Congo doubles salaries for beleaguered army amid rebel advance

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.

The pay hikes will be "a turning point towards better conditions" for the army, the finance ministry said.

An officer in North Kivu province told Reuters on Thursday he had heard about the raises, but said troops had not received even their basic salaries over the last two months since banks shut following the fall of the city of Goma.

"We learned that our pay has been doubled, but we haven't yet experienced this increase because our salary has been frozen," the officer said.

Congo has roughly 260,000 soldiers and other security forces, according to the 2025 budget law. Official monthly salaries since 2022 have averaged between $100 and $200 for all ranks, government documents show.

It was not immediately clear what effect the pay raise would have on the budget.

A draft law amending the budget for 2025 was due to be sent to lawmakers earlier this month but that has not emerged.

"These expenses are being incurred outside the budget. This is serious because no one will be able to monitor the actual numbers and salaries of the military personnel to be paid," Valery Madianga, a Congolese expert on public finances, said.

Rwanda denies allegations from Congo and the U.N. that it supports the M23 with arms and troops, saying its forces are acting in self defence against Congo's army and militias hostile to Kigali.

(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Andrew Heavens)