Democratic Republic of Congo | Council on Foreign Relations

Ukraine

The Stakes in Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive, Stopping Mpox Spread, Nuclear Arms Race Returns, and More

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the incursion into Kursk is an important step towards ending the war with Russia, but Ukraine is facing a major test in its own Donbas battlefields; the intensifying mpox outbreak places additional strain on the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding African nations; heightened security tensions spur the United States, keeping nuclear defense planners busy; and the Taliban bans the voices of women and girls in public.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins August 29, 2024 The World Next Week
Democratic Republic of Congo

DRC-Rwanda Talks Underway, But Lasting Peace Remains Elusive

The peacebuilding challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo is daunting, to be sure. But the alternative is, and has been, a catastrophe.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin August 20, 2024 Africa in Transition
Democratic Republic of Congo

A Puzzling Attempted Coup in the DRC

A clumsy coup d’état attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo reveals the underlying fragility of U.S.-DRC relations.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin May 23, 2024 Africa Program

Experts in this Region

Elections and Voting

Women This Week: Women Make Significant Gains in Turkey's Local Elections

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 30 to April 5.

Blog Post by Noël James April 8, 2024 Women Around the World
Democratic Republic of Congo

History Breeds Skepticism in the DRC’s Electoral Results

Attempts to promote “stability” in 2019 bear predictable consequences in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most recent election.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin January 3, 2024 Africa in Transition
Maternal and Child Health

Women This Week: Aid Cuts Disproportionately Affect Women-Led Households in Afghanistan

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers December 16 to December 22.

Blog Post by Noël James December 22, 2023 Women Around the World

Venezuela

Guyana-Venezuela Border Dispute, Missile Defense Base in Poland, DRC Elections, and More

Guyana and Venezuela begin discussion on a territorial dispute over the Essequibo region; the Redzikowo U.S. missile defense base in Poland becomes operable; the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds presidential elections; and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny goes missing.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins December 14, 2023 The World Next Week
Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo Holds Tense Elections: What to Know

Congo’s elections on December 20 are unlikely to deliver meaningful change to address massive insecurity in the east, corruption scandals, and persistent poverty.

In Brief by Michelle Gavin December 12, 2023 Africa Program
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Women This Week: Israelis and Palestinians Pay Tribute to Women Wage Peace Cofounder

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers November 11 to November 17.

Blog Post by Women and Foreign Policy Program Staff November 17, 2023 Women Around the World
Central Africa

CFR Book Launch Series: "The Lumumba Plot" by Stuart Reid

Foreign Affairs Executive Editor Stuart Reid discusses his new book, The Lumumba Plot, which follows the dramatic history of the Congo in 1960 on the edge of its independence from Belgium, the ensuing CIA plot against its prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, and how these events set the stage for the country’s next three decades of misrule.

Virtual Event by Stuart Reid and Daniel Kurtz-Phelan November 7, 2023 CFR Fellows’ Book Launch
Democratic Republic of Congo

Catastrophic Displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The latest revelations about the scale of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s crisis deserve attention.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin November 3, 2023 Africa in Transition
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel-Hamas War Ground Campaign, Biden Hosts Latin American Leaders, Congress Debates Israel and Ukraine Aid, and More

Israel’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip intensify as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli leaders amid calls for a pause in fighting; U.S. President Biden hosts the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Summit to discuss regional economic growth and the migration crisis; Congress considers aid to Israel and Ukraine as a government shutdown approaches; and conflict displaces 6.9 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins November 2, 2023 The World Next Week
Sexual Violence

Women This Week: Sexual Assault Increasing Among Displaced Women in the Congo

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers October 21 to October 27.

Blog Post by Noël James October 27, 2023 Women Around the World
Central Africa

The Lumumba Plot

A spellbinding work of history that reads like a Cold War spy thriller—about the U.S.-sanctioned plot to assassinate the democratically elected leader of the newly independent Congo.

Book by Stuart Reid October 17, 2023
Democratic Republic of Congo

An Ever More Precarious Situation in DRC

As the Democratic Republic of Congo’s decades-long struggle with insecurity heats up, increased regional military engagement heightens risks.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin March 14, 2023 Africa in Transition