pass sentence on former Congolese leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, with prosecutors calling for a minimum 25-year sentence. 
 
If the judges agree with the prosecution, it will be the highest jail term ever imposed by the International Criminal Court (ICC)&nbsp;in a case that was the first there to focus on rape as a weapon of war. 
 
Prosecutors blamed the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for turning a blind eye to a reign of terror by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) from October 2002 to May 2003. 
 
He was found guilty in March of five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, after sending some 1,500 troops from his private army into CAR to help quash a coup against the then president. 
 
Bemba&#39;s Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) carried out a series of rapes and murders as they sought to prop up then president Ange-Felix Patasse. 
 
Experts testified that the brutality of the events would have long-term traumatic effects on the victims and their communities. 
 
In their verdict handed down at the end of a trial which began in November 2010, the ICC judges found that despite knowing what was happening, Bemba &quot;failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent&quot; a litany of crimes, which included the gang rapes of men, women and children, sometimes as their relatives were forced to watch. 
 
Bemba, 53, will become the highest level person sentenced at the tribunal based in The Hague. 
 
The prosecution&#39;s request for a 25-year sentence &quot;does reflect the gravity of these crimes,&quot; human rights activist Carrie Comer told AFP. 
 
The ICC has previously sentenced two others convicted there to 14 and 12 years in prison. 
 
Command responsibility 
 
As well as the issue of rape as a weapon of war, the Bemba case was also the first at the ICC to focus on a military commander&#39;s responsibility for abuses by his troops, even if he did not order them. 
 
Defence lawyers have argued that Bemba, who has already spent eight years in detention since his 2008 arrest in Brussels, should be released. 
 
Bemba &quot;did not participate in the crimes. He was not standing there and encouraging his troops... Mr Bemba was not even in the same country,&quot; defence lawyer Peter Haynes said at an ICC hearing last month. 
 
His &quot;culpability arises from his failure to control a small fraction of his troops who were thousands of miles away&quot;. 
 
Activists warn however that a light sentence would fail to send a warning to other military commanders. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s really important that the court recognise the command responsibility,&nbsp;and there&#39;s an opportunity here to provide a deterrent,&quot; said Comer, the permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). 
 
&quot;If you knew, or you should have known, that these things were going on and you execute effective control over your troops then, yes, you&#39;re absolutely responsible for&nbsp;not preventing or punishing these crimes.&quot; 
 
The FIDH, which represents some 178 rights organisations from the around the world, is also hoping &quot;the trial chamber will come back with a strong sentence on this in recognition of the particular devastating harm that sexual and gender-based crimes have on victims, their families and their communities at large.&quot; 
 
The landmark Bemba verdict was hailed at the time, even though many were shocked at how long it had taken for sexual violence to be focused on in an international trial. 
 
American actress Angelina Jolie urged the international community &quot;to build on the important legal precedent&quot; set by the Bemba case so that &quot;we can collectively shatter impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and terrorism&quot;.

The prosecutor called for a 25-year sentence. He will become the highest level official to be sentenced at the tribunal at Hague

Judges at the world's only permanent war crimes court will on Tuesday pass sentence on former Congolese leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, with prosecutors calling for a minimum 25-year sentence. If the judges agree with the prosecution, it will be the highest jail term ever imposed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a case that was the first there to focus on rape as a weapon of war. Prosecutors blamed the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for turning a blind eye to a reign of terror by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) from October 2002 to May 2003. He was found guilty in March of five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, after sending some 1,500 troops from his private army into CAR to help quash a coup against the then president. Bemba's Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) carried out a series of rapes and murders as they sought to prop up then president Ange-Felix Patasse. Experts testified that the brutality of the events would have long-term traumatic effects on the victims and their communities. In their verdict handed down at the end of a trial which began in November 2010, the ICC judges found that despite knowing what was happening, Bemba "failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent" a litany of crimes, which included the gang rapes of men, women and children, sometimes as their relatives were forced to watch. Bemba, 53, will become the highest level person sentenced at the tribunal based in The Hague. The prosecution's request for a 25-year sentence "does reflect the gravity of these crimes," human rights activist Carrie Comer told AFP. The ICC has previously sentenced two others convicted there to 14 and 12 years in prison. Command responsibility As well as the issue of rape as a weapon of war, the Bemba case was also the first at the ICC to focus on a military commander's responsibility for abuses by his troops, even if he did not order them. Defence lawyers have argued that Bemba, who has already spent eight years in detention since his 2008 arrest in Brussels, should be released. Bemba "did not participate in the crimes. He was not standing there and encouraging his troops... Mr Bemba was not even in the same country," defence lawyer Peter Haynes said at an ICC hearing last month. His "culpability arises from his failure to control a small fraction of his troops who were thousands of miles away". Activists warn however that a light sentence would fail to send a warning to other military commanders. "It's really important that the court recognise the command responsibility, and there's an opportunity here to provide a deterrent," said Comer, the permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). "If you knew, or you should have known, that these things were going on and you execute effective control over your troops then, yes, you're absolutely responsible for not preventing or punishing these crimes." The FIDH, which represents some 178 rights organisations from the around the world, is also hoping "the trial chamber will come back with a strong sentence on this in recognition of the particular devastating harm that sexual and gender-based crimes have on victims, their families and their communities at large." The landmark Bemba verdict was hailed at the time, even though many were shocked at how long it had taken for sexual violence to be focused on in an international trial. American actress Angelina Jolie urged the international community "to build on the important legal precedent" set by the Bemba case so that "we can collectively shatter impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and terrorism".

