The governor of North Kivu Province has issued a sweeping ban on tribal and ethnic gatherings across rebel-controlled territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that divisive messaging on social media risks unraveling what remains of the region’s fragile social fabric.
In an official communiqué signed Monday in Goma, Governor Bahati Musanga Erasto ordered an immediate prohibition on all assemblies, publications, and communications of a tribal or ethnic nature across the “liberated territory” of North Kivu, the term used by the AFC/M23 movement to describe areas under its control.
“The spread of tribal and ethnic messages on social networks and in certain informal meetings weakens the social fabric already torn by decades of war and discriminatory policies,” the communiqué stated.
The order comes as the AFC/M23, the political-military alliance that seized Goma, the province’s capital, earlier this year, works to consolidate administrative control over the territory it holds.
Authorities have framed the ban as a nation-building measure, insisting that peace, tolerance, and solidarity are “indispensable pillars” of the province’s reconstruction.
Under the decree, residents face legal sanctions for organizing ethnically motivated gatherings, disseminating hate speech online or in print, or engaging in any activity designed to drive communities apart.
The governor also called on the population to report what he described as “corrupt politicians from the Kinshasa government” attempting to exploit communal tensions for political gain, a pointed reference to the ongoing power struggle between the AFC/M23 administration in Goma and the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.