DRC: RSF and UNPC open a residence for displaced journalists in North Kivu province
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and its partner, the Congolese National Press Union (UNPC), have inaugurated a residence in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for displaced journalists from the North Kivu region. In response to the province’s growing insecurity, a series of training courses for more than 60 journalists from the cities Goma, Béni and Butembo is also being organised.
Since last September, two journalists have been killed and multiple media workers have been attacked. Around twenty community radio stations have been closed, censored or subjected to control by the M23 rebel group this summer, while others have been threatened with prosecution by the government. Due to the many dangers journalists face in North Kivu, a north-eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they are forced to flee their homes. Around fifty journalists from North Kivu had been displaced by the end of June 2024.
Given the region’s deteriorating security, RSF inaugurated a residence for displaced journalists on 10 December in the city of Goma, in the presence of the UNPC, one of RSF’s partners, represented by Rosalie Zawadi, president of the UNPC’s provincial section, and Prisca Amala Luanda, advisor to the governor of North Kivu who is responsible for communication and humanitarian action.
Journalists and media outlets are going through very difficult times, marked by an upsurge in fighting in North Kivu province. RSF stands by them and helps them remain resiliant. In addition to the grants regularly awarded to journalists in the province who face hardships, the organisation directly contributes to ensuring the safety of journalists. RSF is very pleased to be able to strengthen protections for the province’s displaced journalists, and calls on the authorities to make an even greater commitment to their safety and to the fight against impunity for crimes committed against them.
The residence, which started operating on 1 September, can accommodate around fifteen people, and started its activities by housing displaced journalists from the Rutshuru and Masisi territories. Five of them have been permanently rehoused in the residence, and around ten others visit every week. The new centre complements the press centre set up by the UNPC's North Kivu section in 2015, which provides a 50-seat workspace for journalists from around the country. With the RSF’s support, the UNPC’s centre provides them with the equipment and working conditions necessary to keep producing news.
“The initiative is a response to the security crisis in which press freedom is obstructed and media workers pay a high price,” said Ndeye Diary Ba, RSF's project manager for sub-Saharan Africa, who was present at the inauguration ceremony. She added that RSF is mobilising to counter the ransacking of newsrooms and the theft of journalists’ equipment, “by setting up a support structure of hope and stability, and providing equipment that allows journalists to continue their work in complete safety.”
Although the residence has been designed as a place of rest, the aim is that “its occupants, who remain journalists, can continue to do their job,” adds Rosalie Zawadi. The residence’s journalists produce news bulletins that are broadcast by UNPC’s congolese media.
Over 60 journalists trained in physical and digital security
RSF also offers journalists in North Kivu training sessions in physical and digital security. The first two took place in Goma at the end of November and the beginning of December. They will be followed by a workshop in January for journalists from the cities Butembo and Béni. Over 60 journalists are receiving support throughout North Kivu province. RSF’s broader activities span throughout the country: the NGO is helping to equip newsrooms and press centres with satellite internet connection to improve the working conditions of journalists in various regions of the DRC.
Journalists caught in the conflict
Two journalists have been killed since September. The coordinator of the Catholic radio station Maria, Edmond Bahati Monja, was shot at close range in Goma on the evening of 27 September. Journalist Yoshua Kambere Machozi, host of the Mpety community radio station, was found dead on 6 November following his abduction by members of the M23 on 29 October in North Kivu, 180 kilometres west of Goma. The circumstances and reasons for his arrest remain unclear.
