The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has said it will not "tolerate any behaviour" by its members that undermined its "good image and international standing."

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as MONUC, has pledged to "bring before the courts" perpetrators of crimes committed in the embattled northeastern district of Ituri.

Twenty small-scale miners have died and scores are missing following the collapse of a mine at Kapangla, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo's south-central province of Kasai Occidental, the province's deputy governor, Clement Kanku, told IRIN on Wednesday.

The head of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), William Swing, gave a two-week ultimatum on Sunday to militiamen in the embattled northeastern district of Ituri to disarm and be integrated into the country's national army.

At least 88,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the war-torn district of Ituri, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are again receiving relief aid, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported on Wednesday.

Women are still under represented at decision-making levels in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC's) institutions, reduced to the role of house help and have even become victims of repeated sexual violence, women's representatives said on Tuesday during the International Women's Day.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and international donors must take urgent steps to reform the country's legal system and ensure justice for victims of sexual violence, the international advocacy group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), said on Monday in a new report.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) resumed its relief activities on Friday in camps for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ituri District, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after eight days of what has been described as an "alarming" health situation.

A recent operation in which UN peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed 50 militiamen was "an attempt to defend themselves and a determination to fulfil their mandate as effectively as they can," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday.

An assessment by the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has shown that future outbreaks of plague, associated with a diamond mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, are likely, the agency reported on Thursday.