The Peace School remains open, a podcast rec, and more

Update from Congo Tuesday, March 11 2025, plus a podcast from Human Rights Watch that quickly and thoroughly sums up the history of the recent and current wars between Rwanda & Congo wars, and ways to use your voice (or keyboard) to help ring the alarm. Read on:

The Congo Peace School (CPS) is open and its activities have resumed as usual.

Clean water is running into the campus, burbling from the nearby reservoir through pipes and taps the community helped build and into the cups the students drink from. It’s filling the sinks and flush toilets that allow them a healthy day without the threat of cholera.The teachers and staff are trained in recognizing signs of trauma, and when a student needs care, there are counselors to visit, safe places to rest.

We learned of eight young children in the area - not CPS students - who have died from malnutrition, as their families’ sources of food and small amounts of income were looted by soldiers from all sides of the conflict as they moved through the villages, and we will be assessing how we can provide food and resources.

Yet another challenge from the M23’s invasion is the soaring cost of food and supplies. Humanitarian aid is being restricted along many routes. Humanitarian aid itself has also been decimated by the Trump administration canceling of many USAID contracts and firing staff, ending the jobs of the people responsible for ensuring the most vulnerable among us have access to food, medical supplies, vaccines, malaria treatments, the list goes on and on. Additionally, the various factions of fighters all looted food and small businesses as they ravaged the land.

The Congo Peace School and Amani’s nonprofit ABFEC staff are assessing what is available to eat from the school’s farm and the community farm that Action Kivu supports outside the school budget. That farm also acts as the teaching farm for the students as well as providing plots of land for community members to grow their food. Over the years, it has expanded from growing cabbage and other vegetables to raising tilapia fish in three small ponds, as well as training staff in animal husbandry to provide manure to enrich the soil. In a few weeks time, there will be enough cabbages harvested to feed the school’s population for two weeks.

The fact that everyone is finding creative ways to support each other and continue providing this world-changing education rooted in peace and nonviolence is a testament to the shared belief in the mission of the school. Together we can create peace within ourselves, our classrooms, our communities, our cities, and our countries. We can lead with love and respect for every person, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin, or how much money they have.

You are a part of this. Thank you.

Boats are once again traversing Lake Kivu, and the school staff is talking with suppliers about how much bulk food will be available for purchase and what the cost is now.

UN update: This afternoon (11 March), Security Council members met in closed consultations to discuss the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). France, the penholder on the file, requested the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief Council members on his 27 February-1 March visit to the DRC, where he engaged with Congolese authorities on the security situation in eastern DRC. His visit also included discussions on ongoing diplomatic and political efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Lacroix’s visit followed the adoption on 21 February of Security Council resolution 2773, which demanded the immediate cessation of further military advances by the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. (Read the full release here.)

It is maddening to not be able to stop the violence, but we are not helpless. Please continue to share stories with your circles of friends and colleagues, and can ring the alarm bell to amplify the voices of the people of Congo (and Rwanda) who do not want war, but want to live peacefully as neighbors.

This Human Rights Watch podcast entitled Congo: The Real-Life 'Vibranium' Wars, March 10 2025 is excellent, concisely hitting key points of the history of the current conflict and wars between Rwanda and Congo, and a great one to share with folks who know little about the current conflict. It notes that “in May last year, the M23 seized control of the Rubaya mine, one of the world's largest deposits of coltan.” Lewis Mudge, the Associate Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, stated: “They're carving out roads from Rubya straight into Rwanda.” 

If you read a report or story that does not mention the role played by conflict minerals / critical minerals, you can send a letter to the editor, and reference points from this Reuters piece. It was reported in late January 2025, and since then, M23 has also taken Bukavu, South Kivu, and territory in and around mining concessions throughout North and South Kivu. If you look at the following map detailing the minerals in different areas of eastern Congo, and then look at the areas Rwandan-backed M23 fighters have taken or are fighting in, the strategy is clear.

