Kinshasa Shuts the Universities It No Longer Controls
Eleven institutions in Goma and Bukavu have been ordered to stop teaching for the year. The rebels who run those cities say they have a replacement ready. The post Kinshasa Shuts the Universities It No Longer Controls appeared first on The Rio Times .
In Kinshasa, the universities that the government no longer controls have been suspended for the 2026-2027 academic year. This decision came after the Higher Education Minister, Marie-Thérèse Sombo, issued a ministerial order on August 20 suspending academic and para-academic activities in public higher institutions located in the North and South Kivu areas controlled by the AFC/M23 rebel group.
The suspension applies to eleven institutions - five in Goma and six in Bukavu - including the University of Goma, the Official University of Bukavu, and various technical, medical, commercial, and teacher-training institutes.
The suspension is comprehensive, covering registrations, teaching, evaluations, deliberations, and any other activity that could lead to the award of a degree for the upcoming academic year. Students who have already begun the 2025-2026 academic year will be allowed to sit for their remaining evaluations at other legally recognized institutions under Congolese law.
The move was a response to the AFC/M23 administration installing new management committees at several Bukavu institutions on August 12, which the Kinshasa government opposed. The conflict is primarily about who has the authority to sign diplomas. The government justifies its decision by citing the security situation and the integrity of academic programmes.
The Deputy Coordinator of the AFC/M23, Bertrand Bisimwa, rejected the decision in his posts on X on August 26, arguing that education should be kept out of political and military conflict. He also claimed that the movement had prepared a substitute mechanism, which would be activated immediately, to ensure students can continue studying. However, he did not specify what that mechanism would be or who would recognize its qualifications.
The suspension of academic activities has far-reaching consequences, affecting thousands of students in Kinshasa, the two largest cities in eastern Congo. This suspension signals the government's withdrawal of state recognition and control from the territories controlled by the AFC/M23 movement. This decision is part of a broader effort by Kinshasa to withdraw functions of the state from the areas it no longer holds, which includes banking services in Goma dating back to early 2025.
The conflict has been ongoing for over three decades, and decisions like these will add to the complexity of finding a lasting solution.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
