https://www.scmp.com/rss/519177/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The Democratic Republic of Congo will receive some migrants as part of a new deal under the Trump administration’s third-country programme, its government said on Sunday, the latest such African nation to receive migrants being deported from the United States. The deportees will start arriving in DR Congo this month, the Congolese Ministry of Communications said in a statement, without further details on the date or the number of deportees expected. It described the arrangement as a “temporary”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:53:36 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu Two significant decisions within eight days made by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reflect the current state of its mining industry, where Chinese companies have emerged as preferred partners. On March 19, DR Congo’s Mining Registry announced the cancellation of mining permits held by Australia’s AVZ Minerals for non-payment of surface rights fees. It was the second cancellation in three years suffered by the company in DR Congo after its Manono lithium concession was revoked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348614/china-gains-ground-dr-congos-mining-sector-australian-firm-loses-permits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348614/china-gains-ground-dr-congos-mining-sector-australian-firm-loses-permits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham To European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the ribbon of rail snaking from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia across Angola to the Atlantic port of Lobito is “more than just infrastructure”. The Lobito Corridor rail upgrade is a flagship project of the EU’s €300 billion (US$346 billion) infrastructure drive, Global Gateway, launched to great fanfare in 2021 as a rival to Beijing’s own Belt and Road Initiative. It is also pivotal to the EU’s efforts to wean itself off... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348330/eus-flagship-africa-project-under-fire-over-ties-chinese-state-owned-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China is prioritising “strategic material security” under its new five-year plan, which elevates the supply and domestic stockpiling of critical resources to a matter of national security. Under its 15th five-year plan, Beijing has placed “key commodities” on the same strategic level as food and energy security, pledging a more proactive approach to bolstering “energy and resource supply security” by “preventing and mitigating major risks in systemically important areas”. To achieve this, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347132/china-stockpile-critical-resources-and-strengthen-energy-security-avoid-trade-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347132/china-stockpile-critical-resources-and-strengthen-energy-security-avoid-trade-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Resource-rich African nations are increasingly asserting control over critical minerals to maximise domestic returns, sending global prices soaring and exerting pressure on Chinese supply chains. One price crunch started last month when Zimbabwe, Africa’s biggest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates. The country had originally planned to impose the ban in 2027 to encourage more local value-added processing of the mineral but the government brought... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:36:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern DR Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine. The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday. Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345511/dr-congo-says-least-200-dead-coltan-mine-collapse-rebels-dispute-toll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345511/dr-congo-says-least-200-dead-coltan-mine-collapse-rebels-dispute-toll?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:21:43 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The United States was out in force in Cape Town this month, throwing down a direct challenge to China at Africa’s biggest mining conference, the Investing in African Mining Indaba. While Chinese firms showed their technological leadership with automation and green energy solutions, officials from the State Department, the Department of Energy and several US development agencies were among the record number of American diplomats and financiers at the event in South Africa. Analysts said the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344957/why-us-money-may-not-be-enough-break-chinas-rare-earths-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344957/why-us-money-may-not-be-enough-break-chinas-rare-earths-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China has placed its nationals on high alert following a series of rebel attacks targeting the US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline and an Islamic State raid on the Nigerien capital’s international airport on January 29. On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Niamey urged citizens to avoid high-risk areas and instructed firms to implement emergency response plans as insurgent groups increasingly target Chinese-managed infrastructure. The warning follows recent attacks on the pipeline and a predawn... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344831/why-beijings-us45-billion-niger-benin-oil-pipeline-being-attacked-rebels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344831/why-beijings-us45-billion-niger-benin-oil-pipeline-being-attacked-rebels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:30:00 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan African nations have long been asking: who really opens their market, on what terms and how fast? Earlier this month, China provided a clear answer when it stated that starting on May 1, China will apply zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. For years, Western governments have promised to rethink their partnerships with their African counterparts, tying positive language about equality and sustainability to complex trade frameworks. China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Chenjie Song Chenjie Song If 2026 were a chess match, critical minerals would be the opening gambit, and both China and the United States are going all out. On January 28, China’s Zijin Mining announced a US$4 billion takeover of Allied Gold’s three African mines. On February 3, Swiss mining giant Glencore entered talks to sell a 40 per cent stake in its Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) copper and cobalt operations to the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium. Between the two announcements, US Secretary of State... