Kinshasa, DRC – The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Higher Education, Universities, Research, and Innovation has suspended the salaries of 48 higher education employees accused of collaborating with the AFC/M23 rebel group or accepting assignments under its authority, according to an official directive issued August 21, 2026.
The decision, formalized in a circular signed by Minister Prof. Dr. Sombo Ayane Safi Mukuna Marie-Thérèse, was addressed to the ministry’s permanent secretaries and takes immediate effect. The ministry stated that the move follows recommendations from a joint commission established to investigate the conduct and affiliations of academic and research staff suspected of having joined AFC/M23, pledged allegiance to the group, or accepted duties under its supervision.
Citing the gravity of the allegations, the minister ordered an immediate halt to salary payments while authorities determine “procedures for their definitive dismissal” from public service.
The ministry further directed payroll departments to remove the affected employees from the payment registry and execute the suspension without delay.
Among those whose salaries have been frozen are 28 professors, 12 “Chefs de Travaux” (senior lecturers), 3 assistants, and 5 individuals holding other academic positions.
The list of named individuals includes Professors Jaribu Muliwavyo, Gahamanyi Nyonzima, Balege Rugunduka Stanislas, Ndazay Byemero Désiré, Kambale Nyondo Jean-Pierre, Twizere Bakunda, Somora Patrick, and Amisi Safari, among others.
The salary suspension comes amid an escalating crackdown by the Congolese government on what it describes as complicity with armed groups operating in the country’s volatile eastern regions. The government has previously condemned AFC/M23’s efforts to install administrators in higher education institutions located in territories under the group’s control, particularly in the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Kinshasa has consistently maintained that AFC/M23 lacks the legal authority to appoint officials to state-run academic institutions, and has already ordered the closure of universities and higher education facilities in areas under the group’s influence.
The situation underscores the ongoing tensions in eastern DR Congo, where the M23 rebellion linked to the broader AFC political-military coalition has continued to challenge government authority over significant swaths of territory. The conflict has had far-reaching consequences, including mass displacement, cross-border refugee movements, and now, deepening institutional fractures in the country’s education sector.
