Mapping the human toll of the conflict in DR Congo
Ongoing violence and instability, including fighting by M23 rebels, has forced millions to flee their homes in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises. Ongoing violence and instability have forced millions to flee their homes, with at least 7,000 people killed in recent months and many more injured. The violence this year has largely been driven by armed groups, particularly M23 rebels, who have intensified their offensive in eastern DRC. In January, M23 seized control of Goma, the capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province, before capturing Bukavu, the capital of neighbouring South Kivu, in February. They have since continued to advance west. Who are the M23? The M23 rebel group was formed in 2012 by former Congolese soldiers, mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group. The group takes its name from the March 23 Movement, referring to the date peace accords were signed in 2009 between the DRC’s government and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) that aimed to integrate its fighters into the Congolese army. Advertisement However, M23 later accused the government of failing to fully implement the agreement, leading them to launch their rebellion. M23 briefly seized control of Goma in November 2012 but was defeated and forced into exile in 2013. After nearly a decade of dormancy, the group resurfaced in late 2021 and has since intensified its military campaign in eastern DRC. According to United Nations experts, Rwanda backs M23 with troops and ammunition. Kigali, however, denies the accusations. M23 rebels’ rapid advance The latest round of conflict escalated in December 2024 after peace talks in Angola between the presidents of DRC and Rwanda were cancelled over disagreements about M23. Rwanda had insisted on direct dialogue between DRC and M23, which the Congolese government at the time refused. January 27, 2025 – M23 captures Goma: In the worst escalation in a decade or more, M23 fighters took control of eastern DRC’s largest city, Goma – a crucial humanitarian hub near the Rwandan border, home to more than 2 million people. February 16, 2025 – M23 captures Bukavu: The rebels advanced into Bukavu’s city centre with little resistance, as DRC accused Rwanda of ignoring ceasefire calls. March 19, 2025 – M23 captures Walikale: The rebels seized the mining hub Walikale in North Kivu, the farthest west they have ever reached, dismissing ceasefire calls from DRC and Rwanda. They later said they would withdraw from the town in a peace gesture. More than seven million people displaced The DRC is home to one of the largest populations of displaced people around the world. Advertisement More than 7 million people are displaced, including 3.8 million in North and South Kivu provinces in the east of the country. Nearly 780,000 people were forced to flee their homes between November 2024 and January 2025 alone. According to the UN Refugee Agency, since January 1, more than 100,000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries, with 69,000 seeking refuge in Burundi, 29,000 in Uganda, and about 1,000 in Rwanda and Tanzania. A quarter of the country faces food shortage The security situation in Goma, a key humanitarian hub, remains highly volatile, with movement restrictions hindering aid delivery to those in urgent need. The DRC has a population of some 112 million. Before the latest escalation, 21 million people across the country already needed humanitarian aid – the highest figure globally, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). By the end of 2024, armed conflicts, rising food prices and epidemics had pushed 25.6 million people – nearly a quarter of the population – into acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse). (Al Jazeera) According to OCHA, 2.7 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri were already facing severe food shortage before the latest escalation. Looting of humanitarian infrastructure and warehouses has further crippled relief efforts, with large quantities of food, medicine, and medical supplies lost in targeted attacks on humanitarian organisations. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli air strike targets Nasser Hospital in Gaza kills Hamas official
NewsFeed An Israeli air strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza has killed at least five Palestinians, including senior Hamas official Ismail Barhoum. Several others were injured. The attack targeted the surgical building of the hospital, destroying the second floor. Published On 24 Mar 202524 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
India will overtake Indonesia as the country with largest Muslim population in…, Hindus will become…
Reports suggest about 80 per cent of people in India are Hindu and 15 per cent are Muslim.
