The African Union Commission Appoints Mr. Edem Kodjo as Facilitator for the National Dialogue

African Union Peace and Security

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has appointed Mr. Edem Kodjo, Former Prime Minister of Togo and Former Secretary- General of the OAU, as the Facilitator for the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Congo Government Says Cuts Public Deficit to Shore Up Currency

Aaron Ross | Reuters

Democratic Republic of Congo’s government said on Thursday it had slashed the public deficit and reined in a credit line to one of the country’s largest banks, the latest in a series of moves to shore up its franc currency. 

DR Congo: Children Held in Remote Military Prison

Human Rights Watch

The Congolese military is unlawfully detaining at least 29 children in dire conditions in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo. The authorities allege that the boys, ages 15 to 17, were members of a rebel armed group, and have held them in a military prison in Angenga since apprehending them in eastern Congo in the first half of 2015.

More Than 30,000 Displaced in Congo Left Without Aid – Agency

Magdalena Mis | Reuters

More than 30,000 people displaced by fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been cut off from aid because of ongoing insecurity, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Thursday. 

The World’s Largest Primate is Being Wiped Out by War

Elahe Izadi | Washington Post

Back in 1998, a team of researchers estimated that 17,000 Grauer’s gorillas, also known as eastern lowland gorillas, lived in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the population of Grauer’s gorillas has dropped by 77 percent.