Category: Congo

Congo Freight Train Derailment Kills 75 in South

At least 75 people have died after a train derailed in Congo’s southern Lualaba province in Kinteta village. The toll from the freight train derailment last week rose from 60 to at least 75 over the weekend, Lualaba’s provincial minister of interior Deodat Kapenda said. Those dead were likely illegal stowaways, according to U.N. Radio…


High-Voltage Power Cable Snaps in Kinshasa Market, Killing 26

KINSHASA—Twenty-six people died on Wednesday after lightning struck a high-tension power cable on the outskirts of the Congolese capital Kinshasa, causing it to snap and fall on houses and a market, the authorities said. The victims included 24 women and two men, and another two people were seriously injured, Democratic Republic of Congo’s government spokesman…


Dozens Killed in Militia Attack in Eastern DR Congo

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo—Dozens were killed in a militia attack early on Wednesday at a displaced persons’ camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the head of a local humanitarian group and a camp resident. Both sources told Reuters that the CODECO militia was responsible for the killings at about 0200 GMT…


Official: Small Plane Crashes in Congo, All 5 Aboard Killed

BENI, Congo—A small passenger plane with five people aboard crashed in eastern Congo on Thursday, and authorities said there were no survivors. Three passengers and two crew members were aboard the Malu Aviation plane that had left the city of Goma en route to Shabunda in South Kivu province. “We have just launched investigations to…


Congo Militiamen Kill at Least 20 at Displaced Persons Camp

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo—Militiamen killed at least 20 people on Sunday in an attack on a displaced persons camp in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local chief, and a civil rights group said. They blamed the attack on the CODECO militia, which has killed hundreds of civilians in Congo’s Ituri Province and forced…


2 Chinese Nationals Killed, Others Kidnapped in Eastern Congo: Army

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo—Two Chinese nationals have been killed and an unknown number of other people kidnapped in an attack by the CODECO militia on a mining camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an army spokesman said on Thursday. A local chief and a civil society leader also confirmed the two deaths and…


5 Chinese Nationals Kidnapped in DR Congo After Attack Near Mine

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo—Gunmen killed a policeman and kidnapped five Chinese nationals near a mine in Southeast Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, a local official and an army spokesman said on Sunday. It was not clear who carried out the attack near the village of Mukera in South Kivu Province. Relations are already strained…


Five Chinese Nationals Kidnapped in DR Congo After Attack Near Mine

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo—Gunmen killed a policeman and kidnapped five Chinese nationals near a mine in Southeast Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, a local official and an army spokesman said on Sunday. It was not clear who carried out the attack near the village of Mukera in South Kivu Province. Relations are already strained…


Congo’s $6 Billion China Mining Deal ‘Unconscionable,’ Draft Report

DAKAR—The Democratic Republic of the Congo should renegotiate its $6 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal with Chinese investors, according to the draft of a report commissioned by a global anti-corruption body of governments, companies, and activists. The draft, seen by Reuters, describes the deal that was first signed in 2008 as “unconscionable” and urges Congo’s government to…


Meningitis Outbreak Kills 129 in Northeast Congo

KINSHASA—A meningitis outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeastern Tshopo province has killed 129 of the 267 people who have been infected since the first cases were discovered in June, the health minister said late on Tuesday. Tests carried out by the Institut Pasteur in Paris detected one of the most common types of…