Top GOP governor makes key endorsement in border state gubernatorial race: ‘Deeply honored’
EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is endorsing Karrin Taylor Robson in the Arizona 2026 gubernatorial Republican primary. Robson is seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in what’s expected to be one of the most competitive races in the country. “I am proud to join President Trump in endorsing Karrin Taylor Robson for Governor. Karrin is the conservative outsider and business leader Arizona needs. I know she will join me in partnering with the Trump Administration to secure our borders, create a strong economy, and say NO to the Woke Agenda. Join me in supporting Karrin today!” Sanders said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CAN’T WAIT FOR TRUMP TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY IN THE STATES Sanders was a press secretary for President Donald Trump during his first term, and then followed in her father Mike Huckabee’s footsteps and became governor in 2023, succeeding Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “I am deeply honored to have Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ support. Her leadership in Arkansas and her dedication to President Trump’s America First agenda is an example for every Governor in the country to follow. I’m thrilled she’s joining President Trump in supporting my campaign to deliver results for Arizona by defeating radical Katie Hobbs, locking down our border, and building a stronger, safer state,” Robson said in response to the endorsement. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS ON TARIFF THREAT: TRUMP IS TIRED OF AMERICA GETTING RIPPED OFF At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December, Trump said he planned on backing her campaign if she jumped in. “Are you running for governor? I think so, Karrin, ’cause if you do you’re gonna have my support, OK?” Trump said during his speech. In 2022, she mounted a primary bid for the governor’s office and narrowly lost to Republican Kari Lake, who serves as a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Lake and Robson had a bitter primary battle in 2022, but Robson ultimately endorsed both Trump and Lake in their 2024 general election bids. ‘I WILL NOT REST’: BORDER STATE GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN WEEKS AFTER TRUMP BACKED HER Rep. Andy Biggs, who also supports Trump, threw his hat into the ring, and he’s racked up the endorsements of fellow Republican Arizona Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar, as well as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert. Critics of Robson believe that Biggs will have a better shot of winning over the Republican base and hope that the president will have a change of heart. Meanwhile, there’s a long way until the primary, which is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026. It’s unclear if any other major contenders will enter the race on either side. Cook Political Report ranks the general election race as a toss-up. Other statewide offices, including secretary of state and attorney general, will be up for grabs as well in the battleground state that Trump won in 2024.
Youngkin efforts lead slew of VA colleges to nix DEI, as Hokie alums reportedly push back
FIRST ON FOX: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday praised the domino effect of Virginia colleges nixing their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments and initiatives, just weeks after President Donald Trump issued a nationwide order to that effect. “Discriminatory DEI policies are being dismantled across Virginia’s colleges and universities,” Youngkin told Fox News Digital. “This is a win for common sense, for civil rights, and for students and faculty at some of the world’s most premier institutions of higher learning we proudly have in Virginia. I am pleased our college and university boards continue to prioritize merit-based opportunity over race-based discrimination.” Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, along with Virginia’s community college system, Longwood University in Farmville, and Radford University in Radford, all announced or passed resolutions Friday to end such policies. DEI CHARGED CLAIMS FLY OVER CONTRACT FOR MILITARY SCHOOL’S LEADER AS LAWMAKER DEMANDS ETHICS PROBE Those announcements follow the Old Dominion’s “flagship” university, UVA – founded by President Thomas Jefferson himself – which made its move on March 7 along with its satellite institution, UVA-Wise, near the Kentucky border. Youngkin has been one of few governors publicly leading such efforts to bring an end to DEI practices at educational institutions. Sources familiar with Youngkin’s work said Virginia – where the governor is uniquely limited to one consecutive term by law – will see the effects of the Republican’s board of visitors appointments at colleges across the commonwealth for many years after he leaves office in January. Youngkin added in a recent interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that Virginia is leading the way on “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.” The governor made education a priority issue in his administration, telling the Ronald Reagan Foundation last year that proper schooling is the “bedrock to attaining the American dream.” As for the newest DEI departures, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is also primed to end DEI by midweek – with its board expected to vote Tuesday on the matter. Virginia Tech is considered the commonwealth’s flagship land-grant university and the collegiate anchor of Southside Virginia. VCU’s resolution read that the college will continue to be an “open-admission institution” for every learner, and that its mission seeks to “give everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened.” It shuttered all systems, programs, procedures and initiatives that failed to comply with federal civil rights protections, across its 23 institutions. UVA ENDS DEI Longwood did the same, as well as blocking out any use of third-parties to try to circumvent the new prohibitions, according to an appendix in the college’s resolution. The VCU Board of Visitors’ vote favored ending its Division of Inclusive Excellence, but it was not unanimous. Two former Gov. Terry McAuliffe appointees – Edward McCoy and the Rev. Tyrone Nelson – joined two Youngkin appointees – Dr. Clifton Peay and Gurpreet “P2” Sandhu – in voting “nay.” Virginia Tech’s quarterly board meeting was listed for 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday at an inn in Montgomery County, as some critics said it should be made more public. “Permissible programs” affected by the potential end to its DEI department will be moved to “a new organizational home,” according a copy of the resolution published by the Augusta Free Press paper of the Staunton-Waynesboro area. The paper separately reported that an alumni group is warning against adopting the resolution, warning future students would not have the same opportunities as past graduates. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Hokie alums are also demanding a town hall-style meeting to address the issue and be able to speak with administrators. Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette, vice president of the Trust for America’s Health policy organization in Washington, D.C., and a Hokie alum, told the paper she and others are “deeply disappointed and concerned about the tactics used to challenge Virginia Tech’s commitment to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive learning environment.” The petition itself will be delivered to Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands, and reads in part that “DEIAB programs are not only valuable—they are essential to ensuring that Virginia Tech remains a place where all students, regardless of their background, have a chance to succeed and make meaningful contributions to society.” Christopher Newport University in Newport News, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, James Madison University in Harrisonburg and George Mason University in Fairfax are all set to hold board meetings in April. Fox News Digital reached out to Virginia Tech for comment.
