On January 29, 2025, EAC ministers convened virtually to address the security crisis in eastern DRC. The meeting came just two days after the armed group M23 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
While the DRC’s Minister of Regional Cooperation was expected to participate, he was notably absent, despite the meeting’s critical relevance to his country’s ongoing conflict.
Minister Nduhungirehe revealed that the official explanation for the absence was a technical mishap.
“The reason that was given to us is that the DRC Minister of Regional Cooperation, who had previously confirmed his attendance, eventually connected…. to the wrong link!” he posted on X.
A second high-level meeting was held on February 7, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This gathering, bringing together ministers from the EAC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was a preparatory session for a summit of regional heads of state focused on resolving the DRC crisis.
According to Nduhungirehe, 14 ministers from six EAC countries, six SADC nations, and two states belonging to both blocs (DRC and Tanzania) were invited. While 13 ministers attended, DRC’s Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, was absent and was instead represented by the country’s ambassador to Botswana.
“Here again, we were given an excuse…even two! At the beginning of the meeting, we were informed, by the DRC Ambassador to Botswana, that the DRC Foreign Minister was ‘on her way,’ but an hour later, the version had changed: she had in fact a ‘technical problem with her plane’!” Nduhungirehe said.
He further revealed that, despite these explanations, it was later confirmed that Minister Kayikwamba was in Europe at the time, lobbying for sanctions against Rwanda.
“But we now know that the Foreign Minister of DRC was all this time in Europe, begging for sanctions against Rwanda,” he added.
Rwanda and the DRC have endured strained relations for the past three years. France, Turkey, and Qatar have attempted to mediate between the two countries, but Kinshasa rejected these initiatives, insisting that the conflict should be resolved by Africans.
Nduhungirehe criticized the DRC’s stance, questioning how its officials could reject African mediation while seeking intervention from European nations such as Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
He also reiterated that the security crisis in eastern DRC is not caused by Rwanda and argued that it is unfair to hold Rwanda accountable for conflicts fueled by Congolese actors.
During the extraordinary summit of EAC and SADC heads of state on February 8, 2025, regional leaders called on the DRC government to engage in political dialogue with all conflicting parties, including M23, to establish lasting peace.
The resolution emphasized that Kinshasa’s military approach would not yield results. Instead, leaders urged the DRC to acknowledge and address the underlying issues that led M23 to take up arms.
The warning was issued in a communiqué on February 10 by AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, condemning the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and its allies for allegedly committing atrocities against civilians.
“The AFC/M23 has heard the desperate cries of the civilian population in Bukavu. The FARDC and its allied forces continue to commit unspeakable atrocities against civilians, including assassinations and widespread looting. These crimes must stop immediately; otherwise, we will have no choice but to intervene to protect the Congolese population,” the statement reads.
Reports indicate that Bukavu has been gripped by fear following a surge in violent crimes, including targeted assassinations and looting of businesses and homes, sparking panic among residents.
M23 also refuted claims that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are being forced to return to liberated areas, asserting that those who have returned did so voluntarily under secure conditions.
Additionally, the group denied involvement in the atrocities committed at Munzene Central Prison, attributing these crimes to FARDC and its allies.
“MONUSCO must cease spreading false allegations that distort the truth and mislead public opinion. These baseless accusations only serve to inflame tensions and divert attention from the real perpetrators of these crimes,” the statement added.
The fighting in South Kivu intensified after M23 captured Goma on January 26, 2025. The group later announced plans to continue its advance toward Kinshasa but signaled a willingness to halt hostilities if the DRC government agreed to negotiations for a lasting solution.
The FARDC and its colation has reportedly suffered heavy losses after losing key cities in North Kivu, including Sake and Goma. As they retreat, soldiers have been accused of shooting civilians, committing acts of sexual violence, and engaging in looting.
The motion, lacking backing from the Socialist Party (PS) and the far-right National Rally (RN), secured only 115 votes, far short of the 289 required to unseat him, according to National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet.
This latest challenge followed Bayrou’s repeated use of Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through the Social Security financing bill.
After surviving two previous no-confidence votes, he invoked the same constitutional power on Feb. 5 to advance the bill’s second phase.
Undeterred by the failed motion, Bayrou once again employed Article 49.3 on Monday to approve the budget’s spending section for 2025.
According to Le Figaro, the bill allocates a 2.6% increase in health expenditures, raising the total to 264.2 billion euros (272 billion U.S. dollars).
Bayrou was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 13, following the ousting of Michel Barnier in a previous no-confidence vote.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked whether Palestinians currently residing in Gaza—who, under his proposal, face forced displacement—would have the right to return. He responded, “No, they wouldn’t.”