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343940/pax-sinica-vs-pax-silica-how-china-us-mineral-war-taking-shape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343940/pax-sinica-vs-pax-silica-how-china-us-mineral-war-taking-shape?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters More than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, according to a Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers this week, five times more than authorities had previously estimated. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied on Thursday that Moscow was involved in illegally recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine, though it said ‌foreign citizens could voluntarily join its armed forces. Reading the report of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:44:23 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s state-owned aluminium giant Chalco and Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto have agreed to buy a controlling stake in Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) in a deal valued at US$886 million, marking one of the most significant foreign acquisitions in Brazil’s metals sector in recent years and reinforcing China’s growing footprint in the country’s strategic mineral assets. The transaction covers Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Votorantim’s 68.6 per cent stake in CBA and will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342156/china-tightens-grip-brazil-minerals-chalco-rio-tinto-buy-control-cba-us886m?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342156/china-tightens-grip-brazil-minerals-chalco-rio-tinto-buy-control-cba-us886m?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:04:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines at a major coltan mining site in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), leaving at least 200 people dead, rebel authorities said on Saturday. The collapse took place on Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, said Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesman for the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu province. He said the landslide was caused by heavy rains. “For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341942/over-200-die-dr-congo-after-landslide-causes-mines-collapse-rebel-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341942/over-200-die-dr-congo-after-landslide-causes-mines-collapse-rebel-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 09:44:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Forcibly recruited into a rebel militia affiliated with Islamic State, two boys have revealed the “torment” of living in its camps as members committed massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast. The two minors freed from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gave Agence France-Presse an unprecedented account of the shadowy group, notorious for its extreme brutality. Paluku, a frail 12-year-old, spent two months with the ADF after rebels killed his mother during an attack on his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337778/brutal-life-child-recruits-under-shadowy-rebel-group-dr-congo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337778/brutal-life-child-recruits-under-shadowy-rebel-group-dr-congo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 05:41:01 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Chinese workers are returning to Africa in their thousands, reversing a decade-long decline and signalling a renewed focus on strategic mega-projects across the continent. In 2024, there were 90,793 Chinese workers on contracted projects and labour services on the continent, an increase of about 4 per cent over the 87,078 recorded the previous year, according to data from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The upturn marks... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337009/chinese-workers-return-africa-lucrative-job-opportunities-beckon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337009/chinese-workers-return-africa-lucrative-job-opportunities-beckon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have entered the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Uvira, near the Burundian border, in the biggest escalation in months of the long-running war, sources said on Wednesday. Uvira, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, has served as the headquarters of the Kinshasa-appointed government in South Kivu province and its regional military base since the provincial capital, Bukavu, fell to M23 in February. Control of Uvira could open the way for the rebels to advance... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3335966/rwanda-backed-rebels-enter-strategic-dr-congo-town-trump-peace-deal-crumbles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3335966/rwanda-backed-rebels-enter-strategic-dr-congo-town-trump-peace-deal-crumbles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:45:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A just-signed agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo looked to be unravelling on Monday with the Congolese leader and Burundi slamming neighbouring Rwanda after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group attacked border areas. DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of “violating” the accord - signed only last Thursday in Washington at the urging of US President Donald Trump - as the M23 made a rapid advance to threaten the city of Uvira near the border with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3335705/miracle-africa-peace-deal-signed-trumps-urging-already-unravelling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3335705/miracle-africa-peace-deal-signed-trumps-urging-already-unravelling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:34:41 