CONFLICT ZONE: Democratic Republic of Congo – Company Technique & Outlook

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Congolese troopers guard a army automobile in Muadiamvita, North Kivu, in February 2025 (Photograph: Reuters)

Firstly of 2026, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) used assault drones to bomb militia websites close to Minembwe within the South Kivu province, within the japanese a part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

They had been repelling a army offensive by the March 23 Motion (M23), a gaggle of Rwanda-backed rebels, that started in December 2025.

Though the M23 claimed to withdraw from Uvira following a United States-brokered peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda in late 2025, heavy preventing persists. After over 30 years of armed battle and violence within the DR Congo, the army scenario stays risky. Mobilisation for the “battle effort” continues, with the DRC authorities formalising the Help and Growth Fund for the armed forces in December 2025.

The battle options trendy and superior applied sciences owing to a big shift in direction of aerial energy and digital warfare, together with FARDC’s use of Chinese language-made fight drones, anti-aircraft techniques, and unmanned autos. Additionally, many militias are primarily utilizing Soviet-era weapons and a bootleg arsenal flowing from regional gamers, equivalent to heavy artillery, armoured autos and tanks, and 

small arms.

The lead image spotlights the FARDC’s Kamaz-53949 Hurricane-Okay, a Russian-developed mine-resistant ambush-protected armoured automobile, within the North Kivu province in 2025.