News updates from the African continent for June 23rd, 2025:
Heineken loses operational control of facilities in Congo’s war-hit east
Heineken has lost operational control and withdrawn its staff from its facilities in conflict-affected areas of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The beverages giant said in March that its operations in three eastern cities would remain suspended until it was safe to reopen, after some of its breweries were hit and its depots raided during fighting between the army and rebels.
Last Friday, the beer maker said the situation had deteriorated further, and that armed personnel had taken control of its facilities in Bukavu and Goma – eastern Congo’s two biggest cities, now under rebel control – and nearby areas.
Source: Reuters
Rwanda arrests opposition leader Ingabire
Rwanda has arrested prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire on charges of inciting public disorder and creating a criminal organisation, a state investigative agency said – a move one of her lawyers said was politically motivated.
Ingabire, who heads unregistered opposition party DALFA–Umurinzi, returned from exile to contest a presidential election in 2010, but was barred from standing after being accused of genocide denial.
She is accused of “playing a role in creating a criminal organisation and engaging in acts that incite public disorder,” the Rwanda Investigations Bureau said in a statement late on Thursday.
Source: Reuters
ECOWAS leaders meet in Abuja amid regional tensions and leadership transition
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Regional heads of state gathered to evaluate the bloc’s current state, which continues to grapple with internal instability following a wave of military coups in several member countries.
ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray is scheduled to present an update on the status of negotiations regarding the formal withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
This move would reshape the bloc’s political and economic landscape.
Source: Africa News
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