Free Republic

Nothing will ever be easy with congressional Republicans. The reconciliation package aged all of us 35 years, as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had to whip votes, hold the line, and make some phone calls. President Trump was also working the phones heavily when final passage was at stake in the House. Republican leadership held the line, but with Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) retiring after the reconciliation vote, delivering what’s left of the Trump agenda before the 2026 midterms is about to get even tougher. The House did its job and passed the rescission package, but...

He’s a person who deserves a great deal more credit than he’s getting for ending a war that’s lasted for over three decades. In what may become one of the most significant diplomatic moments in recent African history, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a sweeping peace agreement on June 27, 2025—and they did it in the Oval Office, no less, hosted by President Donald Trump. It’s a deal with real potential to end decades of devastating conflict, but what most people won’t see in the headlines is the man who made it possible behind the scenes:...

30 years of war settled. America gets rare earths extraction deal out of it. Congo and Rwanda kiss and make up. Trump gets credit. Biden blew the conflict off. President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed representatives from Rwanda and the Congo to the White House after he announced the U.S. secured a "wonderful" treaty between the two countries. Trump said he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were able to broker a deal for "one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen," describing the treaty as a "tremendous breakthrough," while Rubio called it "an important moment" after 30 years of...

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed a peace deal in Washington aimed at ending decades of devastating conflict between the two neighbours, and potentially granting the US lucrative mineral access.

President Donald Trump revealed Friday that a peace treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda has been secured, stating that it was “a Great Day for the World.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had worked to arrange a “wonderful Treaty” between the two countries. Trump added that representatives from both countries will be in Washington, DC, on Monday “to sign documents.” “I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic...

A Dayton man has been federally indicted by a grand jury in Ohio on three counts related to lying on U.S. immigration and naturalization applications by concealing his alleged role as a perpetrator of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Vincent Nzigiyimfura is charged with one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud. If convicted, the Rwandan national faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Nzigiyimfura, also known as Vincent Mfura, 65, of Dayton, is alleged to have participated in the genocide that took place between April and July 1994. It involved members of Rwanda’s...

After decades of conflict between two African countries, President Trump and an adviser said the two sides, with U.S. help, had created an agreement that was now being finalized.President Trump claimed on Wednesday that his administration was close to brokering peace in the war between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two African nations with a long history of conflict. He made the remarks at an Oval Office meeting with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.Mr. Trump said that Massad Boulos, the State Department’s senior adviser for Africa and the father-in-law to Tiffany Trump, had helped settle the war. Mr....

Evidently, we need more places to stash illegal alien criminals whose own countries won't take them back. In a somewhat unexpected development, the Trump administration is now in talks with the African nation of Rwanda to take some of these deportees. Advertisement Rwanda's government and the Trump administration are discussing details about a potential agreement for Kigali to accept deportees from the U.S., including Africans and other non-Rwandan nationals, CBS News has learned. Decisions on potential financial compensation for taking in the deportees and other details would be discussed within the next two weeks, according to a Rwandan official. A...

Three Americans convicted for their role in a failed coup in Democratic Republic of Congo last year have had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, the presidency has said. They were among 37 people sentenced to death last September by a military court. The three were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi last May. The overturning of the sentences comes ahead of a visit to DR Congo by the newly appointed US senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos. Boulos, father-in-law to President Donald Trump's daughter,...

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, has reached out directly to President Donald J. Trump with a historic proposal: help defeat a brutal rebel force terrorizing his nation, and in return, America will gain direct access to one of the world’s richest untapped troves of critical minerals—worth an estimated $24 trillion. According to a letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal, President Tshisekedi offered Trump exclusive mining opportunities through the newly launched U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund, a Trump-led initiative aimed at reshaping global investment through pro-American partnerships. “Your election has ushered in the golden age...

Horrifying details of atrocities are continuing to emerge from the Democratic Republic of the Congo 12 days after the Rwandan-backed armed group, M23, seized the eastern city of Goma. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting - around 2,000 bodies are still to be buried. As rebels entered the city, Goma’s Munzenze prison became a centre of the violence. It was set on fire, prisoners were burnt alive - and thousands escaped. The UN says female prisoners were raped by male prisoners.

BUKAVU, Congo — Rwanda-backed rebels have "occupied" a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Congo's government said Sunday, as M23 rebels positioned themselves at the governor's office in Bukavu and pledged to clean up after the "old regime." Associated Press journalists witnessed scores of residents cheering on the rebels after they entered Bukavu following a dayslong march from Goma, a city of 2 million people they seized last month. The rebels saw little resistance from government forces against the unprecedented expansion of their reach after their years of fighting. Congo's government vowed to restore order in Bukavu, a city...

More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN. Hundreds of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city. Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says. The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison. The BBC has not been able to verify the reports. SNIP

The tantalum within your device weighs less than half of the average garden pea but is essential for the efficient functioning of a smartphone, and almost all other sophisticated electronic devices. The unique properties of this rare, blue-grey, lustrous metal – including being able to hold a high charge compared to its size, while operating in a range of temperatures - make it an ideal material for tiny capacitors, which temporarily store energy. It is also mined in Rwanda, Brazil and Nigeria but at least 40% - and maybe more – of the element's global supply comes from DR Congo...

It has been a humiliating week for nearly 300 Romanian mercenaries recruited to fight on the side of the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their surrender following a rebel assault on the eastern city of Goma has also shattered the dreams of those who signed up for the job to earn big money. The BBC has seen contracts that show that these hired soldiers were being paid around $5,000 (£4,000) a month, while regular military recruits get around $100, or sometimes go unpaid. The Romanians were contracted to help the army fight the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who say...

A massive Ukrainian drone attack repelled in Russia's Rostov Region... The Rwandan-backed rebels say they intend to follow up on seizure of Congo's largest city Goma with a move on the capital city... Israeli air strikes late tonight in two parts of Lebanon... A US Appeals Court ruling that a federal ban on selling handguns to 18, 19 and 20-year-olds is unconstitutional... Top officials in the Federal Bureau of Investigation being asked to resign or retire... President Donald Trump says the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico begin Saturday... The US Federal Aviation Administration says that air traffic controller...

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Dead bodies lay in the streets, gunfire rang out and hospitals were overwhelmed in east Congo's largest city Goma where M23 rebels backed by Rwanda faced pockets of resistance on Tuesday from army and pro-government militias. A day after the rebels marched into the lakeside city, protesters in the capital attacked a U.N. compound and embassies including those of Rwanda, France and the United States, expressing anger at what they said was foreign interference.

Allies of Mr Trump said his team is considering deporting illegal immigrants to a number of countries - including Rwanda. A source close to Trump’s camp said: “Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration - and he is determined to stick to it. “His team is looking at the Rwanda scheme. He is considering deporting illegal migrants to Rwanda and other countries so they cannot stay on American soil.” Mr Trump won a sweeping victory by promising to crack down on illegal immigration in America. He accused Joe Biden and the Democrats of woefully failing to...

<p>A station platform has been cordoned off at Hamburg central station in northern Germany amid fears that a train passenger may have arrived carrying a dangerous virus.</p><p>A fire department spokesman told the Bild tabloid that the man and his girlfriend had developed flu-like symptoms on a high-speed train from Frankfurt.</p>