[New Times] Members of Parliament have cautioned against so-called «tied loans,» warning that restrictive financing conditions could undermine project implementation, drawing on past experiences with externally financed infrastructure projects.

[New Times] Congolese refugees living in Kiziba Refugee Camp in Karongi District say government-backed self-reliance initiatives have helped them adapt after external humanitarian aid was reduced, easing the impact of cuts that began in 2023.

[IPS] Kamvivira, DRC -- Fulgence Ndayizeye, a Burundian bicycle taxi driver who used to cross the Congolese-Burundian border every day to support his family, wanted to return home.

[New Times] Thirty students from Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) Musanze College have graduated in China after completing a year of advanced vocational training at Jinhua University of Vocational Technology (JUVT).

[New Times] Jamaican dancehall singer Chinsea Linda Lee, commonly known as Shenseea, and her countryman Mavado will perform in Kigali on January 3.

[New Times] Tour du Rwanda will return to the routes for its 18th edition with a renewed focus on both competitive racing and fan experience, as the event expands its reach beyond upcountry regions and makes a long-awaited return to Kigali's Pele Stadium.

[New Times] Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Goma on Monday, December 22, protesting the decision by the AFC/M23 rebel movement to withdraw from Uvira, a town in South Kivu.

[New Times] Chorale de Kigali on Sunday, December 21, delivered an evening of sacred music and celebration at the annual Christmas Carols concert, setting a reflective and joyful tone ahead of the festive season.

[New Times] Renovation works at Huye Stadium are expected to be completed in early February 2026, Times Sport has learnt.

[New Times] Childcare and child protection experts from SOS Children's Villages in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America gathered in Rwanda from December 17 to 19 for a workshop on childcare reform.

[New Times] The Government of Rwanda is seeking investors to develop a four- to five-star hotel worth up to $30 million along the shores of Lake Kivu in Karongi District, The New Times has learnt.

[UN News] The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year, as fighting in the country's east intensified amid renewed offensives by the M23 rebel group.

[Ghanaian Times] MR Richard Akpokavie Esq., President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), has arrived in Luanda, Angola for the ongoing African Youth Games which began on December 10, 2025.

[Namibian] The rebel group which last week seized the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Uvira say they have begun withdrawing, promising to complete the pullout on Thursday, following pressure from the United States (US).

[Monusco] On December 18, the Ndoromo military camp on the outskirts of Bunia held a closing ceremony for troops who recently completed an intensive training course designed to strengthen the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

[New Times] United States Senator Lindsey Graham has said he is saddened to hear that AFC/M23 movement forces withdrawing from Uvira, a strategic town in eastern DR Congo that they had captured on December 10, are being attacked by the Congolese army coalition.

[New Times] US-based Rwandan Jeff Mugongo went viral after sharing a deeply emotional video of his 93-year-old grandfather, Gatera, who traveled more than 9,000 miles ( approx. 14,500 kilometers) from Rwanda to surprise him at his wedding in Phoenix, Arizona in November.

[New Times] The AFC/M23 movement on Wednesday, December 17, begun pulling out its forces from the town of Uvira in eastern DR Congo in accordance with an announcement it made earlier this week, reports indicate.

[New Times] In the last piece in the series, we realised that rather than addressing the socio-economic issues inherited from the colonialists and the First Republic, the new regime continued dividing Rwandans by ethnicity, enforcing the continued persecution and discrimination of the Tutsi.

[New Times] The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) released the 2025 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) on December 17 in Kigali, showing progress as well as challenges in a number of areas.

[New Times] Rwanda has recorded a reduction in child undernutrition, with stunting declining from 33 per cent in 2020 to 27 per cent in 2025, according to the (2021-2025) Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).

[CPJ] In his campaign to win an eighth term, Cameroonian President Paul Biya pledged to «strengthen measures to protect freedom of expression and journalists» in one of Africa's most dangerous countries for the press.

[JusticeInfo.net] On December 15, a French court sentenced 67-year-old former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala to 30 years in prison. This comes as armed violence is intensifying in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

[allAfrica]

[HRW] Nairobi -- National Authorities Need to Address Rising Intercommunal Violence

[allAfrica]

[Monusco] Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including digital violence, continues to affect many communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite actions taken by MONUSCO and its partners, NGOs and associations working in the field believe that prevention and support mechanisms remain insufficient given the scale of the phenomenon, particularly in Ituri province.

[New Times] A centre of excellence for crop biotechnology is set be established to develop and deploy disease-resistant seeds under a new five-year project, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.

[HRW] Nairobi -- Warring Parties Should Protect Population in Uvira; Improve Access to Aid

[Unicef] Kinshasa/Bujumbura/New York -- "UNICEF is deeply alarmed by the rapid escalation of hostilities in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has forced hundreds of thousands of children and families to flee for safety, both within DRC and across borders into Burundi and Rwanda.

[HRW] The fall of Uvira, the second largest city in South Kivu province, to the Rwandan-backed armed group March 23 Movement (M23) on 10 December must catalyse the European Union (EU) and its member states' response to the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Our organizations - Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) - call on the EU and its member states to redouble action on the conflict in

[Monusco] In a context marked by persistent armed violence and the spread of false information, MONUSCO brought together representatives of local authorities, security forces, and community leaders from the Lubero territory in Beni around a common objective: strengthening civilian protection by addressing the destabilizing effects of disinformation.

[New Times] President Paul Kagame has promoted two senior officers to the rank of Brigadier General in a wave of promotions that elevates more than 20,000 soldiers across all ranks, the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF announced on Friday, December 12.

[UN News] More than half a million people have now been uprooted by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the UN said on Thursday, warning that the M23 rebel offensive is driving a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency.

[New Times] Excitement builds up as Morocco welcomes the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for December 21 to January 18, 2026.