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335297/why-china-may-be-better-placed-us-tussle-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335297/why-china-may-be-better-placed-us-tussle-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 22:00:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the US government and American companies. The moment offered Trump – who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335259/trump-praises-dr-congo-and-rwanda-they-sign-us-mediated-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335259/trump-praises-dr-congo-and-rwanda-they-sign-us-mediated-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 23:50:01 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration has renamed the US Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and has planted the president’s name on the organisation’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute’s control. It was the latest twist in a see-saw court battle over who controls the US Institute of Peace, a non-profit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives. It was an early target of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) this year. On Wednesday, the State Department said it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335140/us-institute-peace-renamed-after-greatest-dealmaker-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335140/us-institute-peace-renamed-after-greatest-dealmaker-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:18:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will travel to the US next week to sign a final agreement with his Rwandan counterpart aimed at securing peace in eastern Congo, the Congolese government said on Friday, capping months-long diplomatic efforts spearheaded by US President Donald Trump. Congo’s government has often said its signing of the deal will be conditioned on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels in the conflict-battered east. Tshisekedi’s confirmation of the December 4 signing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3334601/congo-and-rwanda-presidents-meet-us-sign-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3334601/congo-and-rwanda-presidents-meet-us-sign-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 03:39:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will reduce its 2026 budget by 17 per cent to 1.8 billion Swiss francs (US$2.23 billion) and cut 2,900 jobs, it said in a statement on Friday. Aid budgets are facing an unprecedented shortfall as donors shift their focus towards defence, forcing humanitarians to make difficult decisions about whom to help amid multiple conflicts and record displacement. At the same time, the top global aid contributor, the United States, is overhauling its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333745/red-cross-cut-2900-jobs-slash-budget-donor-nations-shift-focus-aid-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333745/red-cross-cut-2900-jobs-slash-budget-donor-nations-shift-focus-aid-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:05:21 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Many Western critics of China seem to suffer from the same fallacy as some police detectives and anti-pornography activists who believe that porn turns people into rapists. You may find porn in the personal collections of some serial rapists and sadistic killers, but that’s because statistically, most men and some women also use porn. In something analogous, some critics of China remark that many Chinese public intellectuals and scholars have been turning to Western authoritarian or anti-liberal... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333069/dont-blame-china-americas-authoritarian-turn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333069/dont-blame-china-americas-authoritarian-turn?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 01:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain on Monday said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive illegally, in a major overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined changes to how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) should be interpreted by UK courts to give the government greater control over who can remain in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:28:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A bridge at a copper and cobalt mine in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo collapsed due to overcrowding, killing at least 32 people, a regional government official said on Sunday. The bridge at the Kalando mine in Mulondo in Lualaba province fell on Saturday, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the province’s interior minister, said during a press conference. “Despite the strict prohibition on accessing the site due to heavy rainfall and the risk of landslides, illegal diggers forced their way into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333051/least-32-killed-dr-congo-after-bridge-mine-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333051/least-32-killed-dr-congo-after-bridge-mine-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:05:00 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Congo Basin, a region of tropical forest larger than India, is at a point where further damage may rob the world of a crucial bulwark against climate change. That was the conclusion of the first comprehensive scientific report about the state of the environment in a region that stretches from Cross River in Nigeria to the Rift Valley in East Africa. An executive summary of the 800-page report, authored by 177 experts from across the basin and beyond, was released on Monday for the Cop30... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3332174/world-has-decade-save-congo-basin-biggest-tropical-carbon-sink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3332174/world-has-decade-save-congo-basin-biggest-tropical-carbon-sink?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 06:58:32 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen For decades, China’s influence in Africa has been concentrated in the eastern part of the continent. In recent years, a clear westward expansion has emerged, drawing attention from the United States and several western European nations. Many analyses have framed this shift as geopolitically driven – a strategic effort by Beijing to erode Western nations’ traditional interests on the continent, with particular attention paid to political and military cooperation between China and West African... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330354/science-drives-chinas-westward-expansion-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330354/science-drives-chinas-westward-expansion-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 08:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday sentenced ex-president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for “treason”. Kabila, 54, who was neither present nor represented at the trial in the capital, Kinshasa, was found guilty of complicity with the M23 anti-government armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwandan help. He left the vast central African country in 2023 and briefly reappeared in M23-occupied Goma in the volatile east in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3327477/dr-congo-military-court-sentences-ex-president-kabila-death-treason?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3327477/dr-congo-military-court-sentences-ex-president-kabila-death-treason?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:19:39 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The United States is stepping up efforts to loosen China’s grip on critical mineral supply chains by investing in a new copper and cobalt project in Zambia. The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will provide a US$1.4 million grant to Metalex Africa, a subsidiary of US-based Metalex Commodities, to fund a feasibility study, in a deal signed on Thursday. The study aims to expand a Zambian copper and cobalt facility, securing a direct source of the metals for American industries. Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326103/us-invests-zambia-project-bid-loosen-chinas-grip-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326103/us-invests-zambia-project-bid-loosen-chinas-grip-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:00:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will commit to working with third parties, including the US, to revamp their mineral supply chains and develop reforms, according to a draft of an economic framework seen by reporters, as they seek to spur investment following a peace deal reached in Washington. The countries agreed on the draft framework, which is part of the peace deal, a source familiar with the matter said, adding that the draft was now being discussed by stakeholders, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3325486/dr-congo-rwanda-peace-deal-outlines-us-role-minerals-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3325486/dr-congo-rwanda-peace-deal-outlines-us-role-minerals-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:38:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Rebels affiliated with Islamic State killed at least 89 people in a machete and gun attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Tuesday. Congolese officials said that 71 people were killed at a funeral in Nyoto on Monday, and 18 others were killed in Beni in a separate attack on Tuesday. Both attacks took place in the North Kivu region of the country. The attacks was carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, or ADF, in Ntoyo, North Kivu, after residents gathered at a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324994/dozens-slaughtered-gun-and-machete-attack-eastern-dr-congo-funeral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324994/dozens-slaughtered-gun-and-machete-attack-eastern-dr-congo-funeral?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:42:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the city of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Alain Mukumiro argues in a small wooden hut with a shopkeeper who refuses to take his money. Like many in the rebel-controlled city, Mukumiro is using older, hole-punched banknotes that have been patched up and put back into circulation because of a shortage of new and intact bills. “All my money has serial numbers, but they refuse it,” Mukumiro said, upset about his ordeal. Mukumiro, a fridge technician, said his family faces yet... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324795/dr-congo-cash-shortage-forces-rebel-held-city-use-damaged-banknotes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324795/dr-congo-cash-shortage-forces-rebel-held-city-use-damaged-banknotes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:51:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United Nations human rights chief condemned Israel on Monday for its “mass killing” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and “hindering of sufficient life-saving aid”, saying the country had a case to answer before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Volker Turk, who heads the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stopped short of describing the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, as hundreds of UN staff had urged him to do. But in his opening address to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324775/un-human-rights-chief-slams-israels-mass-killing-palestinians-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324775/un-human-rights-chief-slams-israels-mass-killing-palestinians-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:47:03 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage A geopolitical contest is unfolding in central-southern Africa, where major global powers are vying for control of key logistical routes amid a global race to secure critical minerals for the green energy transition. At the centre of this rivalry lies the small town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia, a strategic hub where three competing corridors – China’s Tazara, the US-backed Lobito Corridor and Japan’s Nacala Corridor – converge. Observers say the race to build these corridors is not just... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324542/china-us-japan-race-control-key-african-rail-routes-critical-minerals-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324542/china-us-japan-race-control-key-african-rail-routes-critical-minerals-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in south-central Kasai province after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, were reported. The outbreak has been confirmed in Bulape and Mweka health zones, with patients presenting symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage. Samples tested this week at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the strain as Ebola Zaire, the World Health... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324441/new-ebola-outbreak-dr-congo-kills-15-prompting-who-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3324441/new-ebola-outbreak-dr-congo-kills-15-prompting-who-response?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:32:50 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Global gas giant Qatar has pledged to invest US$103 billion in Africa in the coming years, joining Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as the continent’s biggest financiers amid waning interest from the West and China. Six sub-Saharan African countries are set to benefit from agreements signed during the second half of last month with Al-Mansour Holdings, a conglomerate owned by a branch of Qatar’s ruling al-Thani dynasty. Key critical metals producer the Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324228/qatar-joins-gulf-surge-us103-billion-african-nations-wests-interest-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324228/qatar-joins-gulf-surge-us103-billion-african-nations-wests-interest-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Despite Washington’s framing of a key railway network in Angola as a strategic counter to China, the CEO of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) says the company is “a purely commercial entity” with “zero geopolitical considerations”. Nicholas Fournier, the newly appointed chief executive, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that the company was just one part of the broader Lobito Corridor, which aims to increase economic activity along the route. LAR has strong commercial ties... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322922/no-geopolitics-involved-angola-rail-project-not-aimed-countering-china-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322922/no-geopolitics-involved-angola-rail-project-not-aimed-countering-china-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Chinese companies and miners in Africa are facing severe security threats from armed groups in search of gold, driven by soaring global prices for the precious metal. Multiple attacks and kidnappings targeting gold miners have been reported from Ghana, the Central African Republic, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in recent months. In Mali – one of Africa’s top gold producers – the Chinese embassy has repeatedly warned its citizens against operating gold mines in the country... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321419/global-uncertainties-drive-chinese-rush-african-goldfields-despite-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321419/global-uncertainties-drive-chinese-rush-african-goldfields-despite-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 05:22:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Rwanda-backed rebels have killed at least 80 people in eastern DR Congo in recent weeks, Congolese authorities said, despite the ongoing Qatar-led peace process aiming to end the conflict. The army said in a statement late on Friday that it is “fiercely condemning a series of mass murders of civilians by the [Rwandan Defense Force]/M23-AFC coalition” in South Kivu, including 80 people on August 4 in the village of Nyaborongo, and six civilians, including two minors, on July 24 in the village of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3321324/rwanda-backed-rebels-kill-80-dr-congo-qatar-aims-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3321324/rwanda-backed-rebels-kill-80-dr-congo-qatar-aims-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 11:34:43 +0000 Richard Harris Richard Harris You have to hand it to him. Six months into his second term, US President Donald Trump has largely done what he said he would – not many politicians can say that. He reigns supreme. The Supreme Court, Congress, federal civil service and Justice Department have all, it seems, been made to bend to his will, making his mercurial policies easy to execute. He has negotiated trade agreements with the European Union, Britain, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea to the great... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3320182/trumps-many-victories-will-prove-pyrrhic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3320182/trumps-many-victories-will-prove-pyrrhic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:32:50 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage After years of largely unchallenged control over the DR Congo’s critical minerals, China now faces growing US competition – a battle that Beijing is determined to win. The US reportedly pressured the Democratic Republic of Congo last year to block a Chinese firm from acquiring Chemaf Resources. Now, a US consortium – including firms led by ex-military executives – has bid for the operator of the Etoile copper-cobalt mine. Meanwhile, KoBold Metals, backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, secured a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3319571/china-faces-against-us-domination-dr-congos-critical-minerals-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3319571/china-faces-against-us-domination-dr-congos-critical-minerals-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 10:06:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The death toll from an attack on a Catholic Church in DR Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels has risen to 34, according to a civil society leader. “The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic Church,” Dieudonne Duranthabo said, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, in the eastern Ituri province. At least five other people were killed in an earlier attack on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3319771/34-killed-attack-dr-congo-church-islamic-state-backed-rebels-civil-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3319771/34-killed-attack-dr-congo-church-islamic-state-backed-rebels-civil-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 