Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

In a statement, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the alliance had declared the ceasefire “in a spirit of responsibility and in order to offer a real chance for the return of peace.” However, he accused the Kinshasa government of persisting with “a plan for the systematic extermination of our compatriots, in flagrant violation of all its commitments.”

Kanyuka detailed that early Friday morning, Congolese government forces launched coordinated attacks on Makobola and Minembwe in South Kivu.

He said the assault began at around 5:00 a.m., when coalition forces targeted Makobola using kamikaze drones and naval troops deployed from Baraka. Shortly after, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Minembwe came under attack with drones and heavy artillery, spreading terror among the civilian population.

“These repeated and deliberate violations of the ceasefire, along with the continuation of massacres against our compatriots, demonstrate unequivocally that the Kinshasa regime seeks neither peace nor the protection of civilians,” Kanyuka said.

The announcement follows AFC/M23’s recent withdrawal from the strategic city of Uvira, which the alliance had captured earlier in December. The group described the move as a confidence-building measure intended to support ongoing peace talks under the Doha Peace Process.

The withdrawal, which was announced on Monday, December 15, 2025, was carried out at the request of the United States.

Despite this gesture, AFC/M23 maintained that government forces and allied militias, including Wazalendo and Burundian troops, have previously exploited trust-building measures to retake territory and target civilians sympathetic to the alliance.

Kanyuka called on the guarantors of the peace process to implement measures ensuring civilian protection, demilitarisation, and neutral monitoring of the ceasefire in Uvira and surrounding areas.

The decision was taken during the 17th National Congress of FPR–Inkotanyi on Friday, where party members approved amendments to the party’s statutes and endorsed a revised structure of the National Executive Committee. Under the new structure, the committee comprises two Vice Presidents and two Secretaries General.

The Congress also approved new members of the National Executive Committee, with Consolée Uwimana confirmed as First Vice President and Kayisire Marie Solange as Second Vice President.

Christophe Bazivamo was endorsed as Secretary General, while Stephen Gasana was appointed Deputy Secretary General.

Bazivamo replaces Gasamagera Wellars, who previously held the position.

The casualties occurred between April 11 and April 13, 2025, when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the Zamzam displacement camp, once the largest refuge for people fleeing violence in Darfur. The camp, which sat near the provincial capital of el‑Fasher, had been home to almost half a million internally displaced people.

According to the U.N. report, the RSF restricted access to food, water, and essential supplies for months prior to the assault. During the takeover, fighters directed attacks against civilians, and survivors recounted widespread killings, rape, torture, and abductions as the camp was overrun.

At least 319 people were summarily executed either inside the camp or as they tried to flee, the report found. One witness told U.N. investigators that fighters shot into a room where civilians were hiding, killing everyone inside.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians, saying such attacks “may constitute the war crime of murder.” He urged that those responsible be held accountable under international law.

The findings are based on interviews conducted in July with 155 survivors and witnesses who escaped to neighbouring Chad. Many described scenes of chaos and violence, with fighters entering homes, marketplaces, schools, and health facilities to commit atrocities.

The takeover of Zamzam was part of the RSF’s broader effort to seize el‑Fasher, the last major urban stronghold of Sudan’s regular army in the Darfur region. Late in October, the RSF captured the city in a prolonged offensive, and international rights groups reported further massacres and mass detentions there.

Humanitarian organisations describe the conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, as one of the world’s most severe crises. Millions have been displaced, and large swaths of territory have seen repeated violence against civilians.

The United States government has suspended its green card lottery program, formally known as the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, after a suspect in fatal shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was found to have entered the country through the program, senior officials said Friday.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has ordered the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause the diversity visa lottery program immediately. The program, created by Congress decades ago, annually grants up to 50,000 green cards to applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

Noem said in a post on the social media platform X that the suspect, 48‑year‑old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, “should never have been allowed in our country”, a remark reflecting broad criticism by Trump and his allies of the lottery system.

Valente entered the United States in 2017 under the green card lottery program and later became a permanent resident. He is suspected of carrying out two deadly attacks that shook college communities in New England earlier this month.

In one incident at Brown University, two students were killed and nine others were wounded during a classroom shooting. Days later, Valente is suspected of fatally shooting an MIT professor at his Massachusetts home. He was later found dead of a self‑inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire during a manhunt.

The diversity visa program was designed to foster immigration diversity by allowing people from countries with relatively low rates of U.S. immigration to gain lawful permanent residency through a randomized selection process. Although winners are subject to interviews, background checks, and other standard vetting, critics say the system poses security risks. Supporters contend these safeguards are robust and that the program contributes meaningfully to U.S. society.

In announcing the suspension, Noem and other Trump administration officials cited concerns about national security and the integrity of the immigration system. They said the pause will remain in place while the government reviews the program’s procedures and eligibility standards.

The suspension marks one of the most significant changes to legal immigration policy under the Trump administration since it took office. The lottery has been a longstanding pathway for many aspiring immigrants around the world, and its discontinuation could spark legal challenges from civil liberties groups and immigration advocates.

Critics of the program have pointed to the recent shootings as evidence that the system’s vetting process can fail, while supporters argue that isolated incidents should not lead to dismantling broad legal immigration avenues. As the country grapples with rising concerns about gun violence and immigration policy, the suspension adds a new dimension to the ongoing national debate.

Trump, a long‑time opponent of the diversity visa lottery, has repeatedly sought restrictions on legal immigration and has previously cited tragic cases to call for tighter border controls and policy reforms.

