DR Congo suspends university activities in M23-controlled areas

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Higher Education Ministry ordered a halt to all academic activities at public universities in Goma and Bukavu, both under M23 control, citing the need to prevent activities run 'outside the legal and institutional framework.' The decree follows Kinshasa's earlier condemnation of what it called illegal M23 appointments to university management committees.

M23, backed by Rwanda, has held large parts of North and South Kivu since 2021 and captured both provincial capitals early last year. An M23 official said on X that a system was being arranged to let students continue studying despite the suspension.

The move comes days after Switzerland announced the DRC and M23 had agreed on a road map for peace talks following negotiations in Geneva, in a conflict that has run for more than three decades over the region's mineral wealth.

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