2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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| See also: | Other events of 2024 History of the DRC | ||||
Events of the year 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Incumbents
[edit]- President: Félix Tshisekedi
- Prime Minister: Sama Lukonde (until 12 June); Judith Suminwa (since 12 June)
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 16 January – A Congolese soldier is killed and two others are arrested by the Rwandan Army in a cross-border shooting incident in Rubavu District.[1]
- 24 January – At least 18 people are killed after a truck plunged into a ravine in Kasangulu, Kongo Central.[2]
- 27 January – Fighting between FARDC and aligned Wazalendo groups against Rwandan-backed M23 fighters continue in Mweso and Karuba, North Kivu.[3]
- 28 January – Forty people are presumed dead after a boat capsizes in Lake Kivu.[4]
February
[edit]- 9 February – At least 18 people are killed during a collision between a bus and a truck on a road in Kinshasa.[5]
- 19 February – Rwanda rejects the United States’ calls to withdraw troops and missile systems from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing threats from an alleged Congolese military build-up near the border.[6]
April
[edit]- 13 April – 2024 Dibaya Lubwe landslide: At least 15 people are killed and 60 more are missing during a landslide in Idiofa.[7]
May
[edit]- 3 May:
- The mining town of Rubaya is seized by the March 23 Movement.[8]
- Thirty-five people are killed and more than 20 injured in bombings at two camps for displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, in North Kivu.[9][10]
- 19 May – The government announces that it had foiled a coup attempt following an attack on the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe in Kinshasa and reports of gunfire near the presidential palace.[11]
June
[edit]- 5 June – At least 16 people are killed by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants in Beni.[12]
- 7 June – At least 38 people are killed by suspected ADF militants in the Beni area.[13]
- 10 June – At least 86 passengers are killed after a boat capsizes along the Kwah River in Mai-Ndombe Province.[14]
- 13 June – Suspected Islamist rebels kill over 20 people in Mayikengo village, North Kivu.[15]
- 22 June – At least 23 people are killed by CODECO militia groups in Ituri Province.[16]
- 26 June – Two South African soldiers are killed and twenty others are injured in a mortar attack on their logistics base.[17]
- 28 June – M23 rebels take control of Luofu and Kanyabayonga after heavy fighting with the Congolese military. Almost the entire population of Kanyabayonga, including refugees it had taken in from Rutshuru, flee the town.[18]
- 30 June:
- M23 rebels take control of Kirumba, the largest town in Lubero Territory, before continuing north.[19]
- Two aid workers from the international NGO Tearfund are killed in an attack on their convoy in Butembo, North Kivu.[20]
July
[edit]- 3 July – A court-martial in Butembo sentences 25 soldiers to death for desertion during fighting with M23 rebels.[21]
- 4 July – CODECO claims responsibility for the killing of six Chinese gold miners and the kidnapping of two more, as well as the killing of two FARDC soldiers in Ituri Province.[22]
- 8 July – A United Nations report formally accuses the Uganda People's Defence Force of providing military support to the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC. Uganda denies the claims.[23] The report also reveals that between 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are fighting alongside M23 rebels.[24]
- 13 July –
- CODECO militiamen attack the Zaire militia-controlled trading post of Pluto in Ituri Province leading to a four-hour battle that sees the participation of the FARDC and leaves 13 Zaire, seven CODECO, and six FARDC soldiers dead.[25]
- The FARDC repels an attack by Mobondo militiamen on the village of Kinsele, Kwamouth. At least 72 people are reported killed, including nine FARDC soldiers.[26]
- 15 July – Fighting between the FARDC, pro-government militia, and M23 rebels is reported in the Bashali Chiefdom, Bahunde Chiefdom, and the surroundings of Bweremana following simultaneous attacks on the positions of the FARDC and allies by the M23.[27] Four civilians are killed and five others are injured in a bombardment on Bweremana blamed on M23.[28]
- 19 July – The governor of South Kivu orders a ban on all mining activities in the province, citing "disorder" caused by mine operators.[29]
- 27 July – Nine people are killed in a crowd crush at a gospel concert by Mike Kalambay at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa.[30]
- 30 July – Angolan President João Lourenço announces that the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda have agreed to a ceasefire following Angola-mediated talks.[31] However, the ceasefire collapses before it formally begins on 4 August amid advances by M23 rebels.[32]
August
[edit]- 5 August – Nearly 100 Congolese National Police officers flee to Uganda as fighting between M23 rebels and the FARDC intensifies.[33]
- 6 August – President Félix Tshisekedi accuses former President Joseph Kabila of backing the Alliance Fleuve Congo, a U.S-sanctioned coalition of rebel groups whose main member is the M23.[34]
- 8 August – A military court sentences Alliance Fleuve Congo leader Corneille Nangaa to death in absentia after convicting him on war crimes charges. Twenty-four co-defendants are given the same sentences, with 19 of them also in absentia.[35]
- 10 August – At least 12 people are killed in an attack by the ADF on the village of Mukonia, North Kivu.[36]
- 11–12 August – The border between the DRC and Zambia is closed due to a dispute over the importation of beverages from Zambia.[37]
- 15 August – At least 16 civilians are killed in clashes between M23 rebels and pro-government Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu.[38]
- 17–18 August – At least 20 people are killed and hundreds reported missing after a boat sinks while travelling illegally overnight along the Lukenie River in Mai-Ndombe Province.[39]
- 26 August – Germany announces that it will donate 100,000 doses of mpox vaccines to the DRC and other African nations, as well as provide funding to the GAVI Vaccine Alliance through the World Health Organization.[40] The shipment arrives on 5 September,[41] while vaccinations begin on 5 October.[42]
September
[edit]- 2 September – At least 129 inmates are killed in an attempted jailbreak at the Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa.[43]
- 5 September – Paralympic athletes Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako go missing in France after competing in the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.[44]
- 13 September – A court in Kinshasa sentences 37 people to death for their alleged roles in the coup attempt in May.[45]
- 17 September – CODECO militants kill ten civilians in an overnight attack on a Hema village in Ituri Province. Some of the victims were beheaded, according to local authorities.[46]
- 23 September – The World Health Organization announces that nearly 30,000 suspected mpox cases have been reported in Africa so far this year, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the death toll from mpox surpasses 800 people.[47]
October
[edit]- 3 October – A boat capsizes in Lake Kivu near Kituku, killing at least 78 people.[48]
- 9 October – The Democratic Republic of the Congo is elected to a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term beginning in 2025.[49]
- 14 October – The government cancels auctions for exploring 27 sites across the country believed to contain about 22 billion barrels of oil, citing lack of bidders and late submissions of applications.[50]
- 21–22 October – Clashes break out between the Congolese military and M23 rebels for control of Kalembe in North Kivu.[51]
November
[edit]- 3 November – M23 rebels seize the town of Kamandi Gîte in North Kivu.[52]
- 10–25 November – Up to 143 people are reported to have died in an outbreak of an unidentified disease in Panzi, Kwango Province.[53]
- 15 November – At least 13 people are killed in an ADF attack on the village of Mabisio in North Kivu.[54]
- 28 November – Seth Kikuni, the leader of the Piste pour l’Emergence party, is sentenced to a year of imprisonment on charges of incitement and spreading false information during a political rally in Lubumbashi in September.[55]
December
[edit]- 1 December – At least 10 people are killed in an ADF attack on Batangi-Mbau in North Kivu.[56]
- 3 December – At least nine people are killed and three others are abducted in an ADF attack on Tenambo in North Kivu.[57]
- 17 December – At least 25 people are killed after an overloaded passenger boat sinks along the Fimi River in Inongo, Mai-Ndombe Province.[58]
- 19 December – President Tshisekedi dismisses General Christian Tshiwewe Songesha as chief of staff of the FARDC and replaces him with Lieutenant General Jules Banza Mwilambwe.[59]
- 20 December – At least 38 people are killed and 100 others are reported missing after an overloaded ferry sinks along the Busira River in Équateur Province.[60]
Holidays
[edit]Source:[61]
- 1 January - New Year's Day
- 4 January - Martyrs' Day
- 16 January - Laurent-Désiré Kabila Assassination
- 17 January - Patrice Lumumba Assassination
- 1 May - Labour Day
- 17 May - Liberation Day
- 30 June - Independence Day
- 1 August – Parents' Day
- 17 November – Army Day
- 25 December – Christmas Day
Deaths
[edit]- 30 September – Dikembe Mutombo (b. 1966), Congolese-born American National Basketball Association player.[62]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rwanda says it killed a Congolese soldier who crossed the border, heightening tensions". AP News. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "18 killed when truck plunges into a ravine in southwestern Congo". AP News. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ "RDC-Masisi : La coalition Wazalendo-FARDC s'est à nouveau affrontée au M23 à Mweso, d'autres combats signalés à Karuba, près de Sake". Actualite.cd (in French). 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ "Dozens are presumed dead after an overloaded boat capsizes on Lake Kivu in Congo". Africanews. 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "At least 18 people killed when bus collides with truck in Congo's capital". AP News. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Rwanda rejects US calls for withdrawal of missiles and troops from eastern Congo". AP News. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Congo landslide kills at least 15 people and up to 60 others are missing, officials say". AP News. 2024-04-14. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "M23 rebels seize key smartphone mineral mining town in eastern Congo". AP News. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ "Bomb kills at least 12 people, including children, at two displacement camps in eastern Congo". AP News. 2024-05-03. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ "Death toll in bombings at displacement camps in eastern Congo rises to at least 35". AP News. 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ "DR Congo army says it has thwarted attempted coup in Kinshasa". France 24. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "At least 16 killed by suspected Islamists in eastern Congo, local official says". Reuters. June 5, 2024.
