AFC-M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa (center), with his deputies Bertrand Bisimwa (left) and Dr Freddy Kaniki (right)
Goma, North Kivu — AFC-M23 administration has imposed a sweeping ban on ethnically charged gatherings and communications, citing a rise in inflammatory messaging circulating through social media platforms and private channels, including WhatsApp.
In a directive issued on May 5, the North Kivu provincial administration said that tribal and ethnic rhetoric has been increasingly shared both in public discourse and encrypted digital spaces, warning that such narratives risk reigniting communal tensions in a region already shaped by decades of armed conflict.
The order prohibits meetings, demonstrations, and any organized activity framed around ethnic identity.
It also extends to the dissemination of messages—whether online or offline—considered capable of inciting hatred or hostility between communities.
The directive said enforcement would rely on existing legal provisions, with penalties for individuals or groups found in violation.
The communiqué framed the restrictions as a preventive measure aimed at protecting fragile local cohesion during ongoing stabilization efforts.
The move comes against a backdrop of persistent insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where armed groups, displacement, and contested authority have repeatedly intersected with identity-based tensions.
In such an environment, digital platforms—particularly WhatsApp groups widely used for local communication—have become rapid vectors for both information and rumor, often blurring the line between political messaging and communal mobilization.
The ban was issued by AFC-M23 North Kivu governor Bahati Musanga Erasto, but may likely cover all regions of North and South Kivu under the movement’s authority.
