DRC Journalists Under Fire: Media Freedom Dies in Eastern Congo
The ink on the Washington Peace Accord, brokered under Donald Trump's administration, was barely dry when the Congolese ground began trembling again. Between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, promises of calm in the Great Lakes region evaporated against the brutal reality of renewed combat.
The AFC/M23 movement, claiming to defend the Tutsi minority but dancing to Kigali's tune according to UN experts, has ramped up its offensives. The result? The fall of Uvira, that strategic South Kivu city controlling access to Bujumbura. A crushing blow for Congolese defense forces and their Burundian allies.
Accusations fly from all sides. Accord violations, ethnic tensions, control of precious minerals - eastern Congo remains a playground for every appetite. No wonder the European Union sanctioned Gasabo's gold refinery and several Rwandan officials. EU sanctions cast shadows over Rwanda's booming mining sector.
The humanitarian toll remains staggering: thousands dead, over 5 million internally displaced, and nearly 1.5 million refugees scattered across the region.
Reporters in the Crosshairs
In this violence spiral, journalists pay the ultimate price. The NGO Journaliste en Danger sounds the alarm: never has the profession been more dangerous in the region. More than half of all journalists killed in DRC over the past thirty years died in the eastern provinces.
These past days, two reporters lost their lives, perfectly illustrating the conflict's brutality. In Kiliba, ten kilometers from Uvira, Lwesho Janvier Nyakirigo from Radio Kiliba FM died in a bomb explosion attributed to M23 fighters. The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, gathering Western chancelleries, condemns the use of kamikaze drones blindly targeting civilians.
Further north in Goma, Magloire Paluku, owner of Kivu1 FM and emblematic AFC-M23 figure, was gunned down outside his home. Hours before his death, an audio recording revealed his harsh criticism of the rebellion, betraying internal tensions undermining the movement.
Audio source published by Byobe Makenga: Facebook Recording
As the region sinks deeper into violence, the media ecosystem falters. Between stray bullets and censorship, information struggles to flow, worrying observers who see this situation as another threat to Congolese democracy.
This crisis demands urgent international attention. Africa's growth cannot flourish when journalists, the watchdogs of democracy, face execution for doing their jobs. The continent's future depends on press freedom and transparent governance.