Red Cross escorts over 1,000 disarmed Congolese soldiers from rebel-controlled city to capital
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Over a thousand disarmed Congolese soldiers and police officers, along with their families, have safely been transferred from the rebel-controlled city of Goma in eastern Congo to the capital over the last two weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday.
The soldiers and police officers had been taking refuge at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo's base since January, when the decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma.
The Red Cross said in a statement it helped escort the 1,359 disarmed members of the government forces and their families from Goma to the capital Kinshasa between April 30 and May 15th, traveling nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and across a front line.
The ICRC said it accompanied several convoys on the road, while transport by helicopter and plane was carried out by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in Congo and the country's armed forces.
'The operation has been a success, it has enabled those transported to Kinshasa to get back in touch with their families and, we hope, will reduce tensions in the city of Goma,' Myriam Favier, head of the ICRC's sub-delegation in Goma, said.
The transfer of the government forces was the result of an agreement reached between the Congolese government, the rebels, the U.N. mission and the ICRC, which was called upon as a neutral intermediary, the Red Cross said, adding that it made sure that all the individuals had consented to being transported in the convoys.
For security reasons, no media outlets were allowed to film or photograph the operation.
The news of the successful transfer comes amid persistent tensions in eastern Congo, where fighting between Congo's army and M23 continues, despite both sides having agreed to work toward a truce last month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Dozens of armed groups are vying for territory in the mining region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year.
The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the west.
On Thursday, Congolese authorities accused Rwanda's army and M23 of having killed dozens and abducted thousands in eastern Congo.
Last week, Congo and Rwanda submitted a draft peace proposal as part of a U.S.-led process, with the Trump administration eyeing access to critical minerals in the resource-rich region.
——-
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
43 minutes ago
- Politico
Stefanik comes for Albany
KNOCK, KNOCK, KATHY HOCHUL: Upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik is at your doorstep, Madam Governor. Stefanik visited the Senate Republicans' hideout on the third floor of the state Capitol today, for the sole purpose of a Gov. Kathy Hochul-bashing press conference, lacing into the governor as the legislative session continued. Meanwhile, Hochul spent the day working out of her Manhattan office. Stefanik called Hochul 'the worst governor in America,' citing her record on affordability, public safety, fiscal management and antisemitism. She used the moniker three times during her diatribe. 'They care more about their radical, far-left, anti-American base than they care about public safety and border security,' Stefanik said, knocking state Democrats' refusal to take up a New York version of the Laken Riley Act. Stefanik is eyeing a run for governor in 2026 — a decision she says she'll make 'in the coming months.' Hudson Valley Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is also continuing to drum up the now year-long speculation he might make a play for the Executive Mansion. He last week fired back at Stefanik's pitch that the GOP nominee for governor needs to be a MAGA diehard like her: 'You can't win a statewide election in New York just by pounding your chest and saying that you're the most MAGA candidate,' Lawler said. And against the backdrop of Stefanik's Albany visit was the tumult on the shores of the Potomac River. Both Lawler and Stefanik are contending with the Trump-backed 'big, beautiful bill,' which is poised to scale back Medicaid spending and allow taxpayers to deduct up to $40,000 of state and local taxes from their federal filings. The bill is with the Senate, which is looking at lowering the $40,000 cap. While Lawler has vowed to vote against the sprawling bill if the SALT cap dips under $40,000, Stefanik declined to name a number that would be her dealbreaker. Stefanik disagreed that the bill's proposed Medicaid cuts will hurt Republicans politically, and instead lambasted New York's high tax rate and Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrant care. 'Elise Stefanik dodged question after question because there's no good way to defend ripping away health care from two million New Yorkers,' said Addison Dick, a spokesperson for the state's Democratic party. 