The U.S. is pushing Congo and Rwanda to sign a peace accord at the White House in about two months, accompanied by bilateral mineral deals that would bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, President Donald Trump’s senior advisor for Africa told Reuters on Thursday.
“When we sign the peace agreement … the minerals deal with the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) will be signed on that day, and then a similar package, but of a different size, will be signed on that day with Rwanda,” Massad Boulos said in an interview in the Qatari capital, Doha. A U.S.-backed peace accord would come amid an unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in Congo, the latest cycle of violence in a decades-long conflict, in a region rich in minerals including tantalum and gold. Rwanda denies backing the group.
Read more…
Source: Reuters News
Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter
Related:
- Nigeria: Terrorists abduct 12, raze hospital, police outpost, vehicles in Katsina community
February 27, 2024
Terrorists have abducted 12 residents and burnt down a healthcare facility in an attack on Monday on Wurma, a community in Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State. A police outpost, several houses and vehicles were also burnt down by the terrorists, residents said. Motorcycle-riding terrorists in the North-west have now included burning down of houses, ...
- Rwanda Defence Force Joins Global Allies in Kenya for Counter-Terrorism Drill JA24
February 27, 2024
The JA24 exercise, taking place at the Counter Insurgency, Terrorism, and Stability Operations Center (CITSO), draws armed forces from around the globe, including special forces from East and the Horn of Africa. The exercise’s primary goal is to refine the participating forces’ proficiency in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and stability operations. Through collaborative training, the exercise fosters international ...
- Kenya Defence Forces soldiers conduct counter improvised explosive device training
February 26, 2024
A Kenya Defence Forces soldier searches for notional improvised explosive devices (IED) during Justified Accord 2024 (JA24) counter-IED training at the Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations Training Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya, Feb. 26, 2024. JA24 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa, running from February 26 – March 7. Led by U.S. Army Southern ...
- Burkina Faso: At least 15 killed in attack on Catholic church in Tombouctou region
February 25, 2024
At least 15 Catholic worshippers have been killed in a Burkina Faso village when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for mass at a church in the country’s conflict-hit northern region, church officials said. Sunday’s violence in the village of Essakane was a “terrorist attack” that left 12 attendees dead at the scene, while three ...
- Nigeria: Federal government inaugurates committee on mines clearance in North East
February 24, 2024
The federal government has inaugurated a committee to actualize the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in North East Nigeria. The committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, according to a statement from the minister’s office on Saturday, February 24. Other members of the committee include representatives from the Ministry of ...
- South Sudan: UK announces $2.5m for mine clearance
February 24, 2024
The United Kingdom said it will, through its flagship Global Mine Action Programme, contribute $2.65 million to help Mines Advisory Group (MAG) clear land for resettlement and agriculture in South Sudan. Mines and Bomb/Cluster munition remnants present a key challenge to South Sudan’s reconstruction efforts, with an estimated 1,400 people reportedly killed and over 3,800 injured ...
- DRC Congo: Bombs hit Goma airport as DRC-M23 battle rages
February 18, 2024
The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused neighboring Rwanda of orchestrating a bomb attack at Goma International Airport in Goma city, North Kivu province. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning around 02:00 AM when two 81 MM mortar bombs, mounted on commercial drones, struck the airport, causing damage to a Sukhoi-25 fighter ...
- US to build 5 new military bases for Somali army
February 16, 2024
The U.S. will build up to five military bases for the Somali army in a project that seeks to bolster the Somalian national army’s capabilities amid ongoing threats from an extremist group. Somalia’s defense minister and the U.S. charge d’affaires signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. The new bases will be ...
- Ghana: Let’s unite to fight dangers caused by anti-personnel mines
February 13, 2024
Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, has urged the Economic Community of West African States and nations within the Sahel to unite and mitigate humanitarian crises caused by improvised anti-personnel mines. He also asked them to engage in constructive dialogue, exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions to the menace. Mr Dery made the comments ...
- Cameroon: One killed in bombing in the Northwest Region
February 12, 2024
A homemade bomb killed one person and wounded dozens of others in western Cameroon Sunday, an attack the authorities said may have been carried out by anglophone separatists. The blast came two hours after a parade of school children celebrating Youth Day had passed, state television CRTV reported. Videos on social media showed children in blue ...
