| Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it's headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. A long-standing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken an alarming turn. Rebels operating in the country's eastern flank are putting measures in place that indicate their intention to occupy conquered mineral-rich territory for "the long-term," according to a report by a United Nations group of experts. That's despite an ostensible ceasefire being agreed last year.  A camp for internally displaced people near Goma in eastern Congo. Photographer: Zanem Nety Zaidi/Getty Images The M23 militia, which the UN experts says is backed by thousands of Rwandan troops, are seizing towns and setting up a parallel administration to control mines and trade. They are allegedly making millions of dollars by exporting coltan, an ore that contains metals used in the production of mobile phones and other electronic devices, via Rwanda. Last month, Congo sued Apple in Belgium and France for allegedly buying minerals from Rwanda that had been "pillaged" from Congo. The company disputed the charges and said it asked its suppliers to stop sourcing minerals from the area. In recent weeks, the rebels seized Masisi, a hillside town that lies on an important trade route, adding to the swathe of territory they control. With the world focused on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the protracted conflict in eastern Congo has been largely forgotten. Fighting erupted in the late 1990s, with more than 100 rebel groups now weighing in. The region includes some of the most miserable places on earth — vast refugee camps plagued by hunger, disease and sexual violence.  WATCH: Jennifer Zabasajja discuss recent militant activity in Congo and Chad with Beverly Ochieng, senior analyst for Francophone Africa at Control Risks. Peace talks and truces backed by the US, Angola and a former Kenyan president have come to nothing. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has repeatedly denied involvement despite UN evidence to the contrary. With regional stability at stake and Congo home to a treasure trove of minerals key to the global economy, including most of the world's coltan reserves, the crisis is one that needs to be urgently addressed. — Michael J. Kavanaugh and Antony Sguazzin Key stories and opinion:
Kagame Pans UN Report That Puts Rwanda at Center of Congo Crisis
The War in Congo That's Uprooted 7 Million People: QuickTake
Congo Sues Apple Alleging 'Pillaged' Minerals in Products
Africa Is Heading Toward Another Deadly War: Justice Malala
The Untouchable Autocrat Leading Africa's Fastest Turnaround Chad said it averted a "destabilization attempt" after security forces repelled two dozen attackers who briefly entered the presidency where the West African nation's military leader had received China's foreign minister. At least 19 people were killed, among them 18 assailants and one palace guard, according to the government. The incident came two weeks after the coup-hit country held disputed parliamentary elections.  Chad's leader Mahamat Déby. Photographer: Mouta Ali/AP Photo Ethiopia is opening a stock exchange after a five-decade gap, its latest step to lure investors to a nation that's struggling to control regional strife as it recovers from a civil war. Ethiopia Investment Holdings, which controls 40 state-run companies, is selling shares in Ethio Telecom to raise as much as $234 million in an initial public offering. The government's plan to list state firms will herald the start of the new bourse, according to Tilahun Kassahun, head of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange. The Biden administration sanctioned the leader of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in Sudan, and simultaneously announced that it had determined the group was guilty of genocide. The decision was a sharp rebuke of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more commonly known as Hemedti, who has used his forces to engage in a brutal armed conflict with Sudan's army, killing tens of thousands of people, the US Treasury Department said. Hemedti is the most senior official to be targeted yet for his role in the 20-month civil war.  Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/Getty Images India's largest steelmaker has been sidelined by a legal dispute that's derailed its deal to buy a coal concession in Mozambique. Sajjan Jindal's JSW Steel agreed in May to buy Minas de Revuboè from the estate of Ken Talbot, an Australian tycoon who died 14 years ago. Before the deal could be completed, Mozambique's government revoked MdR's lease to mine coal valued at about $50 billion. It later opened a 30-day window for the filing of objections to the award of the concession to Stonecoal, a new company whose directors work for Sajjan's brother and fellow steel tycoon, Naveen. The loss of the rights has triggered a legal battle between MdR and the government. Another top member of a leftist South African party has quit, dealing it a further blow following election losses and high-profile departures last year. The Economic Freedom Fighters said it had accepted the resignation of lawmaker Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, its former spokesman and a confidant of leader Julius Malema. Other EFF stalwarts, including deputy leader Floyd Shivambu, left to join the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, which was founded by former President Jacob Zuma and displaced Malema's grouping as the nation's third-biggest in May elections.  EFF supporters at a rally in Polokwane in May 2024. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg Ghana hopes to secure more support from the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral lenders, according to Cassiel Ato Forson, who is new President John Mahama's pick for finance minister. "We are committed to working with the IMF and are working hard to get more funding from the IMF, World Bank and international development partners," he said. The West African nation reluctantly sought a $3 billion bailout from the IMF in 2022 because it couldn't keep up with debt payments that were consuming more than half of government revenues. Next Africa Quiz — What is the name of Africa's oldest political movement, which marked the 113th anniversary of its founding this week? Send your answers to mcohen21@bloomberg.net. Data Watch - Ghana's annual inflation rate climbed to 23.8% in December, an eight-month high, reducing the prospects of the central bank cutting borrowing costs later this month.
- Sentiment among South African manufacturers soured for a second month in December as weak domestic demand, declining export sales and logistical disruptions weighed on industries. Absa's purchasing managers' index fell to 46.2 from 48.1 in November.
- Benin plans to secure fresh external financing and may launch the first eurobond from Africa in 2025.
- Botswana's central bank increased the rate it charges commercial lenders to tap it for foreign currency as part of an effort to protect the country's dwindling reserves.
Coming Up - Jan. 11 The Africa National Congress, South Africa's biggest political party, sets out its policy priorities for the year
- Jan. 12 Comoros holds parliamentary elections
- Jan. 13 Kenya announces adjustments to fuel prices
- Jan. 15 December inflation data for Nigeria, Botswana and Eswatini; Swearing in of Mozambique's new president
- Jan. 16 South Africa electricity consumption and production data
 "Detty December" refers to the annual pilgrimage of tourists and diasporans to Nigeria and Ghana during the festive period. Bloomberg's Tiwa Adebayo, who recently returned from Lagos, tells Jennifer Zabasajja why some locals aren't sharing in the jubilation this year. | 
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