His remarks contradict statements from his administration, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who previously assured that Palestinians would be “temporarily relocated.” Similarly, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that residents would need to live elsewhere “in the interim” while Gaza undergoes rebuilding.
Pressed on where the roughly 2 million displaced Gazans would go, Trump suggested he could broker agreements with Jordan and Egypt. “I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt,” he said.
Both Jordan and Egypt have already rejected Trump’s calls to take in additional Palestinian refugees, with leaders from both countries voicing opposition. Despite this, Trump warned Monday that he could withhold U.S. aid if they refused his demand.
The president is set to meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate its residents has sparked widespread criticism from countries across the Middle East and beyond.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned the move as a “complete violation” of the deal and ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be fully prepared for any developments in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding security consultations to assess the situation.
Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, stated that Israel had failed to uphold its commitments, including allowing displaced people to return to northern Gaza and ensuring adequate humanitarian aid.
Until Israel complies and retroactively corrects its actions, the handover of hostages will be delayed, the group said.
Israel’s Hostages, Missing Persons, and Returnees Directorate insisted on the full implementation of the agreement, warning against any breaches.
The developments follow indirect negotiations in Qatar over the next phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19.
Under the agreement, 21 hostages have been released in exchange for Palestinian detainees, with further exchanges expected in the coming weeks.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Yusuf Murangwa, explained the government’s decision to adjust taxes. He emphasized that taxes play a crucial role in national development.
“For a country to develop, we need financial ability, and that comes from taxes. These are fair and realistic taxes that people can afford,” he said.
He clarified that the tax changes will not all take effect immediately but will be implemented over a period of four years until 2029. The main goal, he said, is to reduce dependence on foreign aid while strengthening the country’s economy.
The new tax reforms fall into three categories. The first involves existing taxes where certain exemptions are being removed. For example, VAT exemptions on electronic devices like phones and computers were introduced to encourage digital adoption. Since nearly 80% of Rwandans now own phones, the exemption is being lifted.
The second category includes tax increases on certain products like cigarettes and alcohol. The third category introduces a digital services tax on platforms like Netflix and Amazon, which Rwandans access from abroad.
The government believes these changes will boost revenue while ensuring fairness in taxation. “Not all these taxes will be felt at once, but they will help us build a stronger and more self-reliant economy,” Murangwa added.
With these measures, Rwanda is taking firm steps toward financial independence, ensuring sustainable growth without over-reliance on external funding.
Jacqueline Mutesi, a bar owner in Gitega Sector, Nyarugenge district expressed uncertainty on how the new tax plan rolls out in the coming days during its implementation.
“We are not sure if our client will stop coming through if the price of the beers increases. We will just wait to see what happens,” she said.
Meanwhile, pressing security concerns, particularly the recent fighting in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and its effects on Rwanda were also discussed and the government expressed condolences to the families of the 16 civilians from Rubavu District who lost their lives when shells landed on Rwandan territory.
Additionally, the Cabinet reviewed the government’s efforts in assisting those who fled the conflict, including facilitating the transit of United Nations (UN) staff members from Goma.
The meeting also considered the outcomes of the February 8, 2025, gathering of Heads of State from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which reaffirmed a political resolution as the preferred approach to addressing the instability in eastern DRC.
The performance of the 2025A agricultural season was also reviewed confirming strong yields driven by increased farmer participation and strategic government interventions. It was noted that the use of climate-resilient crops, improved harvesting methods and better storage facilities significantly boosted productivity.
Finally, the Cabinet approved two major policies aimed at driving national development. The Energy Policy and the National Urban Planning Policy.
His appeal aligns with the resolutions from the recent extraordinary summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which called for a ceasefire and negotiations between the conflicting parties in eastern DRC.
The international community has repeatedly encouraged the DRC government to negotiate with M23 in search of a lasting security solution.
However, the government has consistently rejected this approach, opting instead for military intervention.
Despite continued offensives by the DRC army coalition, M23 has expanded its control over more territories. This was evident on January 23, when the group took over Sake, and again on January 27, when it captured Goma.
Cardinal Ambongo criticized the government’s refusal to hold talks with M23, arguing that relying solely on military solutions has proven ineffective and has only worsened conditions for civilians.
He stressed that dialogue is essential in resolving long-standing conflicts and warned against wasting more time while the country remains in crisis.
Speaking during a Mass in Kinshasa on January 9, he underscored the urgency of negotiations, asserting that addressing decades-old challenges requires engagement with all stakeholders, including perceived enemies.
