My heart breaks for the families in Bukavu — 26 children lost in a classroom is an unbearable tragedy. Beyond grief, this should be a wake-up call: schools must be safe havens, not places where flimsy wooden buildings, overcrowding and a lack of emergency planning can turn a small fire into mass deaths. With Bukavu under the control of the M23 and both Kinshasa and the de facto authorities promising investigations, there must be a truly independent, transparent inquiry with international observers (including UNICEF and UN experts) to establish what happened and who is accountable. We also need immediate humanitarian assistance for the injured and displaced, plus real commitments to rebuild resilient, safe schools and to protect children’s right to education — especially girls, who made up most of the victims. Finally, this horror underscores the human cost of conflict and impunity in eastern DR Congo: the international community must press for protection of civilians, for accountability, and for long-term political solutions so no child has to die attending class.
