Growing up in Eastern Congo, water was never just water, it was a daily struggle.

Imagine standing beside Lake Kivu, one of the great lakes in Africa, yet walking home with an empty jerrycan

The Congo Basin holds approximately 30%-50% of Africa’s freshwater, a region surrounded by water and yet millions struggle to find a clean cup of water to drink. How is this possible?

If we want to understand the crisis, let’s start from the roots It all started with the war of 1996 or what some people call ‘Africa’s World War’ which has been ongoing for decades now. The conflict did more than disrupt the peace, it destroyed the systems that once delivered water, food and basic stability, and since then water has been a rare commodity.

On top of that, population growth, the harsh realities of climate change, and volcanic eruptions (such as the 2021 eruption that displaced 400,000 people) have all played a part in the ongoing water crisis. To make matters worse, Congo water systems are old, exhausted and crumbling. Some of the pipes that carry water today date all the way back to colonial times. Rusted skeletons of a forgotten era. They leak, they burst, they decay and many have never been replaced. For millions of Congolese, the water that should flow into their homes simply …. Doesn’t

Furaha, a 26 young mother living in a city blessed by the vast waters of lake Kivu, yet she rarely sees clean water in her home. Instead, her family survives on whatever source they can find: the lake, the wells, street vendors, rainwater, anything except through the official water system (REGIDESO) that is supposed to serve them.

She calls water a luxury, something only the wealthy can access consistently, even in a major urban center like Bukavu. And she’s not alone. Every day, thousands of people wake up before dawn to join queues at water holes, hoping to collect just a few liters of water that is still dirty and contaminated.

In the city of Goma, a young man named Baraka, trying to support his family, faces a different version of the same nightmare. His nearest water point is over 30 minutes away. The lines are endless, the wait unpredictable. He spends more money than he can afford just to buy small quantities of water. When the supply cuts and it often does, he goes home empty-handed. Typhoid fever and other diseases have become so common in his neighbourhood.

Then there is Thomas, a family man in Bukavu’s Muhungu neighborhood, who hasn’t seen reliable running water in so long that he’s stopped expecting water to come out of the taps at all.

Every week, he spends a painful share of his income buying water from vendors.

This is the daily reality of countless Congolese in eastern DRC: a country without peace, in economic decline, and a water crisis that forces people to spend the little money they have on something their land has in abundance

And then there are the rural communities, for many villages, water barely arrives at all. Families rely on rivers and springs, untreated, unprotected and often contaminated. But what other choice do they have? It is either drinking unsafe water or going thirsty. And in places where clinics are distant, under-equipped, or simply unaffordable, the illnesses that follow contaminated water become deadly.

When you listen to these stories, you hear the same message over and over again: We are tired. Tired of queueing. Tired of getting sick. Tired of being ignored. Tired of fighting for something as basic as water which we have plenty

Where are the leaders, what are they doing? And how are they caring for the people they swore to serve?

The collapse of water systems also contributes to plastic waste as households rely on bottled water and small plastic sachets sold by vendors. Thousands of plastic containers end up in rivers and soil every day. The environment absorbs the cost of every broken pipe and every failed policy

In the end, the water crisis is not only making people sick but also damaging the environment and deepening climate vulnerability.

REGIDESO,the official government agency responsible for supplying water in Eastern Congo, has repeatedly sent out water that is salty, foul-smelling and most of the time untreated ,putting millions at risk of communicable diseases such as bacterial infections, skin conditions, digestive problems, typhoid fever ,amebiasis ,urinary tract infections(UTIs),gastrointestinal illnesses and cholera outbreaks (a sad reality the region knows far too well)

“We are living in conflict but also dying of thirst” said Mapendo from Nyalukemba in Bukavu. The population is suffering in silence while the leaders remain quiet.

Access to clean water shouldn’t be a privilege, not in a region overflowing with freshwater sources. If the funds meant to serve the people were used transparently and effectively, this crisis wouldn’t be their daily reality. But I guess the problem runs deeper than mismanagement

Some support on the ground is provided by:

- UNICEF and MONUSCO who provided 77 000 litres of fuel enabling 5 pumping stations to restart after they were shut down due to powerline cuts, allowing 700 000 people to receive clean water in Goma based on a report of March 2025,

-OXFAM which is working with partners such as AVUDS (Centre de development integral pour L’Enfant rural (or CEIDER- Centre for the integral development of the rural child) and SOPROP (a civil organization promoting peace and social cohesion) by helping and assisting displaced people with clean water

-ICRCR which is also helping through its Goma West resilient Water project which aims to deliver safe, affordable water to people in Goma preventing waterborne diseases

-IRC (International Rescue Committee) which has been in Eastern Congo for decades now and is also helping through emergency aid and provision of safe water

Call To Action

To anyone reading this, make a change and share these stories, support organizations working on water access, advocate for peace because without peace no infrastructure can survive. The people of eastern Congo deserve clean water.