He emphasized that every moment is crucial for the nation’s stability and urged authorities to take swift action to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
Cardinal Ambongo also suggested that if necessary, the DRC government should be willing to travel to Goma, currently under M23 control, to meet with the group’s representatives. He maintained that achieving lasting peace should take precedence over political or logistical concerns.
Cardinal Ambongo further insisted that negotiations should involve all parties, regardless of where they are, as excluding key stakeholders would hinder efforts to reach a sustainable resolution.
While the DRC government welcomed the resolutions from the EAC and SADC summit, it has not indicated any willingness to change its position and engage in direct talks with M23 as recommended.
Here, towering ice structures mimicking landmarks from across Asia, cheers from super-long ice slides, and the breathtaking view from a giant Ferris wheel attracted over 610,000 visitors during this year’s eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended Tuesday.
Near the entrance of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, an iconic winter attraction, a row of giant red characters stands out: “Snow and ice are also valuable assets.”
This statement, first made by Chinese President Xi Jinping about nine years ago, has reshaped the country’s ice-and-snow sector and spurred the stellar growth of related industries.
In March 2016, when taking part in a group discussion with Heilongjiang lawmakers at the annual national legislative session, Xi stressed the importance of leveraging the province’s winter resources. “Clear waters and green mountains are valuable assets, and so are Heilongjiang’s ice and snow,” he said.
Bordering frigid Siberia, Heilongjiang is known for its freezing temperatures and ample snowfall in winter. With winter temperatures sometimes dropping below minus 30 degrees Celsius, the provincial capital Harbin is dubbed China’s “ice city.”
Guided by Xi’s vision, the province has made sustained efforts to turn itself into a world-class winter tourist destination. Last year, Harbin alone welcomed 179 million visitors, with tourism revenue reaching 231.42 billion yuan (about 32 billion U.S. dollars), both rising over 30 percent year on year.
The 9th Asian Winter Games, set to open here on Friday, presents the latest opportunity to cement Harbin’s “ice city” reputation. Notably, winter sports and tourism are also gaining momentum across China.
Driven by policy support and increased demand, the number of ice-and-snow tourists in China is expected to reach 520 million in the 2024-2025 winter season, with revenue likely to exceed 630 billion yuan, according to the latest report by the China Tourism Academy.
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Xi has identified China’s ice-and-snow sector as both a key economic driver and a vital means of promoting public fitness. A passionate sports enthusiast, he closely follows the development of winter sports.
The primary goal of hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was to “engage 300 million people in ice-and-snow sports” and promote the leapfrog development of winter sports in the country, Xi told International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in 2014.
Before Beijing 2022, he conducted five on-site inspections across different competition zones in Beijing and the adjacent Hebei Province, meeting with athletes, construction workers and venue operators.
“The ultimate goal of building a sporting powerhouse and a healthy China is to strengthen the people’s fitness, which is also an essential part of China’s endeavors to build a modern socialist country in all respects,” Xi said.
The goal of “300 million people in winter sports” is now a reality, thanks to the promotion and popularization of ice-and-snow sports.
“This year, our facility has seen a greater number of people hitting the ice, with a year-on-year growth of about 15 percent,” said Meng Qingyou, who teaches skating at a winter sports center in Harbin.
Across the province, well-equipped facilities and professional coaching at ski resorts have drawn in new entrants from across the country.
In the city of Shuangyashan, a popular ski resort offers 14 trails of varying difficulty levels, catering to both novices and seasoned ski enthusiasts.
“This is my first time skiing,” said Zhao Dezhou, a tourist from east China’s Jiangsu Province. “At first, I was really nervous, but with the coach’s patient guidance, I can now glide freely across the snow and fully enjoy the thrill of this winter sport!”
Even in snow-scarce regions of the country, more people are embracing indoor ice-and-snow sports. According to a recent industry report, six of the world’s top 10 indoor ski resorts are in China, located in cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
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Beiji Village is nestled at the northernmost tip of China in the city of Mohe, Heilongjiang. As one of the coldest villages in China, Beiji endures an average temperature of below zero for over seven months a year.
This agricultural and fishing village was named a national top-level scenic spot in 2015, attracting an increasing number of visitors to experience its unique scenery and extreme cold.
“The tourism resources here are truly exceptional,” said Xi at the village during an inspection tour in September 2023. He stepped into villager Shi Ruijuan’s homestay and talked with the locals.
Noting the importance of the tourism sector in achieving high-quality development, Xi urged policy support to ensure that the distinctive snow-and-ice resources generate more income for local people.