List of cities / territories the M23 has taken control of / is currently fighting in, as of 11 March 2025

1. The Rubya mine is already under control of the M23 and they are exploiting coltan there.

2. The Luwowo mine is near the Rubaya mine and it is under control of M23.

3. In the Kalehe territory (South Kivu) the M23 has control of the Numbi mine and the region’s secondary mines such as (Fungamwaka, Lumbishi, Ngungu, Misumari). They are exploiting coltan as well as tourmaline (a rare gemstone)

4. The Kalimbi tin mine is in South Kivu, in the Kalehe territory near Nyabibwe, and is under control by the M23.

5. In the Walungu territory, M23 made a quick move to the Mukungwe and Nyamurhal gold mines; they are still fighting. On Sunday (March 9th) several people were killed by M23 in Walungu. As of Monday (March 10) M23 has taken control of the city of Nyabyondo, in the Walikale territory known for the abundance of critical minerals including tin, tungsten, tantalite, gold, and lithium. Walungu is on the way to the Mwenga territory, known for its abundant reserves of gold. 

6. On Monday (March 10th) M23 advanced to Kaziba where there is a huge gold company nearby called Twangiza gold mine, they are still fighting over there.

7. The road to Uvira is not only to control the city but to make an easy move to the Fizi territory in order to control several gold mines there. 

Call your representatives. Governments are starting to put pressure on the Rwandan government to stop funding M23. Encourage them to keep doing so. Demand a ceasefire and peace talks. The Congolese government needs to be held accountable for its years of poor governance for its people as well. The people of Congo deserve free education, paid work, working roads, healthcare, and clean water. This is a time to stand for and speak up to power for the people of Congo. In the U.S., you can find your representatives here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Share stories: Remind friends and colleagues that these kids are who we are fighting for, for these children to grow up safely and be our future leaders, emboldened with the knowledge of and practice in nonviolence, equality, and healing from trauma.

In that HRW podcast, the host's father is one of the Congolese people he speaks to, and it is heartbreaking to hear him reflect on how many people have died from the wars in Congo (over six million) and that "nobody in the world – excuse me the word - gives a damn. Nobody cares." 

Thank you for caring, and your ongoing commitment for peace in Congo, Africa, and our world. If you'd like to support Action Kivu's work in creating safe spaces for equality, nonviolence, and peace education to take root, please donate here.

Peace School Reopens Amidst M23 Occupation and Advances

Update from Congo – as of Tuesday February 25 2025 

The students of the Congo Peace School returned to their campus for the first time since the school closed to protect students and staff from the surrounding battles between the M23 rebels (and RDF) and the Congolese army (FARDC). It was very clear how shaken everyone was. At the secondary school, a total of 214 students (of the enrolled 240) came in today: 109 girls and 105 boys. One teacher did not come because he lives in Nyangezi, an area where much of the fighting took place. Yesterday, many people living in Nyangezi began leaving for locations much further from the main road, afraid of the return and confrontations between the FARDC and the M23 militia who is controlling the area.

At the preschool and elementary levels, 61 children in three preschool Nest classes were present (out of the usual 83) and 183 elementary school students (of the enrolled 240) were present. The staff hopes that over this week, all the students will come. The return is voluntary, as people are terrorized and afraid and the situation is not stable. Everyone is fearful and lost so much already, their homes and small businesses and markets looted by the rebels.

Meals were served to the total 458 students from all levels. The situation is devastating and everyone will be in greater need of mental health support when the situation stabilizes. Meals are a critical part of the Peace School’s program, many of these students are not able to eat at home. As we keep an eye on the security situation and when the banks will reopen, Amani has asked the school principals to be careful about the use of the school’s remaining food to ensure it can be used wisely to cover the weeks the school has been closed.

We learned that the third grade Peace School teacher Bahati has returned home. Bahati had been missing and upon his return, we learned he was first taken by the Congolese soldiers, who made him transport them with his motorcycle, and then by M23. Yesterday he came back alive but very tired, hungry, thirsty, and thin as he was not fed and was denied access to clean drinking water.

 Yesterday Amani reported that the area around the school was free from military presence and fighting (no M23, no FARDC soldiers visible). The M23 leaders called for schools to reopen in places where the fighting is not taking place, but people are afraid to open schools, especially in rural areas with secondary schools as they suspect the rebels will use the gathering of school populations to force youth to join their forces. A few schools in Bukavu reopened yesterday but not many students showed up.  

