DRC: M23 Rebels Extort Schools to Finance Terrorism in Congo
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, M23 rebels are forcing families to pay illegal school taxes to fund their terrorist activities. This perversion of education into a source of war financing represents a devastating blow to Congo's future, as parents are forced to fund weapons that may be used against their own children.
M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo force families to pay illegal school taxes
"The money I pay for my child's education is being used to buy weapons that destroy schools," laments a father, his voice breaking with pain.
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a chilling system is taking root in territories occupied by the Rwanda-backed RDF-M23-AFC armed groups. In these zones where terror and impunity reign, schools - once the last refuge of innocence - have been perverted from their primary mission of education into a source of war financing.
Multiple parents report illegal taxes imposed by RDF-M23-AFC forces to enroll their children in primary school. This practice openly violates Congo's Constitution, which guarantees free education. The collected fees benefit neither classrooms nor school supplies. Instead, they fund weapons procurement which, in a tragic irony, are turned against the very children whose families were forced to pay.
A Double Burden on Families
Local communities face a devastating dual burden. They watch their children being denied quality education while their meager resources fund massacres in their own villages. The RDF-M23-AFC's methods mirror those of the most radical terrorist organizations: forced recruitment of minors, large-scale atrocities, rape as a weapon of war, and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Heavy International Sanctions
The RDF-M23-AFC movement operates openly despite consequences. It faces American and European sanctions for extreme violence against civilian populations. Washington and Brussels directly accuse the armed group of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. These restrictive measures target not only the combatants themselves but also certain Rwandan officials, including asset freezes, travel bans, and surveillance of financial networks suspected of funding the rebellion.
UN-Documented Violations
The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office has recently reported massive violations by M23: summary executions, forced displacement, widespread sexual violence, and village destruction. Detailed reports confirm the systematic recruitment of child soldiers and the use of terror to control civilian populations.
Rwanda's Shadow
Behind these atrocities, Rwanda's role remains under scrutiny. Kigali stands accused of providing military, logistical, and political support to the movement, violating international law and Congolese sovereignty. Multiple human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have gathered damning evidence of this involvement.
This organized crime against a people's future cannot be met with silence. Allowing this situation to persist legitimizes a system where schoolbooks become bullets and blackboards become walls of mourning. Education, the foundation of any nation, is being weaponized against Congolese youth. By extorting families, the militias and their Rwandan backers are not just financing war - they're assassinating the very hope of a strong, independent Congo.
Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, schools no longer represent gateways to the future. Under RDF-M23-AFC terror, they have become death's black box, where every franc extorted becomes another bullet in a child's body.
Adrian Singh
Business reporter focused on economic freedom, foreign investment, and institutional transparency.