- Angola: Five killed by anti-tank mine explosion in central Bié
February 11, 2024
At least five people died Saturday in Cunhinga municipality, central Bié Province, after setting off an anti-tank mine, ANGOP has learnt. The victims, three men and two women, aged between 12 and 56, were travelling on a three-wheeled motorbike and died at the scene. Speaking to ANGOP, the provincial representative of the National Mine Action Agency ...
- Somalia: Al-Shabab claims it attacked Emirati and Bahraini troops in Mogadishu
February 11, 2024
The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, authorities said on Sunday. The attack Saturday targeted the troops at the General Gordon Military Base in Mogadishu. Details about the attack and whether it killed ...
- From the Middle East to West Africa: responding to the humanitarian impacts of improvised anti-personnel mines
February 8, 2024
Though remarkable progress has been made towards the eradication of anti-personnel landmines (APM) since the adoption of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) in 1997, casualties from APM are, alarmingly, on the rise, including due to the increased use of improvised APM, mostly associated with non-state actors. Whereas efforts to counter the threat of improvised explosive ...
- Somalia: Ten dead, 20 others injured in multiple blasts in Mogadishu
February 6, 2024
At least 10 people were killed on Tuesday in a crowded market in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, after multiple blasts. The incident happened within the Bakara market in the city, sources told Al Jazeera. A local businessman said he helped carry dead and wounded people from some of the shops. “We heard four huge explosions erupt ...
- DIA report confirms the Huthis’ use of Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct attacks across the Middle East
February 6, 2024
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING — Analysis confirms that Houthi forces have employed various Iranian-origin missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against military and civilian targets throughout the region, according to an unclassified report released today by the Defense Intelligence Agency. “Iran: Enabling Houthi Attacks Across the Middle East” provides a comparative analysis of publicly available images of Iranian ...
- Yemen: Houthis claim fresh attacks on British and US ships in Red Sea
February 6, 2024
The Houthis say they have successfully targeted a British and a US ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of US-UK strikes on missile sites belonging to the group in Yemen. A Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Tuesday: “We carried out two military operations, the first ...
- U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes against Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles
February 5, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. – On Feb. 5, at approximately 3:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted a strike in self-defense against two Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles (USV). U.S. forces identified the explosive USVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the ...
- Nigeria: Explosion destroys electric transmission line in Bauchi
February 3, 2024
An explosion caused by an Improvised Explosive Device has destroyed a high-tension electric transmission pole situated in the Unguwan Kanawa area near Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. The explosion was said to have been caused by yet-to-be-identified persons who used explosives to vandalise government property. Although there was no human casualty, however, a high-tension pole of the electricity ...
- US and UK strikes fail to slow Houthi attacks
February 2, 2024
Repeated US and UK air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen have failed to slow their attacks on ships in the region, BBC Verify has found. There have been nine attacks on ships in the past three weeks, compared with six in the previous three weeks. Since the US-led strikes began on 11 January, shipping using ...
- Nigeria: 1.2m people exposed to landmine explosions In North East
February 1, 2024
Group Captain Sadiq Shehu (rtd) has said 1.2 million people comprising returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of the host communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are exposed to explosive remnants of the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency. Shehu further said that in 2022, 639 incidents of bomb explosions were recorded which resulted in the ...
- Yemen: Houthis threaten more attacks against Western warships
January 31, 2024
Yemen’s Houthi militia has stated it plans more attacks on United States and British warships. The Iran-aligned group’s statement, released on Wednesday, said all US and British warships participating in “aggression” against Yemen are targets. The statement stoked concern over the simmering tensions in the region as well as increased disruption to world trade. Read more… Source: al-Jazeera ...
- Zambia battles worst Cholera outbreak in decades
January 31, 2024
After decades of progress against cholera, the disease has seen a global upsurge since 2021. More than one million people are thought to be infected with cholera every year. Afghanistan and Syria have suffered huge outbreaks, but in 2023 over half of the countries reporting cases were from Africa. Zambia is among the latest to battle ...