Congo faces rising military costs, tax shortfall in revised ‘combat budget’
A Congolese soldier stands guard during a repatriation ceremony for two South African soldiers killed in the M23 conflict in Goma, North Kivu, on February 20, 2024.
Congo is grappling with soaring military costs and declining tax revenues due to an offensive by Rwandan-backed rebels, who now occupy much of the country’s eastern borderlands, a revised wartime budget under consideration by lawmakers showed.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said this month that the fighting was straining public finances, citing the closure of revenue collection offices in areas controlled by the M23 rebels and elevated security spending linked to the conflict.