It is very clear that both teachers and students are living with constant fear of a very volatile safety situation where anything might happen any time. Secondary school students are worried that the rebel group will forcefully recruit them, girls are very much afraid of rape as it is rampant, everyone is afraid of armed fighting breaking out at any time.

Amani and the school’s staff plan to reach out to experts in the field of education in conflicts and emergencies to advise on what to do, and how to manage the situation right now. 

OTHER UPDATES

• The Guardian reports “about 7,000 people have died in fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels started renewed advances in January, the DRC’s prime minister has said. At a high-level meeting of the UN’s human rights council in Geneva on Monday, Judith Suminwa Tuluka also said the war had left about 450,000 people without shelter after the destruction of 90 displacement camps.”

• If you’re reading the news about DRC, you may have read reports like this one, with a headline saying that Congolese police “join rebels,” and have questions about why they might do so. Amani reminds us: “It’s war, and these police officers were captured and are being forced to join the M23 rebels.”
  

• While the M23 took Bukavu in South Kivu, no one is yet “running it,” as the rebels have not yet appointed a governor or mayor. In Goma, in North Kivu, they were very quick to set up a parallel government. There are theories that they are not doing the same in Bukavu due to threats of sanctions to Rwanda by the international community. (If you missed it, on Friday the United Nations Security Council called on Rwanda's military to stop supporting the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and immediately withdraw all troops from Congolese territory "without preconditions." The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution urging the DRC and Rwanda to return to diplomatic talks to achieve a lasting peaceful resolution. News here.)

• Last week the U.S. sanctioned James Kabarebe, a long-time ally of Paul Kagame, whom the U.S. said was “central to Rwanda’s support for the M23 Movement.” The U.S. also sanctioned Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston (Kanyuka), an M23 and Congo River Alliance senior member, alongside two of Kanyuka’s companies registered in the U.K. and France.
   

• Today the UK issued this statement, with demand for a political solution and a withdrawal of RDF (Rwandan Defense Forces) from Congo, and that “until significant progress is made, the UK will take the following measures:

1. Cease high-level attendance at events hosted by the Government of Rwanda.

2. Limit trade promotion activity with Rwanda.

3. Pause direct bilateral financial aid to the Government of Rwanda, excluding support to the poorest and most vulnerable.

4. Coordinate with partners on potential new sanctions designations.

5. Suspend future defence training assistance to Rwanda.

6. Review export licences for the Rwanda Defence Force.”
   
   

• In a clear sign of attempts to legitimize their control over North Kivu, the M23 has installed a new governor in Goma, Bahati Musanga Joseph, as well as two deputies to govern the city and province. Due to a cash shortage, the new Governor has reportedly asked bankers in Goma to negotiate with financial institutions in Kinshasa (the capital of DRC) to arrange for funds to be sent, potentially through Uganda.  

• The fighting has continued to take place near Uvira on the borders between DRC and Burundi. In both Bukavu and Goma, it's not safe yet, especially for women and girls. There is pressure by the international community on Rwanda to withdraw their troops and then engage in a dialogue between the Congolese and Rwandan governments, but it is going to take time before this is translated into action.

• An update on the EU-Rwanda MOU:  The European Union will reconsider its recent critical raw materials agreement with Rwanda in response to conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), High Representative Kaja Kallas has said. But the bloc will not follow the US's lead in sanctioning on Rwandan officials, with EU foreign ministers rather reaching a “political decision” to introduce potential sanctions “depending on the situation on the ground.” (Report here.)

As many of us think more about the concept of the “attention economy” these days, we are grateful you are turning your attention to the suffering of the people of Congo who want nothing but peace and a future for their children.

Update from Congo War: The dam breaks, and what a barrage looks like

“The M23 rebels on Sunday captured Bukavu, a city of 1.3 million people, after seizing Goma, 101 kilometers (63 miles) to the north last month. At least 3,000 were reported killed and thousands displaced in the Goma fighting.

