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Mail & Guardian
great lakes regionlatest news & developments
Diplomacy: Rwandan President Paul Kagame, President Donald Trump and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi. Photo: The White House

Great Lakes strife calls for no bias

US partiality towards one party risks subverting mediator role in Washington Process

Former DRC president Joseph Kabila.

Ramaphosa, Mnangagwa urge DRC’s Tshisekedi to drop Kabila charges

Sources said Mnangagwa and Ramaphosa discussed Kabila’s predicament in Zimbabwe in August and agreed that the treason charges were not fair

The M23 rebels have said they support the withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force from the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
 Photo: Wikipedia

Mbeki throws diplomatic hot potato at government over M23 invitation

The international relations department was not aware of the rebels’ presence in South Africa

M23 representatives are in South Africa on a non-governmental programme and say they have shown willingness to find a lasting solution to the conflict, accusing Kinshasa of sabotaging peace processes.

M23 to attend peace conference, but DRC government boycotting

Opposition officials in the DRC have accused the government of blocking their attempts to travel to the forum hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation

In the DRC, around 74% of the population lives in extreme poverty, living on less than $2.15 per day. Photo: Alexis Huguet/AFP

Translating peace into shared prosperity in the Great Lakes region

Economic integration would lead to trade and economic growth and contribute to social stability

A woman looks at the wall of the names of people killed in the Rwanda genocide. Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Address ethnic extremism to prevent another genocide in the Great Lakes region

Countries such as Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC must learn from the devastating 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Knowledge repository: The Centre of Research in Natural Sciences is an expert on Africa’s Great Lakes region and offers studies in biology, geophysics and the environment.  (Guerchom Ndebo/AFP)

Natural sciences centre has survived wars, earthquakes

The Centre of Research in Natural Sciences (CRSN) in South Kivu has miraculously survived decades of war, natural disasters and chronic underfunding

The AU’s theme for 2025 is Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations (Johannes Eisele/AFP)

To really silence the guns, the AU’s resolve must be stronger

Conflict in Africa — and the world — is on the rise. The continent needs to take concrete measures to stop the escalating violence

On March 18, President Félix Tshisekedi announced an immediate ban on funeral gatherings, both in halls and homes. (Finbarr O’Reilly/Reuters)

Tensions loom over the Great Lakes region

President Félix Tshisekedi should abandon plans to invite neighbouring militaries into the eastern DRC

The peace deal is expected to bring an end to decades of conflict in the Great Lakes region of the DRC. (AFP)

Hopes of M23 peace deal in the DRC

Defeated M23 rebels in the Congo are poised to sign a peace deal with the government, in what is hoped will be a turning point to end decades of war.

Zuma urges peace, security restoration at DRC summit

Jacob Zuma has reiterated at a joint SADC and Great Lakes Region summit that "security and stability" in the areas are integral to the meeting.

Now people of Great Lakes need to see peace dividend

Africa’s Great Lakes region now has the chance to achieve something that has eluded its war-weary people for several decades.

The resurgence of the M23 rebel group and other armed factions has led to increasing threats, forcing conservationists into a desperate fight to protect endangered wildlife while struggling with dwindling support and mounting insecurity.

Peace weighs on DRC as commitments pile up

Another element of the military and political dynamic aimed at bringing peace to the Great Lakes region was put in place recently.