Latest news with #M23-controlled
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Feature: Students sit future-defining national exams despite gunfire in eastern DR Congo
GOMA, DR Congo, June 3 (Xinhua) -- In a dimly lit classroom of the Goma Technical Industrial Institute, 19-year-old Plamedie Byamungu leans over her desk, pen in hand, determined not to let the rat-a-tat of gunfire silence her future. This week, more than 31,000 students, including over 14,000 girls, are sitting for these national exams in parts of North Kivu Province seized by the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel force that has tightened its grip on eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since late 2022. For youngsters like Byamungu, passing the country's most important academic rite of passage -- the examen d'Etat -- is not only a personal milestone but also an act of defiance against war. The 59th edition of the national exam began on Monday. In M23-controlled areas, such as Goma, Masisi, and Rutshuru territories of North Kivu, the launch was supervised not by the DRC government but by Shadrack Amani Mukuba, deputy governor for administration appointed by the rebels. "My impressions are positive," Mukuba said after visiting several exam centers. "The organizing committees are in place, the students are focused. I told them this exam is like any other, and that they should make the province proud." While Kinshasa, the country's capital, firmly rejects the legitimacy of any rebel-run authority, local teachers and inspectors face a harsher truth on the ground: without compromise, thousands of students would be left behind. "We cannot let an entire generation slip through the cracks," said one school director in Goma, who requested anonymity. "Whether the flag flying above the building is national or rebel, our mission remains the same -- to teach." The continuation of national exams in active conflict zones has been made possible in part by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which transported sealed trunks of exam papers from Kinshasa to all corners of North Kivu, including those rebel-held regions. According to a UNICEF report in February, more than 1.6 million children are out of school due to escalating conflict and mass displacement. In North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, over 2,500 schools and learning centers have been forced to close, leaving about 795,000 children without access to education. An even bleaker picture came into the spotlight following the release of UNICEF's March 2025 humanitarian update. Across eastern DRC, 5,927 schools reportedly remain shut, resulting in nearly two million children deprived of formal education. At the launch ceremony in Goma, Sosthene Mpanga, chief education inspector for North Kivu 1 Zone, reassured the students in his address. "You don't need to be afraid," he said. "These exams follow the same national curriculum you studied. The examiners are not strangers. They're parents, like yours. They want you to succeed." Nevertheless, many of the 22,323 students registered in the zone did not show up. "Some are missing today," Mpanga admitted. "We know why: fear, displacement, and broken roads." Though violence has turned classrooms into front lines and schoolyards into checkpoints, students like Byamungu hold on to the silver lining that education can outlast the war. "We thought it would be impossible to take the exams this year," she said. "But we were ready. The war didn't unbalance us. We've been preparing since the beginning." In a region where adolescence is so often fractured by conflict, the return of exam marks a tentative step toward normalcy. Education has not been silenced, but whispers forward through pencil strokes and test papers, even under the watch of gunned rebels. "When we sit down to write, we forget for a moment the fear and the uniforms," said the soft-spoken Byamungu. "It's just us and the paper."
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Where Parents Pay School Fees In Cans Of Palm Oil, Food
Cash has become so scarce in Goma, the eastern Congolese city seized by anti-government fighters in January, that some parents are now paying school fees in cans of palm oil. After the city fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 group, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped supplying cash to banks in M23-controlled areas. Banks have since closed, cash points are all but empty and residents of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, are forced to fend for themselves for their everyday purchases. "The priority at the moment is to have something to eat," said Richard Mbueki, a teacher at the Majengo school, as he lifted a can of oil left by a parent. "We are just getting by, this situation is untenable," he said. Parents "show up at school offering food and the school asks them to present a sample", said Augustin Vangisivavi, an official at the Majengo school. The school then "looks for which teachers are interested" in the goods. "A price is set that corresponds to the market price, then the equivalent currency is entered into the school's accounts before a receipt is issued," Vangisivavi said. It is an interim solution, but one that could drag on. Talks between the DRC and Rwanda, who have committed to work towards a draft peace agreement, have yet to have any impact on the daily lives of the Congolese living in M23-controlled areas. For now, Majengo school, as well as the city's new authorities, urge residents to use mobile payment solutions. But that mode of payment is not yet widely used in Goma, unlike in countries in east Africa. 'Our survival' Money changers set rates that are out of reach for many people in one of the world's poorest countries, prompting the M23 to announce a fixed rate in order to limit excesses. Those still lucky enough to be paid a salary cannot access their bank accounts. Mbueki, the schoolteacher, like many other workers, crosses the border into Rwanda to withdraw cash, but that entails additional charges. Civil servants and people working for international organisations, who are paid by bank transfer, are also affected. The sluggish economy, the departure of some international staff and the cash shortage have also cost many locals their jobs. "Since the war, there are almost no more opportunities, so for now I'm a housewife," said Godel Kahamby, who was a public service employee. "We've already significantly cut back on our expenditure: no new clothes, no expensive meals, no entertainment," she said. "For now, what's important is our survival." Basic necessities are still delivered to the city, but the economy is clearly suffering. "We find the goods, but we don't have buyers," said Innocent, who sells building materials. The streets around Birere market are unusually quiet. Boats embarking on Lake Kivu towards neighbouring South Kivu province depart half empty. "Before the war, I could sell 20 bags of corn flour a week, but currently even 10 bags a month is a blessing," grumbled Nelson Kombi, a trader in Goma's Majengo district. Food prices have risen because of supply difficulties and new taxes imposed by the warring parties on both sides of the front line. The M23 has set up a financial authority while waiting for the banks to reopen and has called on people to put their savings into it. So far it has not been successful, and experts believe the authority should be limited to centralising taxes paid to the armed group. And amid the shortage of dollars and Congolese francs, the country's two main currencies, criminality has soared on the streets of Goma and Bukavu at night.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Life without cash in captured DR Congo city
GOMA: Cash has become so scarce in Goma, the eastern Congolese city seized by anti-government fighters in January, that some parents are now paying school fees in cans of palm oil. After the city fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 group, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped supplying cash to banks in M23-controlled areas. Banks have since closed, cash points are all but empty and residents of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, are forced to fend for themselves for their everyday purchases. "The priority at the moment is to have something to eat," said Richard Mbueki, a teacher at the Majengo school, as he lifted a can of oil left by a parent. "We are just getting by, this situation is untenable," he said. Parents "show up at school offering food and the school asks them to present a sample", said Augustin Vangisivavi, an official at the Majengo school. The school then "looks for which teachers are interested" in the goods. "A price is set that corresponds to the market price, then the equivalent currency is entered into the school's accounts before a receipt is issued," Vangisivavi said. It is an interim solution, but one that could drag on. Talks between the DRC and Rwanda, who have committed to work towards a draft peace agreement, have yet to have any impact on the daily lives of the Congolese living in M23-controlled areas. For now, Majengo school, as well as the city's new authorities, urge residents to use mobile payment solutions. But that mode of payment is not yet widely used in Goma, unlike in countries in east Africa.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Life without cash in captured DR Congo city
G Tired of too many ads? go ad free now OMA: Cash has become so scarce in Goma, the eastern Congolese city seized by anti-government fighters in January, that some parents are now paying school fees in cans of palm oil. After the city fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 group, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped supplying cash to banks in M23-controlled areas. Banks have since closed, cash points are all but empty and residents of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, are forced to fend for themselves for their everyday purchases. "The priority at the moment is to have something to eat," said Richard Mbueki, a teacher at the Majengo school, as he lifted a can of oil left by a parent. "We are just getting by, this situation is untenable," he said. Parents "show up at school offering food and the school asks them to present a sample", said Augustin Vangisivavi, an official at the Majengo school. The school then "looks for which teachers are interested" in the goods. "A price is set that corresponds to the market price, then the equivalent currency is entered into the school's accounts before a receipt is issued," Vangisivavi said. It is an interim solution, but one that could drag on. Talks between the DRC and Rwanda, who have committed to work towards a draft peace agreement, have yet to have any impact on the daily lives of the Congolese living in M23-controlled areas. For now, Majengo school, as well as the city's new authorities, urge residents to use mobile payment solutions. But that mode of payment is not yet widely used in Goma, unlike in countries in east Africa. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Our survival' Money changers set rates that are out of reach for many people in one of the world's poorest countries, prompting the M23 to announce a fixed rate in order to limit excesses. Those still lucky enough to be paid a salary cannot access their bank accounts. Mbueki, the schoolteacher, like many other workers, crosses the border into Rwanda to withdraw cash, but that entails additional charges. Civil servants and people working for international organisations, who are paid by bank transfer, are also affected. The sluggish economy, the departure of some international staff and the cash shortage have also cost many locals their jobs. "Since the war, there are almost no more opportunities, so for now I'm a housewife," said Godel Kahamby, who was a public service employee. "We've already significantly cut back on our expenditure: no new clothes, no expensive meals, no entertainment," she said. "For now, what's important is our survival." Basic necessities are still delivered to the city, but the economy is clearly suffering. "We find the goods, but we don't have buyers," said Innocent, who sells building materials. The streets around Birere market are unusually quiet. Boats embarking on Lake Kivu towards neighbouring South Kivu province depart half empty. "Before the war, I could sell 20 bags of corn flour a week, but currently even 10 bags a month is a blessing," grumbled Nelson Kombi, a trader in Goma's Majengo district. Food prices have risen because of supply difficulties and new taxes imposed by the warring parties on both sides of the front line. The M23 has set up a financial authority while waiting for the banks to reopen and has called on people to put their savings into it. So far it has not been successful, and experts believe the authority should be limited to centralising taxes paid to the armed group. And amid the shortage of dollars and Congolese francs, the country's two main currencies, criminality has soared on the streets of Goma and Bukavu at night.
TimesLIVE
14-05-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
DRC battle against M23 strains public finances, says IMF
An escalation of fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has strained the Central African nation's public finances, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have staged an unprecedented advance in eastern DRC this year, triggering a fresh cycle of violence in a decades-long conflict in a region rich in minerals including tantalum and gold. The rebels seized Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in late January and Bukavu, the area's second-largest, weeks later. The closure of revenue collection offices in M23-controlled regions, combined with measures to ease living costs by exempting basic food products from customs duties and value-added tax, "have led to a revenue shortfall", the IMF said in a statement after a visit to DRC's capital Kinshasa. Elevated security spending has also put pressure on the budget, the statement said. The finance ministry announced in March it was doubling salaries for soldiers and police in an apparent bid to boost morale.