RFK Jr.’s former running mate rules out 2026 CA governor run, hints at activism: ‘Watching closely’
Nicole Shanahan, Silicon Valley philanthropist and Robert F. Kennedy’s running mate during his 2024 presidential race, has ruled out a gubernatorial run in California for the 2026 election to replace the termed-out liberal Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Shannahan made the announcement Friday on Steve Hilton’s podcast when asked about her priorities in the Golden State. “My priorities are and, you know, Steve, I’m just gonna share with you now; I’m giving you the exclusive. I’m not running for governor in 2026,” Shanahan told Hilton, a Fox News contributor. SCORCHED-EARTH SHANAHAN: RFK JR’S FORMER RUNNING MATE THREATENS POLITICAL WAR AGAINST CONFIRMATION OPPONENTS “I believe that my job in 2026 is to get people to break out of their political orthodoxy, to think about what is really in the best interest of California,” she said. “I am not a Democrat, I am not a Republican, I am an independent, and I’m here to support the revival of California.” She continued, saying “now is the time for people to step up” and that she will be “watching closely” and “supporting” individuals who “continue to be brave enough to stand up against harmful political ideology to do what is right for the people.” Shanahan has been involved in several political efforts in California, including being a major donor in the effort to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. TRUMP SURROGATE CORRIN RANKIN PICKED TO LEAD BLUE STATE’S GOP: ‘MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN’ As Kennedy faced high-stakes congressional confirmation hearings to lead the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, Shanahan singled out several senators, warning that she would financially support primary challengers if they voted against his confirmation as secretary. “Dear U.S. Senators, Bobby may play nice; I won’t,” she wrote in a post on X. WHO IS NICOLE SHANAHAN? MEET THE WEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR RFK JR SELECTED AS HIS VP RUNNING MATE Several candidates have announced their intentions to run for governor of California in the 2026 election, while others are still considering their options. Katie Porter, the former liberal congresswoman, has launched her bid, focusing on advocating for working families and opposing former President Trump’s policies. Eleni Kounalakis, California’s lieutenant governor, has officially entered the race, seeking to continue Newsom’s policies. Other candidates include Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff who is running on the Republican ticket. Bianco’s platform centerson law enforcement issues and border security. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is also rumored to be considering a 2026 run, and her decision could have a major impact on the race, particularly among Democratic voters.