16:46:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels on Saturday signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end decades-long fighting and commit to a comprehensive peace agreement that would include the restoration of state authorities in key eastern cities controlled by the insurgents. Congo and the M23 rebels committed to “building trust” through various measures, including an exchange of prisoners and detainees as well as restoring state authority in all parts of the country,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3318856/congo-rwanda-backed-rebels-sign-ceasefire-declaration-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3318856/congo-rwanda-backed-rebels-sign-ceasefire-declaration-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 10:04:39 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Given the long-degraded state of the Nobel Peace Prize, I say Donald Trump probably does deserve one, or three. It may also be jointly awarded to the US president’s Israeli partner-in-crime, the suspected war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu with an outstanding arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court. Eventually, Netanyahu will have to end his war on the Palestinian civilian population, which ought to make him a peacemaker of sorts. If... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3318054/degraded-nobel-peace-prize-standards-could-mean-trump-deserves-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3318054/degraded-nobel-peace-prize-standards-could-mean-trump-deserves-one?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 13:34:18 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Chinese nationals are being targeted by kidnappers in African countries as more investors are drawn to the continent in areas ranging from infrastructure development to minerals extraction. Cases of kidnapping for ransom are being seen across Africa. China’s embassy in South Africa issued a warning on Sunday about a rise in kidnappings of Chinese women. In Somalia and Ghana, piracy cases targeting Chinese fishing vessels have involved ransom demands. And the Democratic Republic of Congo and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317516/chinese-nationals-africa-vulnerable-kidnappings-cases-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317516/chinese-nationals-africa-vulnerable-kidnappings-cases-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Lithium and cobalt may have dominated the rush for critical minerals for EV batteries, solar and defence systems, but now copper is emerging as a key element in the green energy transition. Recognising this, China is strategically positioning itself to secure copper supplies, especially from Africa, investing heavily in mining and processing facilities. While the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia have long been China’s top destinations, Botswana is now also becoming a significant... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316539/copper-century-china-moves-shore-supplies-africa-new-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316539/copper-century-china-moves-shore-supplies-africa-new-energy-push?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US-brokered peace agreement on Friday, raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year. The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by US President Donald Trump’s administration and aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. At a ceremony with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3316179/rwanda-and-dr-congo-sign-peace-deal-trump-cheers-mineral-rights-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3316179/rwanda-and-dr-congo-sign-peace-deal-trump-cheers-mineral-rights-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:34:22 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage For over two decades, Chinese companies have been known to demonstrate a notable risk tolerance, often venturing into overseas markets that Western counterparts avoided. This is evident in the conflict-ridden yet mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, where Chinese mining enterprises had in the past decade made vast investments as foreign-owned companies exited, positioning the country as the world’s largest producer of cobalt and second-largest producer of copper. This pattern of investment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315136/growing-risks-chinese-companies-conflict-ridden-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315136/growing-risks-chinese-companies-conflict-ridden-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump took credit on Friday for a peace deal negotiated in Washington between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and complained that he would not get a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The warring African nations said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they had initialled an agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC – to be formally signed in the US capital next week. “This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!”... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3315315/trump-complains-about-nobel-peace-prize-snub-over-congo-rwanda-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3315315/trump-complains-about-nobel-peace-prize-snub-over-congo-rwanda-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 01:25:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Violence against children caught in multiple and escalating conflicts reached “unprecedented levels” last year, with the highest number of violations in Gaza and the West Bank, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria and Haiti, according to a United Nations report released late Thursday. Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ annual report on Children in Armed Conflict detailed “a staggering 25 per cent surge in grave violations” against children under the age of 18 from 2023, when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315179/gaza-worst-violence-against-children-hit-unprecedented-levels-2024-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315179/gaza-worst-violence-against-children-hit-unprecedented-levels-2024-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 06:00:37 +0000