Ongoing, worsening conflict’s devastating HE consequences

Éric Rusinge sits in the scorching sun behind a tiny, makeshift room awaiting clients of the sports betting company he works for.

The 23-year-old has just joined the company after his third-year courses at the Higher Institute of Rural Development of Rutshuru were halted because of the ongoing armed conflict that has been raging in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At least 12 universities in North Kivu and Ituri provinces have closed because of the instability in the region, depriving Rusinge and his peers of their higher education.

The exact number of affected students is unknown, but they form some of the millions of Congolese who have been displaced in the ongoing fighting between dozens of armed groups in a conflict that dates back at least 30 years.

“All my hopes of being a student have been shattered,” says Rusinge. “I got displaced and left behind almost everything I had, including all my academic documents. I have nothing to prove that I was a student and I have lost hope of continuing my studies, even when the war is over,” he adds.

The young man hoped to be an agricultural engineer one day.

“[But for now] I just pray for survival, anything else is a bonus. Maybe I will save a little money and continue my studies when there is peace,” he says while scanning coupons from sports betters.

Rusinge lives alone in Goma, unaware of the whereabouts of his family.

“When the fighting started, we hoped it would remain far from us, only to see it escalating day by day. Our place was stormed and all we could do was flee to save our lives. It took me days to reach Goma, and here I am. We live in fear. We can also be forced to flee from here at any time,” he says.

An escalating crisis

The fears of Rusinge, who spoke to University World News in March, must have deepened in recent days as the fighting between a coalition of forces, led by the DRC government and the most prominent rebel group, M23, have intensified.

According to news reports, rebels are rapidly advancing on Goma.

Bintou Keita, the head of the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, or MONUSCO, has noted the deteriorating security situation and worsening humanitarian crisis.

About 7.1 million people have been displaced in the country – 800,000 more since her last briefing three months ago, Keita told the United Nations Security Council at the end of March. According to her, one Congolese person out of four faces hunger and malnutrition.

Clashes between government forces and the rebels have escalated since February.

The DR Congo government coalition comprises Congolese armed forces (FARDC), several militia groups, the UN-sanctioned Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Burundian and Southern African troops.

The government of the DRC has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, which were dormant for 10 years before emerging again in 2022. However, the government in Kigali has denied it. Instead, it accused the DRC of supporting members of the FDLR who fled Rwanda after committing the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and formed armed groups in the Eastern DRC.

As the fighting continues, thousands of people, including university students, live in destitution in overcrowded camps in Goma and surrounding areas.

Shattered dreams

Judith Mahoro is another victim of the war. Sitting in front of her sewing machine, surrounded by rolls of coloured thread, scissors and patterns, her hands manipulate a fabric with skill. She has managed to secure a small room from a well-wisher in which to work.

But this has not been her dream. She hoped to become a nurse or a doctor once she had completed her studies.

“It’s been six months since I left the university and settled here in Goma, together with my two little sisters. Our family separated while fleeing [our home] and we have not been able to reunite for months. I have heard of my mother and my siblings, but I don’t know the whereabouts of my father,” she says.

“I had no choice but to start sewing to be able to survive. With this, I have managed to feed myself and my two little sisters,” she adds.

The former student from the Higher Institute of Medical Techniques in Rutshuru has already given up on her university studies. “There are no signs that I will report back to my university and resume courses any time soon,” she says. In fact, she is not hopeful of ever returning, given her parental responsibilities.

“I dreamed of becoming a nurse to help members of my community who do not have the means to seek medical care. The endless wars have shattered this dream. I lose hope from day to day,” she says.

“It is sad that our country is facing all this and that thousands of students who are expected to bring about change in our country are out of school. We wonder when this chaos will end and we appeal to the government to do all it can to end fighting and restore peace,” she adds.

Refugee camps

Life in a camp for displaced people in North Kivu is a reality for displaced people like Mahoro and Rusinge. They live in conditions in which they do not have access to clean water, adequate food, health care or education. They may also become victims of violence, insecurity and exploitation.

Mapenzi Shukuri, a former student of the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Rutshuru (the Higher Teaching Institute of Rutshuru) also lives in the displaced persons camp north of Goma with thousands of others who have fled their homes due to the armed clashes, atrocities and human rights violations.

He welcomes visitors in his little tent house with two small rooms. The floor is clay. There are mats to sleep on and clothes are scattered everywhere. The absence of windows and electricity makes the space even darker, and it is stifling.

“This is where I live,” says Shukuri. “I was only in my first year when the war broke out. I had almost started to enjoy a taste for university. Suddenly, we were forced to flee and we are living a bitter life here.

“It seems that our leaders have abandoned us in this unprecedented suffering. We are only waiting for divine intervention,” he continues.

Éric Kahashi’s hopes of returning to university in Rutshuru have also been dashed. He was a second-year undergraduate student at the Great Lakes High Technology University when the war deepened and engulfed the DRC.

At home, he adds, the rebels took over and looted everything [his family had].

“If, by the grace of God, I land a small job in Goma, I will be able to finish my studies here. To be honest, with these repeated wars, I no longer plan to return to Rutshuru,” says Kahashi, who was hoping to become an IT engineer.

What the government can do

Some students believe that the government can do more to restore hope in the country and allow a smooth resumption of universities and other activities.

Valentin Habimana explains that some universities and higher learning institutions have been closed for the past two years, leaving students with little hope of ever resuming their academic activities.

“Some students have spent two years without studying, due to the fighting. Our call is that the government should negotiate with the M23 rebels and stop the wars which have disrupted, not only the universities, but also other businesses,” said Habimana, a final-year student in business and finance at the University of Rutshuro.

This feature has been translated from the French by Jean d’Amour Mbonyinshuti.