The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has warned parents and guardians living in areas under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels against paying school fees to the insurgents.
Early this week, the M23 rebels set annual and quarterly school fees ranging from 24,000 Congolese francs (about $8.5) for elementary to 30,000 francs (about $10.5) for secondary education options like commerce, agriculture and industrial training this academic year.
However, on Thursday, DRC government spokesperson Patrick Katembwe Muyaya released a statement warning parents and guardians against paying fees to the rebels. According to the statement, decrees issued under rebel occupation are illegal and only aimed at extorting from impoverished parents.
The government states that public primary education is free and guaranteed by the constitution, describing the rebels’ decrees as irrational and non-negotiable principles, and adding that any derogation of this principle constitutes an unjust and unconstitutional act.
Muyaya accuses the M23 rebels of trying to ‘squeeze’ cash from civilians in occupied zones, adding that the M23 coalition has neither the competence nor the legality to set tuition fees in the parts of the country they occupy.
Muyaya, in a statement, said, “In their quest for plunder, they seek to extort money from the poor parents of students already sufficiently hurt and suffocated by their criminal rule, by demanding that they pay fees already covered by the central government; neither in Goma, nor in Bukavu, nor anywhere else, should parents pay these illegal fees.”
But, Bertrand Bisimwa, M23 rebels’ president, in a swift response on Thursday, boasted that locals are ready to resist the ruling government’s order.
“You can punish our people as much as you want, they are already resisting you in the face of the closure of banks and borders, the ban on movement, and the arming of civilians. Our people have understood that your regime has decided to wage war on them, they will never give in,” said Bisimwa in a statement.
M23 rebels, who reignited their insurgency in 2022, currently control large parts of North and South Kivu. The DRC government has consistently accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, though both Rwanda and M23 deny the allegations. The group maintains its struggle is against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within Congo’s leadership.
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