'While Stefanik lies to her constituents' faces about her and Trump's plan to gut Medicaid, New Yorkers see right through it — and they know Governor Hochul's budget puts money back in their pockets, cuts taxes for the middle class, and makes our streets and subways safer.' Stefanik — Trump's short-lived nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — also gave a taste of what her hypothetical governorship would look like. She railed against subsidies for solar power farms and other 'green new scam programs.' She slammed the state's 'bloated budget' and promised to take after Trump by signing a flurry of early executive orders focused on reining in spending. And she indicated how she would approach immigration in Albany, saying the Trump administration is taking 'exactly the right actions' to crack down on illegal immigration. — Jason Beeferman From the Capitol AID IN DYING SET FOR FINAL VOTE: The 'aid in dying' legislation is likely to pass the state Senate today, bill sponsor Brad Hoylman-Sigal revealed. The bill was added to the chamber's calendar this morning and will face a highly anticipated debate later in the day. It passed in the Assembly by narrow margins in April. Advocates for the measure, which would allow doctors to prescribe euthanizing medication to terminally ill patients, filled the state Capitol's Million Dollar Staircase today to celebrate its pending passage. Members of the New York State Catholic Conference also visited the Capitol today, speaking out against the measure and foreshadowing a contentious debate on the Senate floor. 'For the first time in its history, New York is on the verge of authorizing doctors to help their patients commit suicide,' state Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust said in a statement. 'Make no mistake – this is only the beginning and it may end up that the only person standing between New York and the assisted suicide nightmare unfolding in Canada is Governor Hochul.' Hoylman-Sigal likened the magnitude of the measure to the passage of marriage equality and abortion rights in the state. And Assembly sponsor Amy Paulin called the legislation the 'proudest achievement' in her career. 'This conversation has been a journey for each and every one of us, a soul searching exercise that we haven't confronted in (recent history),' Hoylman-Sigal said to reporters. 'This is about personal autonomy, this is about exercising one's own freedom to control one's own body.' — Katelyn Cordero FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FIX FIXES: The Campaign Finance Board today announced it sent a $540,482 payment to the Cuomo campaign after its allied super PAC, Fix the City, amended a filing that reduced the cost of a TV ad used as the basis to withhold $1.3 million in public matching funds. Campaign finance regulators are probing whether the Cuomo campaign and the group have improperly coordinated and withheld matching funds to the leading mayoral candidate last month. The group initially reported the ad cost $1.3 million; the amended filing claimed the expenditure amounted to $756,994. After that change by Fix the City, the Cuomo campaign petitioned the Campaign Finance Board to argue the cash withheld should be limited to the amount of money the group now reports was spent on the ad, said board member Richard Davis. The deep-pocketed Fix the City has spent more than $8 million on TV ads to push the front-running Cuomo's candidacy, according to media tracking firm AdImpact. But the Cuomo campaign has come under scrutiny for using a 'redboxing' strategy of communicating preferred messaging to the super PAC. 'We always said we were in full compliance with the law and look forward to receiving the full amount once the CFB finishes their preliminary investigation,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said. A Fix the City spokesperson did not comment. — Nick Reisman CUOMO LAUDS COMMISH TISCH: Mayoral front-runner Cuomo had high praise for NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch during an interview with Bloomberg Radio this morning — but he still won't say if he'd keep her on the job as mayor. 'I don't believe in saying who you're going to appoint, who you're not going to appoint — it's kind of arrogant until you get the job,' he said. 'Commissioner Tisch is doing a very good job. The stability. We went through a number of police commissioners, each one brought their own tumult and their own transformation. Jessica Tisch is steady; the NYPD feels steady.' At last week's mayoral debate, candidates were asked to raise their hands if they would keep Tisch as police commissioner; Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie and Whitney Tilson were the only ones to answer in the affirmative. — Jason Beeferman LANDER, NYPD AND ICE: Lander would prevent the National Guard from being deployed in protests by reforming the NYPD's Strategic Response Group if elected mayor, he said today. The SRG is a unit within the NYPD trained to deal with counterrorism, but has been deployed to control protests. 'Right now, [having] the same set of folks respond to counterterrorism and to protests creates more problems than it solves,' Lander said, referring to the SRG, in response to the Trump administration sending the National Guard to crack down on protests against ICE in Los Angeles. Civil rights advocates and lawmakers have criticized the SRG for using excessive force and mass arrests, which have provoked confrontations between police and demonstrations. Instead, Lander said he wants police officers trained on de-escalation and managing protests to prevent demonstrations from becoming violent. 'That helps to show the world we have this under control, and whatever Trump is trying to do is trying to provoke the conflict, not calm it. And we're going to stand up to him,' Lander said. — Cris Seda Chabrier CANDIDATES TALK YESHIVAS: Several mayoral candidates expressed reservations about automatically taking funding away from nonpublic schools like yeshivas if they're not meeting state education standards. They were responding to a question at a Jewish community forum on Sunday from NY1's Errol Louis on whether they'd support cutting public funding for non-compliant yeshivas. Myrie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and attorney Jim Walden did not raise their hands. 