Congo's Bemba to be handed landmark war crimes sentence

Lord&#39;s Resistance Army rebels (LRA) have kidnapped 17 people from a village in eastern Central African Republic, a senior local official said on Thursday. 
 
The rebels are notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping children for use as fighters. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the LRA&#39;s messianic leader, Joseph Kony, and other senior commanders. 
 
The rebels struck on Monday, snatching three people in the morning and forcing them to carry their goods before releasing them in the evening, said Ghislain Kolengo, prefect of Haut Mbomou region. 
 
&quot;Very early (on Tuesday), they attacked Kadjema village and kidnapped 17 people who are still in captivity. I hope that our forces in the area and the Ugandans will find these people and bring them back,&quot; Kolengo told Reuters. 
 
The population then fled the town, he said. 
 
The LRA is from northern Uganda but was driven out by a military offensive a decade ago. Today, its fighters roam a poorly policed area straddling the borders between Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. 
 
All three countries have faced their own conflicts and Uganda, another regional neighbour, said last week it planned to withdraw by the end of the year its troops involved in an operation to hunt down LRA rebels. 
 
The LRA has been weakened but its fighters still attack civilians. It has abducted nearly 350 this year, according to the LRA Crisis Tracker, which documents rebel attacks. 
 
Meanwhile, at least 11 were killed in clashes in the north of the country involving former rebel group called the Seleka, according to a brigade commander in the town of Ngaoudaye. 
 
The first clash happened on Sunday and led to the deaths of seven Seleka members who were leading cattle through the town en route for Cameroon. The former rebels took revenge, killing six civilians, said the commander, who declined to be named. 
 
Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when the predominantly Muslim Seleka seized power, triggering reprisals by &quot;anti-balaka&quot; Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south. 
 
President Faustin-Archange Touad?ra took office in March after elections aimed at drawing a line under the crisis. 
(Reuters)

The rebels are notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping children for use as fighters. They have abducted 350 this year

Lord's Resistance Army rebels (LRA) have kidnapped 17 people from a village in eastern Central African Republic, a senior local official said on Thursday. The rebels are notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping children for use as fighters. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the LRA's messianic leader, Joseph Kony, and other senior commanders. The rebels struck on Monday, snatching three people in the morning and forcing them to carry their goods before releasing them in the evening, said Ghislain Kolengo, prefect of Haut Mbomou region. "Very early (on Tuesday), they attacked Kadjema village and kidnapped 17 people who are still in captivity. I hope that our forces in the area and the Ugandans will find these people and bring them back," Kolengo told Reuters. The population then fled the town, he said. The LRA is from northern Uganda but was driven out by a military offensive a decade ago. Today, its fighters roam a poorly policed area straddling the borders between Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. All three countries have faced their own conflicts and Uganda, another regional neighbour, said last week it planned to withdraw by the end of the year its troops involved in an operation to hunt down LRA rebels. The LRA has been weakened but its fighters still attack civilians. It has abducted nearly 350 this year, according to the LRA Crisis Tracker, which documents rebel attacks. Meanwhile, at least 11 were killed in clashes in the north of the country involving former rebel group called the Seleka, according to a brigade commander in the town of Ngaoudaye. The first clash happened on Sunday and led to the deaths of seven Seleka members who were leading cattle through the town en route for Cameroon. The former rebels took revenge, killing six civilians, said the commander, who declined to be named. Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when the predominantly Muslim Seleka seized power, triggering reprisals by "anti-balaka" Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south. President Faustin-Archange Touad?ra took office in March after elections aimed at drawing a line under the crisis. (Reuters)

Lord's Resistance Army rebels kidnap 17 in Central African Republic