Written by Vanessa Mukanire

When we talk about Congo, we often think about the eastern part of the country. When we talk about the eastern part of Congo, we think about the ongoing conflict, humanitarian crisis and their physical impacts on the population. But there is another crisis quieter yet devastating, one that people tend to overlook and never makes the headlines: Mental health.

Displaced Population

According to a UNHCR report dated September 8^th, 2025, over 100,000 people have fled their homes to find shelter in neighbouring countries. Millions are internally displaced and living in overcrowded camps.

Displaced people have been victims of conflict for decades and continue to suffer from the ongoing humanitarian crisis. They endure the pain of separation from their ancestral lands.

When you spend your whole life in a community, a place that you call home, it is difficult to leave it behind. The pain of leaving your home unwillingly because it has been destroyed, because you have been raped or because conflict has shattered your life, is another kind of pain. It changes who you are socially connected to and leads to stress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

GBV Victims

An estimated 48 women are raped every hour in the DRC (UNFPA, 2011)

Girls as young as 9 years old are facing gender-based violence. A mother in the eastern Congo was going to the market and found a 9-year-old girl had been raped. While trying to help her, she was raped herself, and the perpetrator went on and raped an elderly woman. As I write this, I still can’t believe it or wrap my mind around the fact that someone can be so insensitive and lose their humanity to the point of committing these atrocities.

GBV has multiple health impacts on victims such as STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections), HIV/AIDS and when contracting these they become more susceptible to other diseases since their immune system is already compromised and weakened by pre-existing conditions.

Women who are victims of GBV do not only suffer from physical health issues but also mental health issues such as psychological trauma. Many are usually rejected by their communities, left to fend for themselves. With limited access to healthcare, they feel helpless and abandoned, which creates fear and shame to open up about the assaults and sexual violence they have endured. They think and are convinced that if they say something they will be rejected and stigmatized by their own communities.

Yet, in the face of everything, some women try to speak up, rebuild and teach us that resilience is not just survival; it is refusing to let the pain have the final word.

Community

In September, more than 60 people were left dead in Nyoto, North-Kivu by ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) and some houses were set on fire.

Toward the end of September, 5 young people were kidnapped by Mai-Mai groups in Lubero, North-Kivu, reported actualite.cd. The ongoing conflict has enabled more enemy groups to harm and create fear within communities.

In South-Kivu, Bukavu, people now hesitate to walk through the streets, afraid of being abducted by one of the M23 rebels who use kidnapping as a way to force young men to join them and if they do not comply, they are killed. When a young man goes missing it creates panic in neighbourhoods because they assume he has either been forced into the rebel group or killed.

Even wedding celebrations have changed. Celebrations that once began in the evening are now held during the day, as the streets become too dangerous after dark. The nights that once carried laughter and music now feel heavy and uncertain. What used to feel like home has, for many, become a place of worry instead of comfort.

Daily life has ever since been reshaped by insecurity. People have lost their jobs, the economy has declined, local businesses have been destroyed, and the education system has faced disruptions and delays, leaving dreams on hold.

Communities once vibrant with joy now live under constant fear of rebel attacks and crimes. Many people have normalized living in fear, seeing it as the new normal.

Mental health is not only about mental illness; it is about our emotional and psychological well-being, how we feel and cope with life. Unfortunately, in many African communities especially in many parts of DRC, the topic of mental health is often misunderstood and considered taboo, some see it as a sign of weakness others as witchcraft or divine punishment.

This stigma keeps people silent when what they need most is to be heard and supported.

They are not three separate groups; they are one body living through the same wound. The displaced lose their homes, women victim of GBV lose their dignity and safety, and communities lose their balance but when one finds healing, hope flows back through everyone.

Fu-Kiau, in his book ‘Simba Simbi’ which means to ‘hold up that which holds you up’ is a reminder that even in hardship, life is sustained through our connection to others, to the land, and to do something greater than ourselves.

