DR Congo
A former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, has announced the formation of a coalition of political and military organizations opposed to the current government, which includes the powerful M23 rebel group that controls significant territory in the east of the country. Kabila, who is also based in the east, said at a news conference that the alliance would be known as the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation. President Felix Tshisekedi’s government did not immediately respond to the announcement, but analysts said it represented a serious challenge to his administration and to U.S.-brokered peace talks between DRC and the M23, which is backed by Rwanda.
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West Bank
Israeli forces have raided the offices of two Palestinian NGOs in the occupied West Bank and taken control of the entrance to a major hospital, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Soldiers searched the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association in the city of Ramallah on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera, and confiscated equipment belonging to Addameer, which advocates for the rights of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli snipers were reported to have been deployed around the entrances to the Palestine Medical Complex. In 2021, Israel designated six Palestinian human rights groups, including Addameer and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, as “terrorist” organizations.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Ethiopia
Ethiopian government troops have entered a town close to the border with Eritrea, Reuters reported, citing residents, as fears grow of imminent war between the neighbors. Witnesses said Eritrean troops had crossed into the town, Zalambessa, last week but it was unclear if they were still present. Fighting broke out between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and several smaller groups opposed to the government last month. The conflict has heightened already severe tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia, with Addis Ababa accusing Eritrea of supporting the TPLF. The two fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, during which up to 300,000 people were killed.
More from Reuters here.