AFRICA/DR CONGO - "We Women of Bukavu": A mother of four reports from the city occupied by the M23

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "I am a mother of four children whom I send to school. I collect empty plastic bottles; after washing them, I fill them with water or fruit juice from a powdered preparation, put them in the freezer, and then sell them for 200 Congolese francs (less than 10 cents)," says Josephine, a mother from Bukavu, the capital of the Congolese province of South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was captured in mid-February by the M23 movement with the support of Rwandan troops (see Fides, 17/2/2025). "But while in the past, a mother who sent her child to the market would leave her some change, and the child would use it to buy my juice, today that is no longer the case, and it is difficult for children to buy anything," says Josephine. "Life in Bukavu has become very difficult since the M23 movement began its advance: many have lost their jobs, many can no longer trade because the warehouses where we store our goods are systematically looted. Those who came to bring us war looted in their own way; some residents, seeing that the soldiers had fled and the police had withdrawn, looted their fellow citizens; and people who escaped from prison are the cause of this looting," Josephine continued. "Because of the war, we can no longer travel to the surrounding markets," she continues. "Those who still try to get supplies at the Mudaka market have to pay high taxes along the way. For example, if we buy with 30,000 francs (the equivalent of $10), we have to pay 20,000 in taxes. We are blocked and held hostage. Rapes also occur, even in the city center, with parents often trying to hide the crime so their daughter does not lose the respect of the population." "It is difficult to pay for my children's schooling because there's no money. They try to go to school, but every day they get kicked out. Their father was a civil servant, and like other civil servants, he does not work. We have no choice but to make ends meet," Josephine laments. "We women are dead, even if we're still breathing," Josephine affirms. "Having been robbed of what little we had, we are left in misery, unable to feed our families, even though we were the mainstays of the home. We no longer know what to do. We sleep and don't know if we'll get up again. We don't eat, we don't dress, we don't travel, we don't live, we die! We are victims of agreements we aren't even aware of." "I would like to tell our national government that, first and foremost, they should help us establish peace here in the east of the country by engaging at all levels, because there are countless murders. With peace, everything becomes easy; without peace, nothing is possible," she demands. "I would like to say to the M23: Whoever comes to free a person, do not kill them! The liberator seeks peace for people. Jesus gave his life, he set us free. You are murderers, looters, and cutthroats. Go and tell those who sent you to leave us alone." "To the international community, I repeat Pope Francis's words: 'Hands off Africa!'" she emphasizes. "You are the greatest enemy of the Democratic Republic of Congo: You are not coming to help us, but to exploit our natural resources. You are the ones who support the M23. You present yourselves as rich, but we Congolese are the rich ones. You deceive us by claiming to help us, but you are economic criminals. You are not interested in the lives of the Congolese, but in the natural resources of the Congo. Leave us alone: stay at home. God has given us our wealth: if you want it, come and ask for it legally." "I'm leaving now with my bottles; tomorrow I'll sell them for a few cents... and life goes on," Josephine concludes. (Agenzia Fides, 5/7/2025)

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