Imagine if in every school, there was space to talk about how we feel. If teachers were trained to recognize trauma. If communities saw mental well-being as just as important as physical health. That kind of awareness could change everything.

When young people learn more about mental health, they grow up understanding that strength isn’t silence. It is speaking up and seeking help. Feeling broken doesn’t mean you are weak; it simply means you are human.

Any Signs Of Hope?

In April 2025, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the leadership of the ministry of public health, hygiene and social welfare has launched a 5-year mental health and psychosocial support program for peace project in the DRC. The project supports affected populations and has been deployed in zones such as Nyunzu, Nyemba and Kalemie located in the Tanganyika province. It aims to reach up to 158 000 beneficiaries between 2025 and 2029 through the creation of community centres, mental health training, awareness campaigns and the restoration of social connections.

Organizations and hospitals on the ground such as Heal Africa Hospital, Panzi Foundation, Saint Vincent de Paul hospital and international partners like MSF, UNHCR and so many more are also providing essential psychosocial care to affected communities.

However, despite these efforts, the need for more psychosocial support far exceeds the resources available.

Mental health must not be overlooked. We need to break those myths surrounding it and end the silence. We need to create more awareness programs, more advocacy, more health education (for instance introducing the topic of mental health in the school curriculum, training community volunteers to teach people about mental health and break the stigma), more support for a resilient, stronger and peaceful Congo.

Written by Vanessa Mukanire

After more than 50 hours of travel, this second cohort arrived on Congolese soil on Tuesday 9 December 2025, ahead of its official presentation to stakeholders and the press on Wednesday 10 December. These animals will reinforce the group reintroduced two years ago as part of a vast program to restore this species. Garamba National Park has reached a new milestone with the arrival of 24 new southern white rhinos.

The transfer, which covered several thousand kilometres from the Munywana reserve in South Africa, was orchestrated in three carefully planned stages. The operation mobilized veterinarians, logisticians, wildlife experts and security partners, ensuring the animals' well-being throughout the journey.

According to Philippe Decoops, managing director of Garamba National Park, this operation represents a major step forward in the reintroduction of an iconic species that had disappeared from the country for several decades. He said he was satisfied with the results achieved so far, particularly with the birth of a baby rhino in the first group.

"It has now been three months since the first rhino was born in the wild in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a first in more than twenty years. A month earlier, another birth had taken place: the calf was in perfect health, but unfortunately its mother died during the birth. We want to make it clear that the more we invest in conservation, the more we reap the benefits," he said.

For the provincial government, represented by Mines Minister Didier Meduama Yolo, this new wave reinforces the actions already taken to preserve the park and its species.

"The province of Haut-Uele has not stood aside in improving the conditions and operationality of our park. Road maintenance is proof of this: it facilitates intervention when there is a problem. We encourage peaceful coexistence with the park so that the population understands the importance of this major project to better protect the species that live there," he emphasized.

Garamba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an environment conducive to the survival of rhinos: enhanced security, rigorous management, community support and exceptional biodiversity. This new group reinforces an already growing founding population, with the hope of creating a sustainable stronghold for the species in the region. A third batch of rhinos is planned for January 2026.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

The Congo Basin Fund will be launched on Wednesday 19 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, where COP30 is being held. Launched by environmental civil society organizations, this fund aims to support local communities in protecting the forest and marine ecosystem.

"We must do this because it is the right thing to do, because doing so means supporting the communities that pay the highest price for deforestation and other consequences," says Maman Dorothée Lisenga, one of the indigenous women environmental activists from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This panel brings together leaders of local funds and key representatives working in the world's major forests—the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia—to share concrete experiences of direct support for nature-based, community-led solutions whose primary goal is to keep the forest standing.

After the launch, several other community and environmental fund managers exchanged views with the stakeholders of these new funds. Maria Amália Souza, Founder and Director of Global Philanthropy Strategies, Fundo Casa Socioambiental, a fund dedicated to the Amazon rainforest, believes that this new fund must fight to ensure its success while maintaining the philosophy of local communities:

"It's like this front that we're going to there. Well, there's going to have to be re-accommodation of systems here, and that's what we're trying, embedding it, and just going and being places like this and bringing partners and creating direct voices."

With an annual absorption of around 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, or around 4% of global emissions, Central Africa is one of the regions of the world with the most positive differential between carbon absorption and emissions, with a net flow of around 600 million tons of carbon dioxide.