- ^ "ISIL-affiliated rebel fighters blamed after 38 killed in DR Congo attack". Al Jazeera. June 8, 2024.
- ^ "More than 80 passengers killed in the latest boat accident in Congo". Associated Press. June 13, 2024.
- ^ "Suspected Islamist rebels kill over 20 in Congo village attack". The Times of India. 2024-06-13. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
- ^ "Militia kills at least 23 people in eastern Congo village attacks". Reuters. June 22, 2024.
- ^ "Repatriation preparations for SANDF soldiers killed in DRC under way". SABC News. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Au lendemain de la prise de Kanyabayonga par le M23, la quasi-totalité de la population quitte la cité". Radio Okapi (in French). 2024-06-29. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- ^ "M23 continues to gain ground in volatile east DR Congo". Voice of America. 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- ^ "2 aid workers killed in the latest violent attack in eastern Congo's conflict". Africanews. July 2, 2024.
- ^ "DRC tribunal sentences 25 soldiers to death for 'fleeing the enemy'". Al Jazeera. July 4, 2024.
- ^ "A militia attack on a Congo gold mine kills 6 Chinese miners and 2 Congolese soldiers". AP News. 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ "Uganda provided support to M23 rebels in Congo, UN report says". Reuters. July 8, 2024.
- ^ "Rwandan soldiers fighting with M23 rebels in DR Congo, says UN report". France 24. 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Ituri : au moins 26 morts dans l'attaque de la CODECO à Pluto". Radio Okapi (in French). 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "At least 70 people killed in a militia attack in western Congo". Associated Press. 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
- ^ "Guerre contre le M23 : explosion d'une bombe à Bweremana, la trêve humanitaire vole en éclat". Radio Okapi (in French). 2024-07-15. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
- ^ "At least four killed as fighting in DRC continues despite truce: Report". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
- ^ "Governor of eastern Congo's gold-rich province bans mining activities to 'restore order'". Associated Press. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Nine die in DR Congo gospel concert chaos". BBC. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Ceasefire reached in eastern DRC". TRT Afrika. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
- ^ "Congo ceasefire collapses before it begins". Nation. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Congolese police officers flee to Uganda as fighting intensifies". Reuters. August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Congo's president accuses former leader of backing a US-sanctioned rebel coalition". AP News. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "Congolese military court hands down death sentence to leader of rebel coalition and 25 others". AP News. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Islamic State-allied militants kill 12 people in eastern Congo, official says". AP News. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "Zambia and Congo reopen their border after resolving a trade dispute". AP News. 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ "16 villagers in eastern Congo killed as fighting continues despite a cease-fire". AP News. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ "20 passengers killed and hundreds missing in Congo boat accident". AP News. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ "Germany to donate Africa 100,000 mpox vaccine doses". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "The first 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine reach Congo. But it's a fraction of what is needed". AP News. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Congo finally begins mpox vaccinations in a drive to slow outbreaks". AP News. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "At least 129 dead in attempted jailbreak in Congo". Africanews. September 3, 2024.
- ^ "France investigating disappearances of 2 Congolese Paralympic athletes". Associated Press. September 13, 2024.
- ^ "Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges". AP News. 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Militia kills 10 civilians in eastern Congo". Reuters. September 17, 2024.
- ^ "Almost 30,000 suspected mpox cases in Africa this year, WHO says". Reuters. September 23, 2024.
- ^ "At least 78 people died when a boat with 278 on board capsized in eastern Congo, official says". Associated Press. October 3, 2024.
- ^ "DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya elected to Human Rights Council". Africanews. October 10, 2024.
- ^ "Congo cancels an auction for 27 sites earmarked for oil exploration". Associated Press. October 14, 2024.
- ^ "Congolese army announce they have taken back control of DRC's Kalembe, M23 rebels deny". Africanews. October 22, 2024.
- ^ "DRC: M23 rebels seize new town on border with Uganda as talks drag". Africanews. November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Health officials investigate mystery disease in southwest Congo after 143 deaths". Associated Press. December 4, 2024.
- ^ "At least 13 people killed and more kidnapped by extremist rebels in eastern Congo". Associated Press. November 17, 2024.
- ^ "An opposition Congo politician is sentenced to 1 year in prison for inciting civil disobedience". Associated Press. November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Islamic rebels kill at least 10 people and abduct others in attack in eastern Congo, authorities say". Associated Press. December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Extremist rebels linked to IS kill at least 9 and kidnap 3 in eastern Congo". Associated Press. December 4, 2024.
- ^ "At least 25 are killed and dozens are missing after an overcrowded boat capsizes in Congo". Associated Press. December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Congo replaces top military chief and other senior officers as fighting in its east rages on". Associated Press. December 20, 2024.
- ^ "38 people are dead and over 100 missing in Congo after a ferry capsizes on the Busira River". Associated Press. December 22, 2024.
- ^ "DRC Public Holidays 2024". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Tim (September 30, 2024). "Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer". Associated Press. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
