Congo faces rising military costs, tax shortfall in revised 'combat budget'

FILE PHOTO: A Congolese soldier stands guard as he waits for the ceremony to repatriate the two bodies of South African soldiers killed in the ongoing war between M23 rebels and the Congolese army in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo February 20, 2024. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo

(Reuters) - 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 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.