The Congolese government has issued its first detailed response to the October 7 incident in Mounkala, disputing the account given a day earlier by Frédéric Ntumi’s Conseil National des Républicains, CNR in acronym. In a statement dated October 8, the government said a DGSP unit traveling from Brazzaville toward Mindouli encountered three men in civilian …
Tensions are rising again in the Pool Department of the Republic of Congo after the Conseil National des Républicains, or CNR, accused members of the presidential security service, DGSP, of carrying out an armed operation at a site belonging to Frédéric Ntumi in Mounkala, in the district of Mayama. In a communiqué dated October 7, …
In the Republic of the Congo and elsewhere in Africa, the foreign homes, medical evacuations and luxury lifestyles of political elites reveal more than personal privilege. They expose a governing class that often has little personal stake in the public services it controls. News of the reported death in Paris of Gilbert Djombo Bomodjo, a …
When Public Officials Build Their Lives Abroad, Their Countries Pay the Price Read More »
The violent incident reported in Mandu village, in the Pool department, raises serious questions about the role of state security forces in the production, rather than the prevention, of instability in the Republic of Congo. Presented officially as a security intervention, the DGSP operation has instead degenerated into armed confrontation, property destruction, and civilian casualties. …
Pool Department (Congo): Manufactured Insecurity and the Politics of Fear Read More »
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has signed a new presidential proclamation expanding and reinforcing restrictions on entry into the United States for nationals of dozens of countries, citing national security, counterterrorism concerns, and the need to protect the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. The measure is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, …
The group draw for the 2026 World Cup took place on 5 December 2025 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The final draw assigned the 48 qualified teams into 12 groups (Groups A–L), four teams per group. As co-hosts, the Mexico national football team, the Canada national football …
Hugues Ngouélondélé has held important political offices in Congo-Brazzaville for decades. He served as Mayor of Brazzaville (2003–2017) and as a Member of the National Assembly. Since 2017 he has been Minister of Sports. His family connections are unmistakable: he married a daughter of the longtime ruler Denis Sassou Nguesso. His sister also married into …
When Football (Soccer) in Congo-Brazzaville Is Run Like Politics, Not Sport Read More »
For almost half a century, Congo-Brazzaville has been governed by a single family—the Nguessos—whose rule has dragged the country into a state of decay, humiliation, and global distrust. Whatever remained of Congo’s prestige has been steadily dismantled by a government that behaves more like a private enterprise than a public authority. A Government That Governs …
Brazzaville is bleeding in silence. Since late September, the Congolese capital has witnessed a chilling wave of state-sanctioned violence—young men executed in broad daylight, bodies left in the street, and neighborhoods terrorized under the guise of “security operations.” The culprits are not gangs, but the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Présidentielle (DGSP)—an elite military unit …
Brazzaville’s Alleged “Bébés Noirs”: When Law Enforcement Turns Into Executioners Read More »
In Congo-Brazzaville, under President Denis Sassou Nguesso, a brutal campaign has emerged under the guise of “combating youth delinquency.” But make no mistake: this is not law enforcement. This is state terror by another name—profiling, mass intimidation, and extrajudicial violence. The rhetoric vs. the reality Across Brazzaville and other urban centers, the state’s internal security …