The region has a sequestered carbon stock of approximately 60 billion tons, 30 billions of which are found in its peatlands, which represent the largest tropical peatland forest complex in the world. These forests are also the world's most efficient ecosystem for carbon capture.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma in Belem, Brazil

A fire broke out in the "Blue Zone" pavilion of the COP30 venue in Belém, Brazil, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 20, 2025. If the area was closed in the afternoon, official sources said mum.The fire occurred in one of the pavilions in the Blue Zone, the restricted area where official negotiations between countries take place. The fire has been contained, and there are no reports of any injuries said the Brazilian authorities here at the site. In an official communication, the UN said that the situation is under control of Brazil government, and the local authorities will give an update at 4:00 PM local time."13 individuals were treated on site for smoke inhalation. Their condition is being monitored, and appropriate medical support has been provided" said local authorities in Belem.The organizer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) confirmed in an email sent to participants that : "Following a comprehensive safety assessment, we confirm that the venue has been thoroughly inspected and deemed fully safe".The entire Blue Zone was temporarily closed for a safety assessment, causing a pause in the negotiations which were in their final stages. The Blue Zone was re-opened around 8:40 PM local time the same day for negotiations to resume, though the specific affected area remains isolated until the conference ends said UN source. Belém is the capital of the state of Pará, in the northern region of Brazil. It is a major gateway to the Amazon River, known for its rich history, unique culture influenced by indigenous, African, and European traditions, and distinctive cuisine. The choice serves to focus international attention on the rainforest's existential danger and Brazil's role in forest preservation and climate leadership. This location is also a symbolic contrast to previous host countries with fossil fuel-based economies. To be continued

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

"Cheated! The rush for critical minerals in the DRC." This is the title of the report just published by the Oakland Institute, an independent American think tank that aims to contribute to major social, economic
and environmental issues. The Congolese press has produced articles on this report.

Actualite.cd begins with the context of the signing after the fall of the cities of Goma and Bukavu to M23 rebels supported by Rwanda.

"In the aftermath of the fall of Goma and Bukavu and after the failure of the Luanda process, the Washington agreement and the Doha process are the two complementary parts of major diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the persistent conflicts in eastern DRC, particularly those involving Rwanda and armed groups such as the M23," according to this online newspaper.

"While US President Donald Trump hailed the 'peace' agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the end of a deadly three-decade war, a new report from the Oakland Institute casts a shadow over this announcement," states the opinion news website.

"Entitled Shafted: The Scramble for Critical Minerals in the DRC, the document asserts that this diplomatic initiative primarily conceals a US strategy aimed at consolidating control over critical Congolese minerals,"
adds Opinion Infos.

For researchers at the Oakland Institute, this diplomatic agreement is not a step towards peace, but rather a "win-lose deal," according to the Kinshasa-based media outlet.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of
extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world", according to DeskEco.com.

"According to the study, the United States turned a blind eye to massive exports of tantalum, a metal extracted from coltan, from Rwanda," reports lafortune.net, a media outlet focusing on economic trade issues. It goes on to add that "At its peak, more than half of US tantalum imports came from Rwanda,
despite its limited mining production."

Finances Entreprises focused directly on the plundering of Congolese mineral resources by Rwanda with the tacit agreement of the United States. "The analysis of historical coltan trade data presented in the report shows that the United States played a central role in laundering Congolese minerals smuggled by Rwanda. Total exports of tantalum (extracted from coltan) from Rwanda to the United States increased
15-fold between 2013 and 2018," the daily newspaper reports.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

Virunga National Park announced a new birth on Friday 23 October. During a monitoring patrol, the bio-monitoring assistant and his team observed a female from the Baraka family holding her newborn baby in her arms.

With this birth, the Baraka family now numbers 17 individuals. It is also the sixth birth recorded in this protected area this year, according to park officials.

According to park officials, it was during a routine patrol that an assistant responsible for monitoring primates observed a female from the Baraka family holding a newborn in her arms. The identity of the mother and the sex of the baby have not yet been confirmed, and observations are continuing to determine this information.

"The mother has not yet been identified since some members of the Baraka family are still unnamed, and the sex of the infant remains unknown. Observations will continue during upcoming visits to confirm the details of this birth and monitor the family" said the Virunga National Park.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Virunga National Park continues to face enormous challenges. Since 2022, clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and AFC/M23 rebels have severely disrupted conservation activities.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

The Chief of Staff to the Head of State, Antony Kinzo, acting on the orders of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, has instructed Deputy Prime Minister for the Interior Jacquemin Shabani Lukoo to impose a moratorium on all motions of no confidence or censure until the end of the war in the east of the country. This presidential decision has provoked strong reactions among Congolese politicians.

