This week, DRC’s UN peacekeeping mission repatriates 15 former Rwandan rebels. Recent violence in Jonglei threatens peace prospects in South Sudan. Pakistan’s acting president says development elusive without peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
DRC’s UN Peacekeeping Mission Repatriates 15 Former Rwandan Rebels
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) on January 27 repatriated 15 former members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group. MONUSCO also repatriated 19 members of the former rebels’ families.
The repatriation was conducted as part of MONUSCO’s disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and stabilization section. MONUSCO reports an increase in the number of voluntary surrenders by Rwandan rebels in the outskirts of Goma in recent months.
A Rwandan official reported that after the latest repatriation, the total number of ex-combatants repatriated now stands at 33.
Recent Violence in Jonglei Threatens Peace Prospects in South Sudan
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on January 25 warned that the recent escalation of violence in Jonglei state threatens prospects in the country. Reports said that a senior military leader is urging troops to indiscriminately attack civilians, with over 180,000 people fleeing their homes.
Officer in Charge Graham Maitland said, “Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now.”
After the country experienced a civil war in 2013 which killed over 400,000 people, South Sudan’s fragile peace has been deteriorating this year, despite a peace agreement signed in 2018. Amnesty International on May 28 reported that violence had killed 180 people between March and mid-April 2025 amid deepening divisions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar. On September 21 2025, at least 48 people were killed and over 152 injured in fighting between South Sudan’s army and opposition forces in Burebiey.
Pakistan’s Acting President Says Development Elusive Without Peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province
Pakistan’s acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on January 28 that development and prosperity in the country appear elusive without peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Gilani has been working to promote development and prosperity throughout Pakistan, and held discussions with Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on the country’s political situation, law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, good governance, and the province’s overall socio-political conditions. He praised the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their resilience and courage in the fight against terrorism.
Governor Kundi briefed Gilani on the ongoing measures to ensure law and order, promote good governance, and enhance public welfare in the province. Gilani stressed that development and the welfare of the province’s residents is a top priority for the government.
This development comes after at least four members of a peace committee were killed in a suspected terrorist attack in the province on January 13. In Pakistan, peace committees are local groups that help security forces maintain peace and combat extremism. Some commentators have noted a larger trend in threats against members of peace committees, and have pointed out that such committees cannot be effective without further actions by the government against extremism.
Keywords: DRC, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
