The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army has suspended its spokesperson after he made discriminatory remarks targeting the Tutsi minority.
Maj. Gen. Sylvain Ekenga Bomusa Efomi, speaking on national television on Saturday, accused the Tutsi community of committing “treachery” by allegedly placing men in marriages to father children, claiming it was intended to maintain ethnic “superiority.”
The army said in a statement on Monday that the remarks “in no way reflect the official position” of the FARDC, President Felix Tshisekedi, or the government. It added that the comments were “incompatible with the republican values and the constitutional missions” of the military.
The FARDC reaffirmed its commitment to defend Congo’s sovereignty, protect all citizens without distinction, and carry out its duties with professionalism. The army also urged the population to remain united, reject hate speech, and support the FARDC in its mission.
The Tutsi minority, making up roughly 1–2% of the Congolese population, has historically faced discrimination and violence. The M23 rebel group, active in eastern Congo since 2021, draws heavily on fighters from the Tutsi community and cites grievances over discrimination.
The UN, the Congolese government, and other actors accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, a claim Kigali denies.
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Here are the latest stories from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across the African continent.
U.S. President Donald Trump brought together the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in Washington on Thursday to sign a peace deal, despite ongoing fighting in the region.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has declared the end of a 16th Ebola outbreak, closing a two month emergency in Kasai Province that pushed national and international teams into an intensive response.
More than 200 health facilities in war-hit eastern Congo have run out of medicines due to widespread looting and supply chain disruptions during fighting this year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held their highest-level talks in half a century in Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to end their six-week war, as President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Donald Trump’s flagship plan for post-war Gaza has come under scrutiny after reports that its financing is falling short of expectations, claims firmly rejected by the White House-backed Board of Peace.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
The U.S., EU and their allies are racing to secure supplies of rare earth elements - essential materials for electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced technologies - as China maintains a dominant position in processing.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
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