Congo doubles salaries for beleaguered army amid rebel advance

FILE PHOTO: Congolese soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) keep guard during a visit by Minister of Defense Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita and military governor Major General Somo Kakule Evariste in Beni territory, in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo February 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo doubled salaries for soldiers and police on Friday, the finance ministry said, in an apparent bid to boost morale as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advance in the east.

M23 has seized eastern Congo's two largest cities in a swift offensive that has left thousands dead, forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and piled pressure on President Felix Tshisekedi.