Democrats on possible Biden political reemergence: ‘his time has passed’
Former President Joe Biden may want to be back in the political arena to try and help the Democratic Party emerge from the wilderness. However, it does not appear that many Democrats are overly receptive to the offer from the 82-year-old former president, whom many blame for last November’s stinging election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and Senate and fell short in winning back the House majority from the GOP. “As far as Biden’s position within the current state of the Democratic Party, I think his time is over. I think his time has passed. The train has sort of moved on,” a Democrat strategist who asked for anonymity to speak more freely told Fox News. Biden met last month with Ken Martin, the newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee, to offer his help, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News last week. Word of the meeting and Biden’s offer to help fundraise or campaign for the party was first reported by NBC News. POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS PLUNGE TO ALL-TIME LOWS The offer of assistance by the former president comes as recent polling indicates the Democratic Party brand is in desperate need of repair. The party’s favorable rating sank to all-time lows in separate national polls conducted this month by CNN and NBC News. Those numbers followed a record low for Democrats in a Quinnipiac University survey in the field in February. Additionally, the latest Fox News National poll, which was released last week, indicated Congressional Democrats’ approval rating at 30%, near an all-time low. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON FORMER PRESIDENT BIDEN While some Democrats praise Biden for his past accomplishments, including during his single term in the White House, many say it is time to move on as the party aims to rebound. “President Biden did a lot of remarkably great things for this country,” longtime Democratic consultant John MacNeil told Fox News. “I’m sure there is still some love left for him.” However, MacNeil, who was part of the leadership of Unite the Country, a pro-Biden super PAC that helped boost the then-former vice president to victory in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, pointed to the 2024 election and noted that Biden “is unfortunately and unfairly the guy who’s going to get pegged for the loses.” Joe Caiazzo, a veteran Democratic strategist who served on the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns of Sen. Bernie Sanders, told Fox News that “there is an appetite for a message anchored in economic populism wrapped in a desire for broad system change. Following November’s results, it is more than fair to say that folks are looking towards the future.” WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL SAYS ABOUT CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS Others, who asked to remain anonymous, were more blunt. A longtime Democratic Party bundler and fundraiser argued that “Biden was never a very good fundraiser. Never. He always had difficulty raising money and really didn’t like doing it.” There is still plenty of anger directed at Biden, who dropped his 2024 re-election bid last July, a couple of weeks after a disastrous debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump reignited serious questions and deep concerns over Biden’s physical and mental stamina to handle another four years in the White House. Biden was succeeded at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with less than four months until Election Day. A national Democrat strategist who was close to the 2024 Biden campaign told Fox News that “it defies belief that the man who cost the Democratic Party the White House, the Senate and the House, believes that he is going to be the Democratic Party savior, but this is also the same person who tried to convince America that he wasn’t too old to continue as President of the United States.” One person who appears enthusiastic about the potential prospect of Biden re-entering the political arena is Trump, who has repeatedly blasted the former president in speeches, interviews and on social media in the two months since returning to power. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I hope so,” Trump told reporters on Friday when asked about the possibility of a more visible political role for his predecessor.
Texas A&M can’t ban “Draggieland” drag show, federal judge rules
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment.
Supreme Court hears pivotal Louisiana election map case ahead of 2026 midterms
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether Louisiana lawmakers can use race as a factor when drawing congressional maps, a closely watched case that could impact voters nationwide in the 2026 midterms. At issue is whether the state’s congressional map, updated twice since the 2020 census, is an illegal racial gerrymander. It has faced two federal court challenges – first, for diluting minority voting power under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and most recently, for potentially violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The high court, which agreed to take up the case last fall, is expected to hand down its decision by late June. JUDGES SAY THEY’LL REDRWA LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THEMSELVES IF LAWMAKERS CAN’T During oral arguments, the justices focused closely on whether Louisiana’s redistricting efforts were narrowly tailored enough to meet constitutional requirements and whether race was used in a way that violates the law, as plaintiffs have alleged. Louisiana Solicitor General Benjamin Aguiñaga argued that the state’s latest map protected political stability, including preserving leadership positions like the U.S. House speaker and majority leader. “I want to emphasize that the larger picture here is important – because in an election year we faced the prospect of a federal court-drawn map that placed in jeopardy the speaker of the House, the House majority leader and our representative on the Appropriations Committee,” Aguiñaga said. “And so in light of those facts, we made the politically rational decision: we drew our own map to protect them.” Louisiana’s congressional map has twice been challenged in federal court since it was updated in the wake of the 2020 census, which found that the state’s Black residents now totaled one-third of Louisiana’s total population. The first redistricting map, which included just one district where Black voters held the majority, was invalidated by a federal court (and subsequently, by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals) in 2022. Both courts sided with the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP and other plaintiffs, who argued that the map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black voters in the state. NEW MAJORITY-BLACK LOUISIANA HOUSE DISTRICT REJECTED, NOVEMBER ELECTION MAP STILL UNCERTAIN Lawmakers were ordered by the court to adopt by January 2024 a new state redistricting map. That map, S.B. 8, was passed and included the creation of a second majority-Black voting district in the state. But S.B. 8 was almost immediately challenged by a group of non-Black plaintiffs in court as well, after they claimed issue with a new district that stretched some 250 miles from Louisiana’s northwest corner of Shreveport to Baton Rouge, in the state’s southeast. They argued in the lawsuit that the state violated the equal protection clause by relying too heavily on race to draw the maps, and created a “sinuous and jagged second majority-Black district based on racial stereotypes, racially ‘Balkanizing’ a 250-mile swath of Louisiana.” The Supreme Court agreed last November to take up the case, though it paused consideration of the arguments until after the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, Louisiana officials argued in court filings that non-Black voters failed to show direct harm required for equal protection claims or prove race was the main factor in redrawing the map. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA They also stressed that the Supreme Court should clarify how states should proceed under this “notoriously unclear area of the law” that pits Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act against equal protections, describing them as two “competing demands.” Officials have cited frustrations over repeatedly redrawing maps, and the prospect of being ordered back to the drawing board once again, and asked the court to “put an end to the extraordinary waste of time and resources that plagues the States after every redistricting cycle.”