'If a school is out of compliance on education standards, why should the safety of those students then suffer as a result of that?,' Mamdani said, citing security funding as an example. 'The compliance has to be the first focus, but the stripping of funding to me is something that is a step too far when our focus should be elsewhere.' Myrie and the speaker took issue with taking resources away from children. The speaker said the local government should work with the state government, while Myrie proposed a partnership with schools. Stringer called for creating trust between City Hall and yeshivas. 'I think there's a carrot-stick approach that we should use,' he said. Attorney Jim Walden, who's running as an independent, wants to employ a similar approach, and suggested evaluating schools individually. Groups like Young Advocates for Fair Education — one of the forum's co-sponsors — have been pushing for secular education in yeshivas. The governor and state lawmakers recently tweaked education guidelines for religious and nonpublic schools. That could help Hochul, who's facing a tough reelection bid next year, curry favor with the politically powerful Hasidic community. Lander and businessperson Whitney Tilson raised their hands. Tilson — a former board member for the KIPP NYC charter network — said charters can be put on probation or shut down if they're not adequately educating children. 'That same standard should be applied to all of our public schools and all the private schools in this state,' he said. — Madina Touré IN OTHER NEWS — DONOR $CRUTINY: Pro-Cuomo super PAC got $2.7 million from donors with business before the city. (THE CITY) — RAMOS' REVERSAL: Behind the progressive state senator's decision to turn the enemy of her enemies into her friend. (New York Mag) — DC37'S NEW PAC: The municipal worker union is putting some serious cash behind Adrienne Adams, and the mayor's former political consultants are working on the effort. (City & State) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oxford University to host global climate and human rights summit launch event
A panel of speakers from global climate leadership has been announced for a launch event in Oxford ahead of a climate summit. The University of Oxford will host the launch of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit 2025 at the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday, June 4. Featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and performances, the event will bring together leading voices from policy, activism, business, and academia to explore the relationship between climate change and human rights. The launch event will take place ahead of a 24-hour global online plenary extending into World Environment Day on June 5. The evening will begin with introductory remarks from Professor Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Professor Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford (Image: Contributed) The event will be hosted by Justin Rowlatt, climate editor at the BBC, and will include a rotation of speakers discussing how climate change impacts human rights and how these rights can inform responses to the climate crisis. The panel of speakers will include Lord Alok Sharma, a former COP26 president known for leading international negotiations resulting in the Glasgow Climate Pact. Vanessa Nakate, a climate justice activist and founder of the Rise Up Movement, who advocates for equitable climate solutions focusing on African communities, will also speak. Kate Raworth, an economist and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, whose work explores sustainable development within planetary boundaries, and Paul Polman, a business leader and former CEO of Unilever, known for championing responsible corporate climate action, will speak too. The audience will also hear from Professor Lavanya Rajamani, professor of international environmental law at Oxford, whose research and legal work supports climate-vulnerable nations in international negotiations, Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, who leads the UK's independent advisory body on reaching net zero, and Dr Omnia El Omrani, a medical doctor and climate-health policy advocate, who has represented youth voices at recent UN climate summits and focuses on the health impacts of climate change. The event will be livestreamed and will conclude with a handover to partners at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji to begin the global programme at 10pm. The 24-hour plenary will include contributions from university hubs around the world, partners at UN Human Rights, and the International Universities Climate Alliance. The Oxford Mail and Oxford City Council are looking to find Oxford's climate heroes with this year's Oxford Climate Awards. Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon at the Oxford Climate Awards 2024 (Image: Joe Baker) They are looking for individuals or groups who champion environmental sustainability across categories including innovation in climate action, sustainable business, and green transport.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Police tear gas activists protesting the death in police custody of a Kenyan blogger
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan police tear gassed activists twice as they marched to the main police station in the capital Nairobi during a protest Monday against the death of a blogger in police custody under unclear circumstances. Albert Ojwang was found dead while in custody at the Central Police Station and police attributed his death to 'hitting his head against the cell wall,' but activists have questioned the cause of death.
