**Brazzaville – Kinshasa seek calm after clash near Makotipoko**
*Brazzaville, 31 August 2026* – An encounter between security forces from the Republic of Congo (Congo‑Brazzaville) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was reported on Thursday near Makotipoko, in the Nkéni‑Alima department of the Congo River basin. The incident involved members of the national navies and gendarmeries of both countries.
The circumstances of the clash are still being investigated. Officials from Brazzaville and Kinshasa said they are exchanging information to determine exactly what transpired.
During a working visit to Brazzaville, DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said that diplomatic channels were already active. “I am in Brazzaville in contact with my counterpart. The defence ministers of our two countries are in constant exchange. We are finalising the triangulation of the information,” she told reporters, standing alongside her Congolese counterpart, Constant‑Serge Bounda.
Wagner called on all parties to exercise restraint and warned that the episode should not affect the broader relationship between the two neighbours, which share a long border and maintain close ties. “This incident does not reflect the relations we have or the relations we wish to continue to maintain,” she added.
The foreign minister also stressed the need to reinforce existing mechanisms for dialogue and coordination to better anticipate and prevent similar occurrences. “Our concern is to see how the mechanisms already in place between our two countries can be strengthened for better anticipation and prevention of such incidents,” she said.
Both governments indicated that their priority is to clarify the facts and avoid any escalation. Ongoing discussions aim to restore calm in the Makotipoko area and to ensure the security of the riverine border.
No casualties have been reported, and no further details on the scale of the engagement have been released. The ministries of defence and foreign affairs of the Republic of Congo and the DRC are expected to continue their joint inquiries in the coming days.
Article source: journaldebrazza.com | Image credit: Incident frontalier entre le Congo-Brazzaville et l’Angola