Bush-era Education secretary wary about FAFSA disruptions as department faces dismantling
Plans to dismantle the Department of Education could rattle operations for incoming college students launching into enrollment season, according to former President George W. Bush’s Education secretary. While President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to scale down the Department of Education, he also promised that programs that oversee financial aid and resources for children with special needs would remain in place. They would, instead, fall under other agencies, he said. However, Margaret Spellings, who oversaw the agency from 2005 to 2009, said shuttering and realigning certain functions of the Education Dept. would not be a seamless transition – and it is unclear whether there is enough staffing to properly process all the necessary materials as students commit to colleges for the fall. “It’s college enrollment season, and are our universities – as the customer service part of that operation – going to be able to timely get information about financial aid packages and so on?” Spellings, now the president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, asked Fox News Digital. “Will half the people be able to do all the work? Time will tell. So that’s an immediate concern.” TRUMP STILL NEEDS CONGRESS’ HELP WITH PLAN TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT The Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid processes over 17.6 million Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms annually, according to its 2024 report. Additionally, the office previously employed roughly 1,400 personnel. However, given the dramatic cuts to staffing, it is unclear how many are currently assigned to that office. Prior to signing the executive order to overhaul the Education Dept., the agency also moved to cut staffing by roughly half. Spellings also predicted transferring the different functions of the Education Dept. to other agencies would prove “disruptive,” because it would involve potentially training new employees and merging various data systems. As a result, she cautioned, it could detract from focusing on student achievement. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SIGNIFICANTLY DISMANTLED IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER “I fear we’ll take our eye off the ball, which is keeping student achievement before us, as opposed to harmonizing data systems, reassigning employees, training new ones who know nothing about the purpose of the thing,” Spellings said. “Whether there’s evidence that the Department of Labor or [the Department of Health and Human Services] are a vanguard of good management – it’s a little bit of a head scratcher to me.” Spellings pointed to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to bolster national security efforts and prevent additional terrorist attacks, which Bush signed into law in November 2002. Ultimately, creating the new agency integrated 22 other previously existing departments or agencies, including the Coast Guard and the Customs Service and Border Patrol. However, merging all these agencies together proved a taxing endeavor, according to Spellings. STUDENT LOANS, PELL GRANTS WILL CONTINUE DESPITE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DOWNSIZING, EXPERT SAYS “That required lots of different functions from various agencies to come together, to have common technology systems, to have visibility across work streams and so on and so on,” Spellings said. “It was complicated and time-consuming, and furthermore expensive.” Meanwhile, a Gallup poll released in February shows that Americans’ satisfaction with the state of education has declined sharply over the past decade. The poll found that only 24% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of education in the U.S. as of January 2025, compared to 37% in January 2017. Trump’s decision to nix the agency did not come as a surprise; the president has routinely discussed plans to eliminate it. Additionally, proponents of shutting down the agency have cited the “Nation’s Report Card,” the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, released every two years, published Jan. 27. The exam tests fourth and eighth grade students and found almost stagnant math scores for eighth graders compared to 2022. Reading scores dropped two points at both grade levels. A White House fact sheet on the executive order said it seeks to “turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies” and orders Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Education when asked for comment. The Department of Education did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.