logo
HRW: 'The M23 armed group has deported over 1,500 people from eastern DRC to Rwanda'

HRW: 'The M23 armed group has deported over 1,500 people from eastern DRC to Rwanda'

France 2419-06-2025
13:12
Issued on:
13:12 min
A new report by Human Rights Watch says that the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo has forcibly deported over 1,500 people to Rwanda. This act, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, could constitute a war crime and has raised international alarm.
Also, Over six decades after the assassination of Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, Belgium is taking steps to put 92-year-old former diplomat Etienne Davignon on trial for his alleged involvement in the killing.
And last month, the Central Bank of West African States blocked transactions from several fintech companies offering money transfer services, citing non-compliance with regulations. This has had a widespread impact: more than half of Senegal's population of 18 million use mobile payment apps, and Senegalese fintech companies claim to be incurring major losses as a result.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

DR Congo ex-leader Joseph Kabila goes on trial for treason
DR Congo ex-leader Joseph Kabila goes on trial for treason

France 24

time25-07-2025

  • France 24

DR Congo ex-leader Joseph Kabila goes on trial for treason

Democratic Republic of Congo 's ex-leader Joseph Kabila went on trial in absentia Friday on charges including treason over alleged support for Rwanda-backed militants, an AFP reporter at the court said. He stands accused at a military court in Kinshasa of plotting to overthrow the government of President Felix Tshisekedi – a charge that could carry a death sentence. He faces charges including homicide, torture and rape linked to the anti-government force M23, the charge sheet said. Other charges include "taking part in an insurrection movement", "crime against the peace and safety of humanity" and "forcible occupation of the city of Goma". Kabila arrived in May in that eastern city, seized by the M23 in January before it and the government in July signed a pledge to seek a permanent ceasefire. DR Congo: Fears of renewed violence grow as fighting erupts again 01:51 The court opened his trial at 1020 GMT in the Gombe district of the capital. Kabila's successor as president, Tshisekedi, has branded him the brains behind the armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwanda 's help. The charge sheet seen by AFP described him as "one of the initiators of the Congo River Alliance", the M23's political arm. He has been accused of colluding with Rwanda to try to overthrow Tshisekedi by force. The charge sheet accused him of being responsible for atrocities committed by the movement in North and South Kivu provinces in the mineral-rich east. Rwanda denies providing military backing to the M23, but UN experts say its army played a "critical" role in the group's offensive in that region. Kabila, 54, took power following his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001 and governed DRC until 2019, before leaving the country in 2023. He has branded his successor's government a "dictatorship". Kabila has rejected the case as "arbitrary" and called the courts "an instrument of oppression". The upper house of the legislature lifted his immunity as senator for life to allow his prosecution. For more than three decades, eastern DRC has been ravaged by conflict between various armed groups. The unrest has intensified since the M23's resurgence in 2021. DRC lifted a moratorium on the death penalty last year but no judicial executions have been carried out since.

Senegal's navy intercepts 201 migrants on Atlantic route to Europe
Senegal's navy intercepts 201 migrants on Atlantic route to Europe

Euronews

time11-07-2025

  • Euronews

Senegal's navy intercepts 201 migrants on Atlantic route to Europe

The Senegalese navy intercepted 201 West African migrants, authorities said on Wednesday, as the Atlantic Ocean crossing continues to be the most popular and deadliest migration route from Africa to Europe. The operation was carried out by Senegalese marines based in Foundiougne, in the Fatick region of western Senegal, the army said in a statement. Sixty-nine people were stopped on land, the statement said, while 132 others were intercepted aboard a small wooden boat in the Saloum delta on Tuesday evening. While migration to Europe has been steadily falling, the Atlantic Ocean crossing from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands has re-emerged since 2020. Nearly 47,000 people disembarked in the Canaries in 2024, an increase from the nearly 40,000 in 2023, according to Spanish Interior Ministry figures. The crossing is one of the deadliest in the world. While there is no accurate death toll because of the lack of information on departures from West Africa, the Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates the victims are in the thousands this year alone. Those arrested on Wednesday are of various West African nationalities, including several women and children, according to the army's public relations office, DIRPA. The Saloum delta is an increasingly popular departure point for migrants. While most migrants leaving Senegal are young men, aid workers in the Canary Islands say they are increasingly seeing women and children risk their lives as well. Last year, the EU signed a €210 million deal with Mauritania to stop smugglers from launching boats for Spain. But to date the deal has had little effect on migrant arrivals. In Senegal, winter sees an increase in attempted journeys as the seasonal change lowers the intensity of waves, but migrants choose to take the risk throughout the year. Migrant vessels that get lost or run into problems often vanish in the Atlantic, with some drifting across the ocean for months until they are found in the Caribbean or Latin America carrying only human remains. Until recently, the route was mostly used by migrants from West African nations fleeing poverty or violence. But since last year, migrants from countries further afield like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan have increasingly embarked on the fishing boats used to reach the European archipelago.

France court jails migrant smugglers over 2022 Channel deaths
France court jails migrant smugglers over 2022 Channel deaths

Local France

time01-07-2025

  • Local France

France court jails migrant smugglers over 2022 Channel deaths

France and Britain have vowed to crack down on people smugglers who heap migrants on flimsy dinghies to make the dangerous Channel crossing in exchange for thousands of dollars. In the latest such case to go to court in France, a small boat departed France early on December 14th, 2022, carrying people from Afghanistan, Albania, India and Senegal. Four people died and four went missing after the dinghy burst a few kilometres from the English coast. Only one of the bodies was identified – that of an Afghan man. Rescuers saved 39 people from drowning. A court in the French city of Lille sentenced three men to eight years behind bars. They included an Afghan being tried in absentia and thought to be the mastermind of the smuggling operation. It handed the rest seven-year sentences over the disaster. They included two Afghan brothers accused of financing the operation and another Afghan who admitted to summoning passengers for the crossing, although he claimed he did it after being threatened. The court ordered all to pay €50,000 to €100,000 in fines, and to leave French territory at the end of their sentences. A tenth man, who is being held in Belgium, is to be tried at a later date. A British court has already sentenced a Senegalese minor who steered the boat to nine years in jail, French prosecutors said. During the trial earlier this month, the prosecutor said the dinghy involved in the accident had been 'completely unsuitable for navigation on high seas'. She said the defendants had been benefitting from a 'highly lucrative' illegal trade, with migrants paying on average €3,500 for the crossing. According to the investigation, several people heard a loud bang that sounded like the dinghy had been punctured before the departure. Advertisement The smugglers told the passengers not to worry and that the boat was the only one available for the crossing. But the sea was rough and there were not enough life jackets for all the passengers. Those who died were not wearing any, according to the testimony of survivors. After one or two hours, the boat filled with water and panicked passengers stood up to get the attention of another ship. But the hull of the capsizing boat burst under the weight of the water. All the passengers fell into the freezing sea. The 2022 accident was one of the deadliest in the Channel in recent years. In November 2021, another deadly incident killed 27 people off the French coast, in a case that has not yet gone to court. At least 17 people have died attempting the Channel crossing this year, after a record 78 lost their lives last year. As part of efforts to stem migrant crossings, French authorities intervene on land to try to prevent boats leaving. They also intervene at sea but only to rescue passengers if a boat asks for help. Paris says it is now considering also stopping migrant boats in its shallow coastal waters, though the move raises both safety and legal issues. Advertisement

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store