DRC: M23 Rebels Now Extorting Schools to Fund Terrorism
In a shocking development in Eastern DRC, M23 rebels are now forcing families to pay illegal school taxes to fund their terrorist activities. This systematic exploitation of education represents a new low in the ongoing crisis, turning schools into unwitting financiers of violence against the very children they should protect.
School children in Eastern DRC face extortion by M23 rebels who use education fees to fund terrorism
"The money I pay for my child's education is being used to buy weapons that destroy schools," laments a father, his voice breaking with anguish in what exemplifies the tragic reality facing our African brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Eastern DRC, a chilling system has taken root in territories occupied by the Rwanda-backed RDF-M23-AFC armed groups. In these zones where terror and impunity reign supreme, schools - once the last refuge of innocence - have been perverted from their primary mission of education into war-funding mechanisms.
The Brutal Economics of Terror
Parents across occupied territories report illegal taxes imposed by RDF-M23-AFC just to enroll their children in primary school. This practice brazenly violates the Congolese Constitution's guarantee of free education. The collected fees don't benefit classrooms or learning materials - they fund weapons that, in a cruel twist of fate, are turned against the very children whose families were forced to pay.
Local communities face a devastating double burden. Not only are their children denied quality education, but their hard-earned resources are financing massacres in their own villages. The methods employed by RDF-M23-AFC mirror those of the most radical terrorist organizations: forced recruitment of minors, mass atrocities, rape as a weapon of war, and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure.
International Community's Response
The RDF-M23-AFC movement operates in plain sight. It already faces U.S. and European sanctions for extreme violence against civilian populations. Both Washington and Brussels directly accuse the armed group of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. These restrictive measures target not only the fighters themselves but also certain Rwandan officials.
UN Documents Widespread Violations
The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office has recently reported massive violations by M23, including summary executions, forced displacement, widespread sexual violence, and village destruction. Detailed reports confirm the systematic use of child soldiers and terror tactics to control civilian populations.
Rwanda's Shadow Over Congo
Behind these atrocities, Rwanda's role remains under scrutiny. Kigali stands accused of providing military, logistic, and political support to the movement, violating international law and Congolese sovereignty. Multiple human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have gathered damning evidence of this involvement.
Silence is no longer an option for us as Africans. Allowing this situation to persist means legitimizing a system where notebooks become bullets and blackboards become walls of mourning. Education, the foundation of any nation, is being weaponized against Congolese youth. Through extortion, these militias and their Rwandan backers aren't just funding war - they're assassinating the hope of a strong, independent Congo.
Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, schools are no longer gateways to the future. Under RDF-M23-AFC terror, they've become death's dark treasury. And every franc extorted is another bullet in a child's body. As Pan-Africanists, we must stand united against this assault on our continent's future.
Tunde Okoro
Nigerian journalist with a Pan-African voice. Covers politics, sovereignty, and social justice across West Africa.