DR Congo bans reporting on ex-President Kabila
This comes after Kabila returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo last month amid heightened tensions between himself and the government, led by his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi.
The authorities are pushing to prosecute Mr Kabila amid accusations of treason and alleged links to the M23 rebels which have been fighting the army - something he has previously denied.
Breaches of the ban could result in suspension, said the head of DR Congo's media regulator, Christian Bosembe.
Responding to the announcement by the regulator, known as the the Supreme Council of Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC), an M23 spokesperson said the media outlets in parts of the country under its control would not abide by the ban.
There has been no immediate response from Kabila, however, the secretary of his party, Ferdinand Kambere, rejected the ban, describing it as "arbitrary" on X.
Kabila was last week seen in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, which is under M23 control.
He has been highly critical of the government after the senate voted to lift his immunity over his alleged support of the M23 group.
DR Congo's neighbour, Rwanda has been accused of backing the rebel group, but Kigali denies this.
Kabila, who has not yet been charged with any crime, launched a scathing attack on the Congolese government last month, describing it as a "dictatorship".
A government spokesperson at the time rejected Kabila's criticism, saying he had "nothing to offer".
Reacting to the announcement by the CSAC, activist and president of the African Association for the Defence of Human Rights, Jean-Claude Katende, said the ban constituted an "abuse of power", according to local media.
Since returning to DR Congo after two years of self-imposed exile, Kabila's party has been posting his activities online, which include visiting civil society groups and local religious representatives in Goma.
Additional reporting from BBC Monitoring.
What's the fighting in DR Congo all about?
The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo
Is Trump mulling a minerals deal with conflict-hit DR Congo?
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Africa Daily
Focus on Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
41 minutes ago
- New York Post
Idaho murder victim Ethan Chapin's family releases tragic statement after skipping Bryan Kohberger's sentencing
The mother of slain University of Idaho student Ethan Chapin believes 'the outcome is the right one' as cold-blooded killer Bryan Kohberger was jailed for life over the vicious killings of her son and his three classmates. Stacy Chapin shared a heartbreaking message for her son as she spoke out for the first time after she chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, last week. 'We've given a lot of thought to what we should say since 7/23 and have edited this a million times,' Stacy Chapin wrote in an Instagram post on behalf of her family on Thursday. Advertisement 8 The family of Idaho murder victim Ethan Chapin (2nd from right) speaks out following killer Bryan Kohberger's life sentence. Instagram / @stacychapin 'The entire situation has been a tough pill to swallow but at the end of the day, we believe the outcome is the right one.' Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to killing the four college friends in Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022. Advertisement The grieving mom, who shared numerous photos of Chapin with his two siblings, Maisie and Hunter — with whom he was a triplet — and with the family. 'You were only with us for 20 years, but you touched the lives of so many people,' she wrote. 'From the time you were a baby to when we dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy and the glue that held our family together. We remember your smile, your laugh, how you kept us in check, and the many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation. There will never be another you.' 8 Stacy Chapin and Jim Chapin arrive at the Ada County Courthouse for Bryan Kohberger's plea deal hearing on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. AP Advertisement 8 Stacy Chapin shared a heartbreaking message for her son as she spoke out for the first time after she chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, last week. Instagram / @stacychapin 'There would never have been enough time with you. We love you, miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy,' she added. Stacy Chapin thanked investigators, prosecutors, University of Idaho staff, and loved ones for their 'ongoing support' since the 2022 murders and throughout the trial. The Chapin family did not attend Kohberger's sentencing hearing, unlike the families of the other three victims — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, — who were present. Advertisement 8 Chapin with his girlfriend Xana Kernodle. Xena Kernodle/Instagram 8 Final photo of the victims Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right. Chapin's parents said they had already found 'big-time closure' in their son's death after his killer pleaded guilty to the murders. 