Govind Tekale## ARTICLE 2: Bukavu School Fire Kills 24 Children in M23-Controlled Congo
A fire swept through two schools and around 300 wooden homes in Bukavu on Thursday, killing at least 24 children — 19 girls and five boys — in the rebel-controlled city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. The blaze broke out at around 8 a.m. at Funu B Avenue in Kasheke, Chimpunda District, spreading to Ujamaa and Furaah primary schools. Some pupils died in a stampede as they fled the flames; others died from asphyxiation.
The AFC/M23 rebel administration, which has controlled Bukavu since February 2025, confirmed the death toll and said 29 people were receiving medical treatment, including 21 in intensive care. M23/Permanent Secretary Benjamin Mbonimpa declared three days of national mourning from Friday through Sunday, flying flags at half-mast across rebel-controlled buildings.
**Why this matters now:** Bukavu has been under M23 control for over 18 months. The fire exposed the vulnerability of civilians in rebel-held territory, where infrastructure is dilapidated and emergency services are limited. The M23 movement, backed by Rwanda according to US and UN investigations, has been accused of systematic human rights abuses since seizing the city. The international community has not mounted a major humanitarian response to the M23 occupation. The school fire is the deadliest single incident in Bukavu since the M23 captured the city.
### The Fire, the M23 Occupation and the Road Ahead
The fire broke out Thursday, September 10, 2026, at a primary school in the Chimpunda District of Bukavu. It spread rapidly to a second school and surrounding wooden homes. Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, vice governor of South Kivu province in the rebel-appointed administration, confirmed the death toll. The AFC/M23 said the provisional toll stood at 24 and that an investigation into the cause was underway.
The M23/AFC group said 29 people were receiving medical treatment, including 21 in intensive care. Four others were admitted to Bukavu Provincial General Hospital. The rebels seized Bukavu during a rapid advance across eastern Congo early last year. The M23 (March 23 Movement) emerged in 2012 from Congolese soldiers who defected from the national army, claiming the government broke integration agreements. The group is backed by Rwanda, according to US and UN investigations, though Rwanda denies the claim.
M23 operates a shadow administration in areas it controls, taxing mineral extraction and conducting forced recruitment. The group last captured Goma in 2012 but withdrew days later after an agreement brokered by neighbouring nations. That earlier defeat led to the deployment of a new UN peacekeeping force, an overhaul of the Congolese army and diplomatic pressure on Rwanda. The M23 was pushed back the following year under a demobilisation deal. This time, the group has returned with heavier weapons and a declared objective that goes far beyond territory.
UN experts confirmed M23 exported at least 150 tonnes of coltan — refined into tantalum for capacitors in smartphones and electronics — via Rwanda. The global coltan supply chain runs through eastern Congo, where dozens of armed groups control mining operations. The UN warns that over 400,000 people are displaced by the Goma offensive alone, with additional displacement from the Bukavu offensive. The disruption of mining operations has already affected local communities dependent on artisanal mining.
The M23 leader Corneille Nangaa declared his forces control Bukavu and stated the group’s objective is “neither Goma nor Bukavu but Kinshasa, the source of all the problems.” Rwanda’s government denies backing the rebels. President Paul Kagame spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the need for a ceasefire but gave no indication of withdrawing support. Congo broke off diplomatic ties with Rwanda in late January, pulling all diplomatic staff from the country. The Congolese foreign minister called Rwanda’s actions “a frontal aggression, a declaration of war.”
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the Bukavu offensive. The UN chief reiterated his “strongest condemnation” of the M23 offensive with the support of Rwandan forces. The US urged the Security Council to consider unspecified measures to halt the offensive. France joined the US in calling for a ceasefire. Seven South African SAMIDRC soldiers and three UN MONUSCO peacekeepers have been killed in recent clashes with M23 fighters. The SAMIDRC mission has faced repeated attacks as it tries to support Congolese forces against the M23 advance.
**What happens next?** The M23 declared objective to march on Kinshasa — a 1,500 km advance — is unprecedented in scale for this conflict. International mediators will attempt new negotiations, but previous rounds achieved nothing. Without rapid intervention, this occupation could trigger a regional conflict that pulls in multiple nations. The key message for readers: the Bukavu school fire is beyond a tragedy — it is a symptom of the M23 occupation’s human cost. The international community’s response will determine whether Bukavu becomes another Goma — or whether the fighting spreads further.