“The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern DRC’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to UN experts.” – excerpt from CNN report

 The Peace School has not been attacked, and remains closed for safety. M23 has control of the region, and there are reports of gunfire and bombs. Our security guards know they can leave any time they sense threat, but thus far they have stayed, and reported that military members of Congo’s army (FARDC) showed up and asked to be let into the campus. They scoured the campus and left without taking or damaging anything. I picture heavily armed soldiers staring at the school’s walls that are filled with art and messaging about nonviolence and how to practice peace and forgiveness, and my mind reels at the irony. My mind rages at the idea of this beloved place built for peace to be filled with the weapons of war. Some of the faces of the folks who built the Peace School, from my visit in 2018:

photo by Rebecca Snavely

Many people in the area have had homes and small businesses looted. Many have fled the gunshots and bombing. 

We were sent this photo of two little boys, and the report that the Congo army had outfitted and armed them as soldiers. That they had been killed by M23 rebels. The UN is investigating the M23 summary execution of children in Bukavu (PBS Newshour story here).

My dam has broken, I texted Amani. I’d been able to hold back my sobbing, to try to focus on facts and calling representatives and what to do next. But now, when someone asks how my day is, my dam breaks. Walking around our local park, watching kids play and kick soccer balls and cry out to each other, my dam breaks. 

My dam had been built of moments of dissociation, not allowing myself to picture the individual students and staff members and families I’ve met over the years in Congo. But knowing that soldiers’ boots had wandered the auditorium where our young peace ambassadors gather to read in the library, to recite poems and perform plays they have written, broke through my walls. Knowing that the playground and basketball court are no longer filled with the cheers of children broke into my resolve.

The tears that pushed through the dam are for Anouarite, who was orphaned and thus had no one send her to school (public education in DRC is *supposed* to be free, but often the teachers are not paid, and the families pay out of pocket). Anouarite was so determined to get an education that she joined Action Kivu’s adult women’s literacy class before the school was built. I was visiting during the final stages of construction in 2018, and noticed her amongst all the grown women in the adult literacy class, and ​learned that Anouarite was 10 years old. As Amani and I started to say our goodbyes, Anouarite stood up and addressed​ Amani. Barely four feet tall, she stood strong and confident ​and asked if she could attend the Congo Peace School when it opened in September. Amani said yes on the spot, as part of the criteria to select students is to find those most vulnerable, who have no one to look out for their education, as well as to find strong leadership potential.

As we celebrated her drive and determination to get an education, she interrupted: "But I have no uniform." Amani assured her that the uniform and supplies are part of the school, and she would be well cared for. (Anouarite’s story here)

Anouarite pictured in the right front of top photo amongst the women of the adult literacy class, and jumping into the aisle of her first grade class two months later. Photos by Rebecca Snavely

One of the women who make those school uniforms is Ernata, who has survived years of trauma and loss. After graduating our Sewing Workshop training, Ernata started her own sewing business and began training other women. I first met her in 2011, and remember how strong her clasp was on my hand as we posed for a photo. Every time I visit, I see her and am inspired by the life she has created for herself, her children, and those around her. 

Ernata in her workshop, 2023. Photo by Rebecca Snavely

I think of Benjamin, and his smile and warmth. Benjamin is Amani’s right hand man who knows everyone in the community and arranges our home-visits, calling ahead to make sure folks are there so we can hear about their lives. Benjamin, who saw his brother killed in the previous Congo wars, and who is a skilled photographer, untrained but with a natural eye for composition.

Benjamin in front of the chalkboard in the Peace School’s computer lab, 2023. Photo by Rebecca Snavely

I think of Rosalie, one of our first graduating class, who is now in university and determined to do all she can for a peaceful world. I think of the looks in the eyes of the children as they practiced a new art form, and shaped new realities in clay, artists all.

***
Reports from the field

Monday, February 17:

·                As M23 has conquered the city of Bukavu, today they moved southwards to Mumosho and Nyangezi Road #5, many DRC and Burundi troops had set up a road block in the Mumosho / Nyangezi area where heavy fighting took place with bombs and heavy artillery. Many people were forced to flee their homes in both Mumosho and Nyangezi. The M23 -RDF (Rwandan Defense Forces) coalition are visibly armed with advanced technology equipment and using drones for surveillance and localization.

·                There are reports coming out of Burundi to be verified, that youth from Congo who moved there to study or fled there from the war are being gathered and commissioned into armed service to be sent back to fight in Congo.