'I really don't care what happens to the guy .. He's off the streets. He can't hurt any more kids,' Ethan's father Jim Chapin told 'TODAY' before Kohberger's sentencing. The couple said the plea agreement sparing Kohberger of the death penalty will save their surviving children from potentially having to testify at trial and relay their brother's traumatizing death. 8 The grieving mom, who shared numerous photos of Chapin with his two siblings, Maisie and Hunter — with whom he was a triplet — and with the family. Instagram / @stacychapin 'I'm ready for my kids to move on. I'm ready for us to move on. I mean, it's been almost 2½ years, and it's just, it's over,' Jim Chapin said. The mother of Ethan Chapin's girlfriend, Kernodle, similarly found peace in the plea deal despite the lack of answers, telling Fox News before Kohberger's sentencing that she was 'upset' at first but realized 'God is protecting us from further torment and trauma.' Advertisement While the Chapin family expressed contentment with the outcome, the other victims' families disagreed with the plea deal, arguing it prevented proper justice. 8 Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse during his sentencing hearing, in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. KYLE GREEN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock 8 General view of an off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Nov. 20, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom Kohberger was slammed by the family members of his victims as they delivered blistering victim impact statements to the court during his sentencing hearing. Advertisement Alivea Goncalves labeled her sister's murderer a 'pedophile' and 'sociopath,' criticized his intelligence and arrogance, and ordered him to 'sit up straight' while scolding him for his heinous crimes. 'If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f–king ass,' she confidently told Kohberger while staring him down in court. Kernodle's mother, Cara Northington, did read a victim impact statement, telling the killer, 'Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter without you even being sorry or asking for this.' Kohberger did not speak during the hearing.
Politico
42 minutes ago
- Politico
Tariff man's moment
Presented by Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Canada Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Canada Playbook. TGIF. In today's edition: → Trump dropped the hammer. What happens next? → The deal-or-no-deal moment for Canada. → Canada Playbook will not publish Monday. We'll see you on Tuesday. Trade war THE BIG DAY — Today marks the two-year anniversary of Meta's landscape-altering decision to block Canadian news links on Facebook and Instagram. Why, what else is on the agenda? Oh, right, that. — Tariff man strikes back: Trade watchers around the world — which is just about everybody these days, one way or another — are absorbing DONALD TRUMP's latest trade gambits. The president slapped a 35 percent tariff, effective today, on Canadian imports not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. (Most imports are covered by the USMCA.) An executive order posted late Thursday, ostensibly to 'address the flow of illicit drugs across our northern border' — aka fentanyl — made it official. — The word from 1600: A senior White House official told POLITICO last night that Canadians 'haven't shown the same level of constructiveness that we've seen from the Mexican side.' In other words: No new security and trade deal with the northern neighbor. Not yet. — The PM responds: Twenty-three minutes after midnight, Prime Minister MARK CARNEY posted a page-long statement on X. He indicated that the USMCA shield means the average U.S. tariff on a Canadian import 'remains one of its lowest for all of its trading partners.' Carney repeated his government's insistence that fentanyl isn't flowing over the border in large quantities. He reiterated efforts to cut interprovincial trade barriers and build 'nationbuilding' projects in Canada's interest. No drama. No punches thrown. PLUS ÇA CHANGE — The president repeated his grievances about Canada from behind a White House lectern after an unrelated announcement on Thursday afternoon. Trump focused his ire on the ag sector and his northern neighbor's lackluster defense spending. No mention of fentanyl, but plenty of claims that Canadians are unfair: 'They want a lot of things from our country. And for years, we did it.' Trump said a call came in from Carney on Thursday, but the two didn't speak. Carney's office didn't reply to Playbook's request for confirmation of that outreach. — Second opinion: Earlier in the day, Commerce Secretary HOWARD LUTNICK told Fox's LARRY KUDLOW that Canada's plan to recognize a Palestinian state was 'tone deaf.' He reminded Kudlow with a smirk that only Canada and China retaliated against American tariffs earlier this year. 'I just don't see the president stepping off the gas now,' Lutnick said, unless Carney changes tack. 'If he starts turning on the charm, and if he takes off his retaliation … and stops the silliness, maybe the president will let it down a bit.' Otherwise, Lutnick concluded, the levying of 35 percent tariffs 'is surely in the cards.' Fact-check: True. — Captain Canada: Ontario Premier DOUG FORD was undeterred by the straight line the commerce secretary drew from retaliation to new tariffs. 