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First mission to monitor the ceasefire in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
On Monday, a mission to monitor the ceasefire between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed Alliance Fleuve Congo/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) arrived in Minembwe in the east of South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The mission is made up of representatives of the Congolese government, the AFC/M23 and the member states of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and is being supported logistically by the UN mission MONUSCO. It is intended to monitor compliance with the ceasefire agreed between the conflict parties, investigate violations, and thereby contribute to the implementation of the Doha framework agreement for a lasting peace agreement, which was signed last November. This followed talks in Switzerland last week, in which Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 agreed on a roadmap for further peace negotiations with the involvement of Qatar, the US, the AU Commission, AU mediation lead Togo and Switzerland.
This roadmap sets out a timetable and next steps for implementing the existing commitments and the protocols from the Doha framework agreement that are still outstanding. A joint mechanism is to be set up to assess progress and identify existing challenges. Also welcomed were the advances in further operationalising the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), including the establishment of the EJVM+ secretariat and the first observation mission deployed on Monday.
Despite the agreed ceasefire and diplomatic efforts under the Doha process and the parallel Washington process (Press Review CW 27/2025), serious clashes continued to occur in eastern DR Congo in recent months, including in Minembwe as well as in Uvira (Press Review CW 50/2025) and Kalehe. Both sides accuse each other of violating the agreed ceasefire, though these accusations often cannot be independently verified. On Monday, for instance, the Congolese government accused the AFC/M23 of having killed more than 300 people in June and July, and condemned alleged crimes and human rights violations in areas controlled by M23. A spokesperson for the AFC/M23, for its part, accused the Congolese armed forces in a post on the social media platform X of having killed several civilians in an attack on a village near Minembwe. Non-governmental organisations and UN experts report serious human rights violations by various parties to the conflict. In the areas it controls, the AFC/M23 is accused of, among other things, repression against journalists and human rights defenders, sexual violence, and the killing of civilians. The Congolese armed forces, and in particular the allied Wazalendo groups, are also accused of attacks on the civilian population, including killings, sexual violence, mistreatment and looting.
After diplomatic efforts under the Doha process had largely stalled for months, the conflict parties agreed in April 2026 on several measures, including the exchange of prisoners and the facilitation of humanitarian aid; the first prisoner exchange finally took place in August. Experts therefore regard the now agreed roadmap as progress that gives further negotiations a clear structure, while at the same time pointing to the challenges that remain in implementing the agreements. What will now be decisive, in particular, is whether the ceasefire is upheld, violations are effectively verified, and the outstanding protocols are implemented.
Tanzania’s Vice President resigns
Following the resignation of Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel John Nchimbi, the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) nominated Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi as his successor on Wednesday. The decision was made at an extraordinary CCM meeting chaired by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The National Assembly has yet to confirm the appointment. Nchimbi, meanwhile, was expelled from the party at the same meeting on grounds of indiscipline. On Tuesday, the 54-year-old had informed Suluhu Hassan in a letter that he was withdrawing from politics and public service and stepping down as Vice President. Under the Tanzanian constitution, the resignation takes effect on 4 September. The President accepted the resignation that same evening. Nchimbi, who ran alongside Suluhu Hassan as vice-presidential candidate in the disputed elections last October (Press Review CW 44/2025) and had been in office for only around ten months, is the first Tanzanian Vice President to voluntarily give up the second-highest political post during their term.
Nchimbi explained his decision by citing his conviction that Suluhu Hassan wanted a change in the office of Vice President. In this context, he referred to a promise he had made to the President before taking office, according to which he would resign as soon as she wished for a change. The resignation came just a few days after MwanaHALISI reported, citing anonymous sources, that Nchimbi was resisting pressure to step down. The report pointed to tensions between the Vice President and Suluhu Hassan. Following this, the regional publication’s licence was suspended for six months. The relevant authority justified the suspension by citing the newspaper’s violations of journalistic standards regarding accuracy, balance and cross-checking. Among other things, Nchimbi had not been asked for a comment prior to publication.
In addition, at the end of July, Nchimbi had called on civil society at the general assembly of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) in Dar es Salaam to « fight for a new constitution » based on national consensus and strengthening human rights, justice and good governance. His remarks reportedly drew criticism within the CCM. Some analysts, meanwhile, attribute the tensions between Nchimbi and Suluhu Hassan to questions of governance as well as to issues arising from the government’s brutal crackdown on street protests during and after the election on 29 October. According to the government-appointed commission of inquiry, at least 518 people were killed in the process. Nchimbi stated after the elections that the government would prioritise political reconciliation (Press Review CW 46/2025).
Nchimbi’s remarks on constitutional reform follow a long-running debate in the country. The call for a new constitution dates back to former President Jakaya Kikwete, who set up a constitutional commission in 2011. The process stalled in 2014 before the planned referendum could take place. In its 2025 election manifesto, the CCM had reaffirmed its intention to continue the process, and Suluhu Hassan, too, held out the prospect of resuming the process before 2030.
In other news
The 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum came to an end in Beijing last Friday. At the centre of the forum, which brought together around 400 representatives from China and 45 African countries, were the digital transformation of the media and the use of artificial intelligence in the audiovisual sector. African actors are calling for cooperation to be expanded beyond the exchange of programmes and technology to include joint productions, and for African perspectives to be made more visible. A joint declaration also envisages closer cooperation on joint productions, reporting, the exchange of audiovisual content, as well as on AI applications and their governance. In addition, 80 cooperation projects were presented. Egypt provides an example of what such cooperation can look like in practice: In 2025, an agreement was reached to restore the 25-part documentary series Mother Earth (Om El Dounia) in high-resolution 4K quality. Meanwhile, in Burundi, 500 villages were equipped with broadcasting technology as part of a China-Africa satellite TV project, expanding access to digital television in remote regions. In total, around 50 joint audiovisual productions have already been created, and China has organised 45 training programmes for more than 1,000 media professionals from 32 African countries. The forum has taken place since 2012 and is hosted by China’s National Radio and Television Administration, the Beijing municipal government and the African Union of Broadcasting.