In the past, the harsh cold and remote location drove many locals to leave Beiji. Nowadays, however, the very same factors are drawing tourists from far and wide. With ice-and-snow tourism gaining popularity in recent years, ice skating, skiing and fun activities like splashing water to create ice crystals have become big draws of the village.
“Tourists used to come mainly in summer, but now we get plenty of visitors in winter too,” said Shi, adding that she had never expected the bitter cold to become a major tourism attraction.
Shi has run the homestay business for more than a decade. “Previously, it was hard to make even 10,000 yuan a year. Now, we have visitors all year round, and during peak season I can earn over 10,000 yuan in just a week,” she said.
With its booming ice-and-snow tourism, northeast China as a whole has gained fresh appeal. Once known as the country’s rustbelt, the region has long struggled with a painful economic transition and talent outflows.
“Revitalizing northeast China” has been a recurring theme evident in Xi’s multiple inspection tours. In 2023, he stressed efforts to focus on developing the ice-and-snow economy as a new growth driver by promoting a full industrial chain of ice-and-snow sports, culture, equipment and tourism.
Under Xi’s guidance, the ice-and-snow boom has spread from northeast China to the entire country, fostering a new national growth engine.
Located in northwest China’s Xinjiang, Altay Prefecture is developing its reputation as a top skiing destination. In the 2023-2024 snow season, Altay welcomed about 4.89 million tourist visits, with tourism revenue totaling 5.1 billion yuan. It drove about half of the growth in terms of both tourist visits and revenue in Xinjiang last season.
Southwestern provinces, such as Yunnan and Sichuan, are also leveraging their unique plateau ice-and-snow resources, as well as their proximity to Southeast Asia, to attract tourists.
Peng Fuwei, a senior official of the National Development and Reform Commission, noted that the sector has formed a “dual-engine” structure, with winter manufacturing and services leading the way.
“China now produces a comprehensive range of winter sports equipment, from personal gear to high-end snowmaking machines and snow groomers. In 2023, winter equipment sales reached about 22 billion yuan,” he said.
The country aims to boost its ice-and-snow economy as a new source of growth, targeting an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to guidelines released by the State Council last year.
Xi made the remarks at a welcome banquet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Games in Harbin, capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
He called on Asia to hold fast to the common dream of peace and amity, jointly respond to all sorts of security challenges, and contribute to building an equal and orderly multipolar world.
Xi also stressed the shared pursuit of prosperity and development, calling on Asian people to seek common progress and inject impetus into economic globalization.
To realize the common wish of integration and affinity, Xi called for promoting inclusive coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations in Asia.
In a statement, Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and current Chairman of Rwanda Inter-Religious Council, extended sympathies to the victims of the hostilities, including those in border communities in Rwanda.
The council acknowledged the suffering of families who have lost loved ones, as well as those injured, displaced, and affected by the destruction of property due to the persistent unrest.
“Our hearts sincerely go out to all the families that have lost their loved ones, the injured, the displaced, and those who have lost their properties due to the ongoing conflicts. May God bring comfort and healing to all the affected families and communities,” the statement read.
The escalating conflict recently led to the capture of Goma City and several strategic towns in eastern Congo by the M23 rebel group, which has accused the Congolese government of persecuting and marginalizing Congolese Rwandophones in the region. The persecution stems from the artificial borders drawn by colonial powers in the early 20th century.
RIC emphasized that, with political will from all conflicting parties, the suffering could have been avoided. The council commended ongoing regional efforts aimed at achieving peaceful resolutions and alleviating the humanitarian crisis, stressing the need for open and honest dialogue.
“We are convinced that honest dialogue can lead to lasting and sustainable peace in the region. We therefore wish to encourage the conflicting parties to engage in candid conversations that deal with the actual historical root causes of the problems,” the statement added.
Beyond diplomatic efforts, RIC called upon religious communities to pray for peace and stability in the region and urged people of goodwill to extend relief to those affected by the conflict.
Regional efforts have intensified in recent weeks to address the conflict.
Over the weekend, Heads of State from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held a joint summit in Tanzania, directing the merger of the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes and the resumption of direct negotiations and dialogue between Kinshasa, M23, and other non-state actors within the merged process.
The regional leaders emphasized that both processes were crucial, resolving to strengthen them individually to “enhance complementarity.”
The Nairobi Process, spearheaded by the EAC, aims to mediate a resolution between the Government of the DRC and various armed groups operating in the country’s eastern regions.
The Luanda Peace Process, on the other hand, is mediated by Angola under the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the African Union (AU). It primarily seeks to de-escalate tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, with Kinshasa accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group. Rwanda has repeatedly denied this the claims, insisting the M23 rebels are Congolese nationals fighting for their rights.