'Now is not the time to roll over. We need to stand our ground,' Ford posted on X, pushing for countertariffs on steel and aluminum. THE BIG QUESTION — Can DOMINIC LEBLANC and KIRSTEN HILLMAN still eke out a deal with the American side? POLITICO's DANIEL DESROCHERS, BEN LEFEBVRE and DOUG PALMER point out that Trump's dealmaking has left behind a trail of ambiguity — scant specifics, few written agreements and even fewer lasting outcomes. — Maybe the biggest question: What's a 'deal' even worth? PROZONE For POLITICO Pro subscribers, here's our latest trade news: — White House indicates Trump may not extend deadline for China talks. — Tariff panic in Canada inspires USMCA paperwork rush. — Trump's tariffs get frosty reception at federal appeals court. — EU expects US tariff commitments by Friday. — Trump extends Mexico tariff deadline for 90 days. And our latest policy newsletter: Up against a deadline. THE ROOMS THAT MATTER — The PM has not released his schedule. WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN Up: Google searches for 'katy perry justin trudeau' after, well, you probably heard. Down: The square footage of the ballot in the upcoming Battle River-Crowfoot federal by-election, following Elections Canada's decision to make it a write-in contest. Want more POLITICO? Download our mobile app to save stories, get notifications on U.S.-Canada relations, and more. In iOS or Android . For your radar MORNING MONEY: CAPITAL RISK — POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in: one shaped by political volatility, disruption and a wave of policy decisions with sector-wide consequences. Each week, Morning Money: Capital Risk brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk is moving markets and how investors are adapting. Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs, or court rulings could ripple through the economy? Start here. MORNING MUST-CLICKS — LEAH BORTS-KUPERMAN of The Narwhal reports that Canada's Department of National Defence plans to build new Armed Forces housing units in locations listed on the federal government's inventory of contaminated properties. — 'We just couldn't stand on the sidelines,' Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister EVAN SOLOMON tells Toronto Life of his decision to enter politics. — 'Bad bill meets good and necessary debate. Things will get spicy,' national security expert WESLEY WARK tells CARMINE STARNINO of The Walrus in a Q&A on Bill C-2. — POLITICO's ADAM WREN writes on JOE BIDEN's life after the White House: 'He's staffed by only one or two aides and a small Secret Service detail. He holes up for hours at a time in Delaware working on his memoir with a new ghostwriter, while undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer.' — The Macdonald-Laurier Institute published an ANDREW MACDOUGALL longread: 'Dismantling the attention economy: How the battle for attention is killing the traditional news media and eroding the foundations of Western democracies.' PLAYBOOKERS Birthdays: HBD to Sen. WANDA THOMAS BERNARD, Crestview partner ROB MOORE and McMillan Vantage managing director RICHARD MAHONEY. Saturday: Transport and Internal Trade Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND, U.N. Ambassador BOB RAE, Ontario Transport Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA. Sunday: ALEXANDRA VALCOUR of Proof Strategies, former NDP MP DAN HARRIS and ex-Quebec MNA SYLVAIN ROY. Monday: Former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier DANNY WILLIAMS. Noted: The Public Policy Forum published a new report on bolstering local coverage of national elections. First recommendation: creating a nonpartisan election coverage fund, a philanthropically funded endowment to be distributed among smaller outlets. From the ethics files: Energy and Natural Resources Minister TIM HODGSON declared two free tickets to the Calgary Stampede Rodeo gifted to him by former interim Conservative Leader RONA AMBROSE and partner J.P. VEITCH. Movers and shakers: ÉTIENNE-ALEXANDRE BEAUREGARD, a former speechwriter and strategic planning adviser for Quebec's Cabinet, has joined the research team at Cardus. Media mentions: This is the first day of post-CBC life for longtime broadcaster MARK CONNOLLY. Send Playbookers tips to canadaplaybook@ LOBBY WATCH Our daily check-in on federal lobbyist registrations and notable meetings around town: — North Atlantic Refining Ltd., which operates the Braya Renewable Fuels refinery in Come By Chance, Newfoundland and Labrador, logged recent meetings with senior political staff at the Department of Finance, Intergovernmental Affairs, Environment and Climate Change, Natural Resources and Industry. TRIVIA Thursday's answer: Canada's first Department of External Affairs office opened on June 1, 1909, in downtown Ottawa above a barber shop. Props to ROBERT MCDOUGALL, ELIZABETH BURN, RAY DEL BIANCO, PATRICK JUNEAU, GORDON RANDALL, RODDY MCFALL, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, JOHN PEPPER, KEVIN DEN HEIJER, JOHN MERRIMAN, MARCEL MARCOTTE, MALCOLM MCKAY, JENN KEAY and MARC SHAW. Friday's question: In 2023, the Government of Manitoba passed legislation officially declaring LOUIS RIEL to be the province's first premier. What happened to the Métis leader on this date in history? Send your answer to canadaplaybook@ Writing Tuesday's Playbook: SUE ALLAN. Canada Playbook would not happen without: Canada Editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and POLITICO's Grace Maalouf.
