[RFI] The southern African regional bloc has decided to end its military deployment to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where it lost at least a dozen soldiers in conflict there in January.

[France 24] Congolese authorities are hoping to conclude an agreement with the Trump administration on the country's mining resources in a bid to secure US support in their fight against the M23 rebels and Rwandan forces leading an offensive in eastern DR Congo. While preliminary discussions have begun, details of the settlement remain very vague.

[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, Chief of General Staffs of Ethiopia National Defense Forces (ENDF), and Lieutenant General Mubarak Muganga, Army Chief of Staff of Rwanda have signed a defense cooperation on Thursday to collaborate in various military sectors.

[CAF] The Central African Republic announced a new-look squad of 25 for their FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month, as they take on Madagascar and Mali.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame has accused the international community of using aid as a tool of control over developing nations.

[Afrobarometer] Majorities say the government should reduce the number of foreign job seekers and refugees it allows to enter the country.

[New Zimbabwe] SOUTHERN African Development Community (SADC) has announced the termination of its military mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and withdrawal of troops in phases.

[RFI] Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on 18 March, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. The Congolese presidency has for now only acknowledged receiving the message.

[New Times] The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has asked the organisers of a Congolese musician's concert that had been scheduled to take place in Paris on April 7 to postpone it as the date coincides with the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a spokesperson of the agency told The New Times.

[IFRC] The Burundi Red Cross has set up a vital humanitarian service point at the Rugombo Stadium a few kilometres from the Democratic Republic of Congo border, providing shelter for almost 40,000 refugees - including nearly 18,000 children - fleeing the conflict there.

[New Times] Direct peace talks between AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government are set to start in Luanda, on March 18, Angola's presidency announced in a statement on Wednesday, March 13.

[New Times] The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has requested the organisers of a Congolese musician's concert due in Paris on April 7 to postpone it as the date coincides with the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a spokesperson of the agency told The New Times.

[Vanguard] Abuja -- IN a bid to stop flooding occasioned by the opening of Cameroon Lagdo dam, the Federal Government, through the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, has commenced concrete steps to accelerate the construction of the Dasin Hausa Dam, aiming to end decades of devastating floods affecting Taraba, Adamawa, Benue, and other river basin communities.

[RFI] As Angola continues to act as a mediator in the crisis in eastern DRC, President Lourenço is working on bringing about direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23.

[New Times] The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gathered experts from 35 African countries in Kigali from March 11 to 13, 2025, to discuss ways to address governance and peace-building challenges across the continent.

[New Times] Persistent governance failures, corruption, and empty promises have destabilized eastern DR Congo for decades and the government in Kinshasa has not only failed to dismantle the «more than 200 armed groups ravaging our land» but, in many cases, has actively enabled their existence for political and economic gain, according to Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFC/M23 rebellion's deputy coordinator.

[HRW] Armed Group Threatens, Harasses, Attacks Civilians in Occupied East

[Nile Post] Burundi is facing its largest refugee crisis in decades as tens of thousands flee escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

[New Times] The Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a virtual extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organ Troika on March 6, and reportedly agreed to withdraw the regional bloc's military mission in eastern DR Congo saying it has become unattainable. Up to 200 SADC soldiers who had been fighting in eastern DR Congo were repatriated after they were given passage through Rwanda, on February 24.

[UN News] The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped up efforts to improve vaccination coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by providing vital logistical support, including boats and motorcycles to reach remote communities along the Congo River.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- DCI detectives have arrested 18 suspects at a godown in Eastleigh, Nairobi, after they were caught offloading a consignment of fabrics that was in transit from the Port of Mombasa to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

[JusticeInfo.net] The two men prosecuted for the martyrdom of a traditional chief in 2017 had their sentences reduced to 20 years in prison by the military court on March 10. The Congolese population of Masuika, in Central Kasai, was also able to attend in large numbers a second trial for war crimes committed in their town during the conflict with the Kamwina Nsapu militia. This is proximity justice. It is not always understood, but well received, in direct touch with the community, and with nuanced judgments.

[IFJ] The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, L'Union des Journalistes Tchadiens (UJT), in condemning the latest arbitrary detentions, which constitute a violation of their fundamental human rights.

[RFI] An RFI correspondent and a national TV journalist have been detained in Chad in a move condemned by press freedom advocates as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

[allAfrica] Monrovia -- More than 600 people infected with mpox left treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to fighting in the eastern part of the country, the African Centers for Disease Control said during an online briefing on the status of the disease on March 6. The continental health body said, although more than 150 of those who ran away returned in the eastern city of Bukavu - following a relative improvement in security - they still cannot account for hundreds more.

[allAfrica] Monrovia -- The U.S. government stressed its «firm support» for the Congolese people - and their right to «sovereignty and territorial integrity» - as government forces in the central African nation struggle to contain an advance from Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east of the country. Speaking during a press briefing on March 6, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tommy Bruce said the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, called for an immediate ceasefire, while urging accountability for human rights abuses and

[New Times] Dieudonne Ishimwe, the former organiser of the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant, has been arrested in Texas, United States.

[New Times] The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) and the Capital Market Authority (CMA) have introduced a draft regulatory framework for virtual assets and virtual asset service providers, a step towards governing digital financial transactions in the country.

[New Times] Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) launched the Finscope Gender and Financial Inclusion Thematic Report on March 7, highlighting a significant increase in women's access to financial services--from 92% in 2020 to 96% in 2024.

[RFI] A controversial mining deal between the DRC and China has come under the spotlight, as NGOs and civil society groups warn of financial losses and lack of transparency, one year after the 'contract of the century' was updated.

[New Times] Rwanda is making significant strides in the field of emerging technologies, with an ambitious plan to develop 50 artificial intelligence (AI) applications across various sectors in four years.

[Nile Post] Rwanda has accused Germany of politicising development cooperation after Berlin announced it was halting new development aid and reviewing existing commitments over Rwanda's alleged role in the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

[RFI] A week after the announcement of British sanctions against Rwanda for its involvement alongside the M23 in the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kigali is complaining about what it sees as the UK's «betrayal». Meanwhile, Canada and Germany have also announced sanctions for the same reasons.

[UN News] A UN report released on Wednesday has uncovered a pattern of grave human rights violations committed by armed groups in southeast Central African Republic (CAR), targeting Muslim communities and Sudanese refugees.

[allAfrica] Since 2017, Cameroon has been engulfed in a bloody civil war that has involved the cruel and unorthodox weapon of withholding education. This conflict has led to the deaths of thousands of Cameroonians, and one of its most devastating consequences has been the impact on hundreds of thousands of students whose right to education has been forcibly denied. Both sides must reevaluate their choice, as no one emerges victorious when education is used as a weapon of war.