Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades, with dozens of armed groups vying for territory in the mining region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced.
The Vatican announced late on Monday, May 5, that it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state from 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Wednesday until a new pope is elected.
Cardinals leave at the end of a Mass on the eighth of nine days of mourning for Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Saturday, May 3, 2025.