[New Times] As African leaders prepare to meet in Addis Ababa for the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit from February 14-15, observers say the crisis in eastern DR Congo may be among issues to be discussed as part of its long-term goal of silencing the guns on the continent.

[New Times] The Chamber of Deputies on Thursday, February 12, approved the relevance of a new bill seeking to reform operations of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), in a move aimed at strengthening the Central Bank's independence and aligning it with international standards.

[New Times] For years, Rwandan patients with severe knee injuries, complex fractures, or chronic joint pain learned to pack their bags long before they knew their surgical dates--heading to India, South Africa, and sometimes Europe, wherever a referral letter and personal savings could take them.

[New Times] Local government officials have raised concerns over the centralisation of public procurement under the 2022 law, warning that the approach has led to service delivery delays, inflated costs and operational challenges across public institutions.

[New Times] Parliament on Thursday, February 12, approved changes to the 2025/2026 national budget, including a Rwf168.2 billion cut for the construction of the New Kigali International Airport Phase II.

[New Times] The head of the United Nations mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) arrived at Goma airport on Thursday, February 12, as part of efforts to support preparations for monitoring and verification of the ceasefire between DR Congo and the AFC/M23 rebels.

[New Times] H. pylori is widely recognised by clinicians as one of the leading causes of chronic gastric conditions in the country.

[New Times] Rapper Amani Hakizimana, known as Ama G The Black, has clarified that, while he is open to collaborating with the legendary hip hop crew Tough Gang, he would never join them as a member.

[New Times] Rwanda recorded its highest score yet in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), standing out at a time when global and regional performance against corruption continues to decline.

[New Times] At the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), doctors performed Rwanda's first-ever epilepsy surgery, an intervention that does more than treat seizures. It is a life-saving intervention for drug-resistant epilepsy patients, increasing their quality of life, independence, and hope to families who have lived for years under the shadow of uncertainty.

[Maka] Authoritarianism rarely arrives with tanks in the streets. More often, it slips in through legal texts, regulatory agencies, and administrative procedures that appear technical, neutral, even modern. Angola is now offering a textbook example of how this happens.

[New Times] Rwanda has recorded its highest score yet in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), as traditionally strong performers including the US, Canada, the UK, and several European countries had declining scores «due to weakening oversight, political interference, and growing tolerance for unethical conduct.»

[Daily Maverick] During a heated exchange at the Mining Indaba, Gwede Mantashe challenged the Democratic Republic of Congo's critical minerals agreement with the US, stressing the need for continental unity in Africa's resource management.

[allAfrica]

[U.S. Embassy Libreville] The U.S. Embassy in Libreville recently welcomed Deputy Assistant Secretaries (DASes) Christian Ehrhardt and Sarah Troutman for a high-level visit. As senior U.S. government officials, Deputy Assistant Secretaries shape and guide American policy for specific regions and priority areas. The visit began with a meeting with President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema to discuss shared trade and security priorities, followed by engagements with Gabonese counterparts across government, the private sector, and civil

[RFI] A minerals-for-security deal between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a constitutional challenge in Kinshasa, with critics warning the government may be underselling the country's vast mineral wealth. The partnership was praised by US President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington last week by President Félix Tshisekedi.

[Crisis Group] Nairobi/Brussels -- Africa is beset by trouble at home while grasping for options in dealing with today's jumbled global order. The challenges to peace and security are many. This briefing identifies seven that should top the agenda as African heads of state convene for an annual summit.

[Maka] On the first day of Angola's taxi drivers' strike, two teenage cousins left home in different parts of Luanda on ordinary errands. One would not return alive. The other has spent more than six months in prison without charge.

[Agenzia Fides] Kinshasa -- «US pressure has forced the M23 to withdraw from Uvira,» local sources in the second largest city in South Kivu, which has been contested in recent weeks between Congolese armed forces and pro-Rwandan rebels, told Fides (see Fides, 29/12/2025).

[New Times] President Paul Kagame has called on leaders at all levels to be accountable for their actions and ensure that development projects are properly implemented.

[New Times] The family that lost three children in a tragic fire outbreak on Tuesday night, in Nyabugogo cell, Kigali Sector, is receiving support with rent and funeral arrangements from the City of Kigali, it has emerged.

[New Times] Rwanda is set to introduce Gardasil 9, a new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that protects against cancer-causing strains more than the current vaccine.

[The New Humanitarian] «I would rather die before I returned to Burundi.»

[New Times] Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on February 4 heard an appeal filed by Arnaud de Bosscher Shema, popularly known as DJ Toxxyk, challenging a lower court decision to remand him.

[allAfrica] The Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC), led by the private equity fund created in October by Orion Resource Partners and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), is planning to acquire a 40% stake in two mining ventures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a statement released Tuesday. The U.S. government investment in Orion CMC is "aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and securing critical mineral supply chains essential to advancing U.S. economic growth,

[New Times] The AFC/M23 has declared that the Congolese government's air superiority in eastern DR Congo is «over,» announcing a new military posture it says is aimed at preventing further aerial attacks against civilians in the Hauts Plateaux of South Kivu.

[Global Witness] Global Witness is calling for businesses and governments to better consider the human cost of rare earth minerals, following the horrific mine disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently.

[New Times] The court of appeal in Paris on Tuesday, on February 3, opened the appeal trial of genocide suspect Claude Muhayimana, who was convicted for his role in massacres of Tutsi civilians in the Bisesero area in Karongi District.

[The New Humanitarian] Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo -- «The world's decision-makers know nothing about what is happening in my country.»

[New Times] The AFC/M23 rebel group and DR Congo government have signed a mandate to operationalise a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism to reinforce the Doha peace process and ease tensions in eastern DR Congo.

[New Times] The AFC/M23 has warned that Banyamulenge civilians in eastern DR Congo face «an imminent risk of genocide», citing a pattern of coordinated attacks, humanitarian blockades, and communications blackouts in the Hauts Plateaux region.

[New Times] Africa's growing global visibility in fashion, music, film and other creative fields must be matched with long-term investment in talent development, industry experts have said.

[allAfrica]

[New Times] The Cabinet meeting of Wednesday, January 28, was briefed on the integrated Labour Management Information System (LMIS), a platform designed to support evidence-based employment planning and drive broader economic transformation.

[New Times] Togo's President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé arrived in Kigali on Thursday evening for an official visit. He was received at Kigali International Airport by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe.