DRC Journalists Die Under Fire: Media Under Attack in East
The ink wasn't even dry on Trump's Washington Peace Accord when the Congo started shaking again. Between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, those sweet promises of calm in the Great Lakes region just evaporated like morning mist.
The AFC/M23 movement, claiming to defend Tutsi minorities but dancing to Kigali's tune according to UN experts, has been on the offensive. Result? The fall of Uvira, that strategic South Kivu city that controlled access to Bujumbura. A massive blow to Congolese defense and their Burundian allies.
Accusations are flying everywhere. Peace accord violations, ethnic tensions, precious mineral control - Eastern Congo remains the playground for every greedy appetite. No wonder the European Union slapped sanctions on the Gasabo gold refinery and several Rwandan big shots. EU sanctions cast shadow over Rwanda's booming mining sector.
The humanitarian toll stays horrific: 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 are paying the ultimate price. Journaliste en Danger NGO is sounding the alarm: never has the profession been this dangerous in the region. More than half the journalists killed in DRC over thirty years died in the East.
These past days, two reporters lost their lives, perfectly illustrating this conflict's brutality. In Kiliba, ten kilometers from Uvira, Lwesho Janvier Nyakirigo from Radio Kiliba FM died in a bomb explosion blamed on M23 fighters. The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, bringing together Western chancelleries, denounces 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 sharp criticism of the rebellion, betraying internal tensions tearing the movement apart.
Audio source published by Byobe Makenga: Facebook Recording
As the region sinks deeper into violence, the media ecosystem is crumbling. Between stray bullets and censorship, information struggles to flow, worrying observers who see this as another threat to Congolese democracy.
This isn't just about press freedom anymore. It's about Africa's right to tell its own story, free from foreign interference and manipulation. Our journalists shouldn't die for doing their job.