Uvira, South Kivu – Schools in the town of Uvira, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have been shut down after the government-aligned Wazalendo militia ordered students to return home, declaring that education will only resume when the war ends.
The militia’s chilling threats included promises of death to teachers and students who attempt to defy their order and continue lessons.
The ultimatum has terrified families in Uvira, a border town already plagued by insecurity, displacement, and ethnic violence.
“This is a nightmare for parents,” said a community activist in Uvira. “Children are being robbed of their future while armed groups dictate the terms of daily life. It is an attack not only on education but on hope itself.”
Human rights groups warn the decision could deprive thousands of children of access to education in Uvira, with ripple effects across South Kivu.
But the crisis is not confined to Uvira. Across eastern DRC, schools are crumbling under the weight of conflict, poverty, and political dysfunction.
In Haut-Uélé’s Dungu territory, public schools have yet to reopen since September 1 due to a teachers’ strike over months of unpaid salaries and irregular payments.
In North Kivu, armed groups have repeatedly occupied school buildings, turning them into military camps, while families displaced by fighting struggle to enroll their children elsewhere.
Taken together, these crises paint a grim picture: thousands of Congolese children in the east are being systematically denied their right to education.
The United Nations and civil society organizations have warned that such disruptions risk producing a “lost generation” in one of the most fragile regions of the world.
The Wazalendo militia, though fighting alongside the Congolese army (FARDC), has increasingly been accused of extortion, forced displacement, and violence against civilians.
Critics argue that empowering irregular armed groups has only deepened lawlessness, leaving citizens at the mercy of militias instead of state institutions.
Parents and teachers in Uvira now face an impossible dilemma: defy the Wazalendo and risk deadly reprisals, or comply and watch their children’s education disappear indefinitely.