Business Insider
42 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Controversy grows as DRC targets protected lands for massive oil and gas exploration
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing mounting criticism from environmentalists, human rights groups, and global climate advocates following its decision to open 124 million hectares of land and inland waters to oil and gas exploration. The DRC announced the opening of 124 million hectares for oil and gas exploration to enhance its hydrocarbon sector and economy. The decision includes regions containing protected biodiversity areas such as rainforests and peatlands Pressure mounts both nationally and internationally for the DRC government to reconsider these plans due to projected environmental and social consequences. In May, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), through its Minister of Hydrocarbons, Aimé Sakombi Molendo, formally announced the expansion of oil and gas exploration during the 42nd ordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers. Molendo revealed that the Central Basin sedimentary region has been fully divided into oil blocks, with 52 of them newly opened for exploration. He emphasized that this move is part of ongoing efforts to promote the country's hydrocarbon sector and unlock its economic potential. The Council of Ministers acknowledged the update, stressing the strategic importance of these developments for the DRC's economic future. They noted that the initiative aligns with the government's broader agenda to strengthen national revenue generation through the oil industry and attract investment in the energy sector. The move, announced as part of President Félix Tshisekedi's broader economic strategy, includes regions that encompass protected rainforests, peatlands, and biodiversity hotspots, some of which are home to endangered species such as forest elephants and lowland gorillas. Critics slam move as setback to climate goals With an estimated 5 to 22 billion barrels of oil reserves, the DRC is pursuing a pro-investment agenda aimed at boosting transparency, operational efficiency, and upstream activity. However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from climate advocates who say it undermines global emissions targets and global climate goals. Conservationists argue that expanding fossil fuel infrastructure into ecologically sensitive areas threatens to destroy fragile ecosystems and violates the rights of Indigenous populations who depend on these landscapes for their survival. According to Earth Insight, in a report titled Forests to Frontlines: Oil Expansion Threats in the DRC, the organization calls on the Congolese government to cancel the 2025 oil block licensing round and instead pursue alternative development models that 'r espect Indigenous and community rights, sustain local livelihoods, and safeguard biodiversity and the global climate. ' 'What happens next in the Congo Basin will have consequences far beyond its borders, ' the report cautions. As the second-largest tropical rainforest on the planet, the DRC is home to an astonishing array of biodiversity—including elephants, great apes, endemic bird species, and thousands of unique plants that thrive in its intact ecosystems. The country's Cuvette Centrale peatlands store vast amounts of carbon vital to the fight against climate change. These rich landscapes also support the livelihoods, cultural heritage, and climate resilience of millions of people. Earth Insight further warns that over half of the DRC's territory, approximately 53%, is now covered by oil blocks, placing immense pressure on areas of critical ecological and cultural importance. This development threatens to disrupt local livelihoods and erode lands with deep cultural and spiritual significance, ultimately undermining the country's potential for long-term sustainable development. The controversy has also cast a shadow over international climate partnerships. These include agreements in which the DRC receives financial support from global partners to conserve its rainforests, the world's second-largest after the Amazon.