During a Defence Ministry Board meeting on December 17, 2025, attended by President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov reported that Ukraine’s combat capability had been reduced by roughly one-third over the past year. He added that Ukraine’s ability to replenish its military forces through compulsory mobilisation of civilians had been severely impacted by the losses.

“Ukraine’s forces have lost nearly 500,000 servicemen, as a result of which Kiev has lost the ability to replenish its groupings through the compulsory mobilisation of civilians,” Belousov said.

In addition to personnel losses, Belousov alleged significant equipment losses by Ukraine in 2025. According to his report, Ukraine lost over 103,000 units of military equipment, including approximately 5,500 Western-made weapons, nearly double the amount lost in 2024. Russian officials argue that the figures reflect the severe toll the ongoing conflict has taken on Ukraine’s military infrastructure.

Ukraine’s struggle to maintain its military strength is further compounded by mobilisation challenges. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has implemented general mobilisation, barring men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country, and reduced the draft age from 27 to 25 in 2024.

Despite the measures, Ukraine has reportedly faced difficulties meeting recruitment targets. Violent clashes between reluctant recruits and conscription officers have been reported, including incidents of officers assaulting or chasing conscripts through the streets. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern over these tactics, and some frontline commanders have complained about the shortage of soldiers to confront Russian forces.

While the figures are provided by the Russian Ministry of Defence, independent verification remains difficult. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities often withhold or downplay casualty figures due to the sensitive nature of military losses. Independent sources have not confirmed the 500,000-soldier figure, and international monitors report varying casualty estimates, often lower than those presented by Russia.

The war in Ukraine continues, with both sides engaged in an ongoing struggle for territorial control. As the conflict approaches its fourth year, uncertainty remains over Ukraine’s ability to sustain its military efforts amid heavy personnel and equipment losses.

The commitment was reiterated during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Urugwiro Village.

According to a communiqué issued by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet was briefed on the signing of the Washington Accords on December 4, 2025, and reaffirmed Rwanda’s support for continued engagement in United States-facilitated mediation, as well as the Doha peace process, guided by a balanced approach that takes into account the security concerns of all parties.

The Washington Accords, brokered by the United States, marked a historic step toward ending decades of conflict between Rwanda and the DRC. The agreement formalised commitments reached earlier in June, including a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state armed groups, the return of refugees, and accountability for perpetrators of atrocities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, US President Donald Trump said the accord aimed to foster lasting peace, regional cooperation, and economic integration, including the potential for increased US investment in the two countries’ mineral sectors.

However, the agreement faced early challenges following renewed violence in eastern DRC, where fighting intensified as Congolese forces sought to reclaim territories lost to the AFC/M23 rebellion. Amid the renewed hostilities, the rebels captured the strategic town of Uvira last week before later announcing that they would withdraw at the request of US mediators.

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected attempts to link it to the renewed fighting. On December 10, 2025, Rwanda issued a strong condemnation of what it described as violations of the Washington Accords ceasefire by the Congolese Army (FARDC) and the Burundian Army (FDNB).

In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kigali said responsibility for the ongoing violence in South Kivu could not be placed on Rwanda.

The statement accused FARDC and FDNB, operating in coalition with the DRC-backed FDLR genocidal militia, Wazalendo groups, and foreign mercenaries, of systematically bombing civilian villages near the Rwandan border, actions which the AFC/M23 says it has been forced to counter.

“These deliberate violations of recently negotiated agreements constitute serious obstacles to peace, resulting in the continued suffering of the population in Eastern DRC, as well as a security threat to Rwanda’s western border,” the statement said.

Rwanda also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of the violence, pointing to the bombing of Kamanyola from Burundi, which has displaced more than 1,000 Congolese civilians. The displaced have crossed into Rwanda and are currently being hosted at the Nyarushishi Transit Camp in Bugarama, in Southern Province.

The Burundian Army, which is reported to have deployed close to 20,000 troops in South Kivu, was further accused of laying siege to Banyamulenge villages in Minembwe, cutting off supplies in what Kigali described as a deliberate attempt to starve the population and worsen the humanitarian crisis.

The Foreign Affairs statement also questioned Kinshasa’s commitment to the peace process, citing public declarations by DRC authorities that they intend to disregard the ceasefire and pursue military operations to retake territory, even as negotiations were ongoing.

Rwanda said the DRC’s failure to neutralise the FDLR, as stipulated in the June 2025 peace agreement, continues to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC, the central objective of the Washington Accords.

“If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures,” said the USTR in a post on the social platform X.

According to the USTR, potential countermeasures could include assessing fees or imposing restrictions on foreign services. The agency also warned that it could adopt a similar approach toward other countries pursuing what it called an EU-style regulatory strategy in this area.

The USTR alleged that the EU and certain member states have pursued a sustained pattern of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives targeting U.S. service providers.

“The United States has raised concerns with the EU for years on these matters without meaningful engagement or basic acknowledgement of U.S. concerns,” the USTR added.

The USTR also said EU service providers have operated freely in the United States for decades, benefiting from access to the U.S. market and consumers, while naming several European technology giants with expansive presence in the country.

The latest remarks reflect growing frustration among U.S. officials over the EU’s tightening technology regulations and lawsuits targeting U.S. tech giants.

The European Commission has recently opened two antitrust investigations into U.S. tech giants Google and Meta, and fined Elon Musk’s platform X 120 million euros (about 140 million U.S. dollars) in its first non-compliance decision under the Digital Services Act.