Tuesday, February 18:

·                The strategic city of Kamanyola on the border of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda has just been conquered by the M23 rebel group. This will make it easier for Rwanda to deploy troops into Congo.

·                Burundi’s army is withdrawing from Congo. Burundi has had troops in eastern DRC for a number of years to primarily fight rebels stationed in Congo and intent on conquering Burundi, but since the beginning of this escalation of war by M23, Burundi had been aiding DRC troops to fight M23. They appear to be withdrawing to defend their own country. (Reuters report here.)

 ·                Cases of Mpox and cholera are on the rise in the camps of the people displaced, as they are denied access to clean water and supplies. 

 ·                The Red Cross is recovering bodies from Bukavu, the number is not yet fully counted but was at 26 on Tuesday the 18th. When M23 captured Bukavu, the FARDC had not engaged in battle, to spare civilian lives in the crowded city. (A video of the busy market area from my last visit in 2023.)

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Thursday, February 20: 

·                M23 is approaching Uvira, which is located at the intersection between Bujumbura in Burundi, and the city of Kalemi. If they capture Uvira, it becomes very easy for the rebels to control the southern part of South Kivu, and also to advance to Kalemi, a strategic city as it opens the roads to Lubumbashi, the capital city of the mineral-rich province of Katanga. 

***
It is difficult to express the depth to which the chaos and terror reaches. So many people want to help those who are suffering, to send food and supplies. Banks are not safe to wire to, and when we can, we will be wiring to our colleagues with mobile banking. But currently, in Goma and Bukavu and surrounding areas, it is not safe to go out to purchase the food / supplies and then distribute them. We have reports that M23 are targeting key civil society and NGO leaders, thus, it is not safe to gather in groups or move freely to buy and distribute food, even if there is food and supplies to distribute.

Your donations to Action Kivu will be life-saving. As soon as it is safe to do so, the school will resume classes and meals. The need for the greater community will have increased, as so many have been without access to food or work for so many days, and we will determine how we can help meet those needs. We partner with a trusted local NGO in Goma, and we will also be looking for ways to distribute food and supplies there as well.

 When I wrote “my dam is breaking” and let the tear flow, I looked up what the word dam translates into in French, Congo’s language of colonization and the one used in education. It is barrage. My first understanding of barrage as we use it in English is actually flow, not stoppage. A barrage of, well, tears. A barrage of letters arrived at the capitol. Merriam Webster’s first definition of barrage as a noun is : a dam placed in a watercourse to increase the depth of water or to divert it into a channel for navigation or irrigation. Number 2 definition is what I’m more accustomed to using: a vigorous or rapid outpouring or projection of many things at once

a barrage of phone calls

unleashed a barrage of insults

an oratorical barrage

As I think about my personal barrage breaking, I want to embrace the version of barrage that is needed right now. An outpouring. 

An outpouring of love and community building and raising awareness, please share the news stories about the war, and the individual stories of our beloved community in Congo. 

 An outpouring of calls to your representatives: that we are outraged this is happening. That they must pressure the presidents of Congo and Rwanda (and the other bordering countries) for an immediate ceasefire, and a transparent supply chain of minerals that are sourced in Congo (especially those needed for our technology and green energy future, cobalt, gold, and the three Ts: tin, tungsten, tantalum. (Read more about conflict minerals here.) 

Corruption flourishes in darkness - the more people aware of what is happening in DRC  and crying out for peace, the more pressure on the leaders of the countries to comply with the rule of law and justice. The leaders of DRC must also be held accountable for the corruption over the years, a rich country populated by people living in extreme poverty with little access to work, food, clean water, or education.

The CNN article linked above states it clearly: The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern DRC’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology.  And the people of Congo suffer.

We are grateful for your attention on this barbaric war, rooted in greed and power, that is crushing the people of Congo. The need for the Congo Peace School’s teachings of nonviolence and peace within ourselves and within our communities and country are never more critical than now.

 In solidarity,

Rebecca, with Amani’s reporting and review

Read more, including more history of the relationship between Rwanda and DRC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgly1yrd9j3o

 Sanctions from the U.S. Treasury on February 20, 2025

—
Rebecca Snavely, Executive Director
Action Kivu