While the government justifies this measure as necessary to preserve the stability of institutions during a period of security crisis, several observers see it as an authoritarian move and a serious violation of the democratic principles enshrined in the Congolese Constitution.

"This measure aims to allow provincial governors to manage their entities without the constant fear of being removed from office," according to the office of the President of the Republic.

Political analysts believe that this decision reflects a fear of democratic debate and a desire on the part of the regime to protect certain public officials in the face of mounting criticism of the management of state affairs. For them, war cannot be used as a pretext to neutralize the control of the legislative branch, one of the pillars of any democracy.

"It's an indirect way of telling people not to touch the governors or scrutinize their management. Because even recommendations are prohibited. This is a new violation of the constitution, which established provincial assemblies as bodies to oversee the management of provincial governors," said a law researcher at the University of Kinshasa, speaking on condition of anonymity.

This moratorium comes after the dismissal of the governor of Tshopo province, Paulin Lendongolia Lebabonga, who is considered behind the scenes to be one of the President's protégés. On several occasions, provincial assemblies have dismissed other governors without Kinshasa taking any action.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) announced that they had neutralised nine Mobondo militiamen and captured sixty others during a large-scale 72-hour search operation in the Kingakati group, east of Kinshasa.

According to Captain Antony Mualushayi, spokesperson for NGEMBA operations, the forces seized 22 weapons, including 15 AK-47 rifles and several machetes. The equipment is currently being inventoried by units on site, he added. The officer also specified that the two wounded soldiers are receiving appropriate care in military medical facilities.

Finally, the FARDC called on the Mobondo militiamen still on the run to surrender with their weapons "while they still have the opportunity" and thanked the people of Kinshasa, particularly those in the Kingakati group, for their support and cooperation, calling on them to continue to help so that the displaced persons can quickly return to their homes.

The Mobondo militias emerged from an armed community movement that appeared in 2022 in the provinces of Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Kwango, following land and ethnic disputes between the Yaka and Teke communities. Despite several calls for disarmament by the government, these groups continue to sow insecurity in certain rural areas, now spreading to the outskirts of Kinshasa.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma

"Cheated! The rush for critical minerals in the DRC." This is the title of the report just published by the Oakland Institute, an independent American think tank that aims to contribute to major social, economic and environmental issues. The Congolese press has produced articles on this report.

Actualite.cd begins with the context of the signing after the fall of the cities of Goma and Bukavu to M23 rebels supported by Rwanda.

"In the aftermath of the fall of Goma and Bukavu and after the failure of the Luanda process, the Washington agreement and the Doha process are the two complementary parts of major diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the persistent conflicts in eastern DRC, particularly those involving Rwanda and armed groups such as the M23," according to this online newspaper.

"While US President Donald Trump hailed the 'peace' agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the end of a deadly three-decade war, a new report from the Oakland Institute casts a shadow over this announcement," states the opinion news website.

"Entitled Shafted: The Scramble for Critical Minerals in the DRC, the document asserts that this diplomatic initiative primarily conceals a US strategy aimed at consolidating control over critical Congolese minerals," adds Opinion Infos.

For researchers at the Oakland Institute, this diplomatic agreement is not a step towards peace, but rather a "win-lose deal," according to the Kinshasa-based media outlet.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world," according to DeskEco.com.

The report acknowledges that formalising trade through the Washington agreement "may reduce these losses", but stresses that "with its much larger mineral deposits, the DRC will continue to be the site of extraction, with enormous social and environmental costs, while Rwanda will benefit from the processing and export of minerals around the world", according to DeskEco.com.

"According to the study, the United States turned a blind eye to massive exports of tantalum, a metal extracted from coltan, from Rwanda," reports lafortune.net, a media outlet focusing on economic trade issues. It goes on to add that "At its peak, more than half of US tantalum imports came from Rwanda, despite its limited mining production."

Finances Entreprises focused directly on the plundering of Congolese mineral resources by Rwanda with the tacit agreement of the United States. "The analysis of historical coltan trade data presented in the report shows that the United States played a central role in laundering Congolese minerals smuggled by Rwanda. Total exports of tantalum (extracted from coltan) from Rwanda to the United States increased 15-fold between 2013 and 2018," the daily newspaper reports.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma